First Steps finally gets right what every other Fantastic Four movie got wrong

Jessica Cullen
Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm in The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer

The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer is finally here, and it proves Marvel has finally learned what makes the superhero team so great.

After a painstakingly long countdown, the First Steps trailer has landed. There’s lots to look forward to in the upcoming Marvel movie, such as Sue Storm’s nifty new force field design, the comic-accurate look of the Thing, and Pedro Pascal’s beautiful grey temples.  

Yes, there are also things to pick at. We never get to see Reed Richard’s stretchy limbs (is Reed powerless in this version, or is this simply a move to hide unfinished CGI? You be the judge!), there’s no Silver Surfer, and the retrofuturistic ‘50s aesthetic is a little less exaggerated than we’d hoped for.

But there’s one critical thing that Marvel needed to get right above all the rest, and it looks like they succeeded. Namely, they needed to remember that their first family was exactly that: a family.

The Fantastic Four has failed until now

To date, there have been three major movie adaptations of Marvel’s Fantastic Four: The 2005 version, its sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer, and the 2015 reboot, Fant4stic. (There was also a brief cameo of John Krasinski’s Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but that’s a great example of fan-casting too close to the sun.)

The 2005 era was a box office success, but was mostly panned across the board. (My first comic book movie obsession, and therefore will always be my favorite.) The 2015 movie was even more disappointing, a box office failure, and ended up being loathed by fans and critics alike. 

Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Chiklis, and Jessica Alba as Reed, Ben, and Sue in Fantastic Four (2005)
2005’s Fantastic Four looked a little different to First Steps

History has not looked kindly on live-action adaptations for this particular band of superheroes.

But all live-action movies for the Four have failed on one huge count, and it’s the dynamic within the group. Until now, their on-screen origin stories have depicted them as old acquaintances forced back together, constantly bickering and unable to get to grips with each other. Either that, or they barely know each other at all.

Aside from switching up the time period and style in which their story is told, First Steps looks to change all of that. And it’s clear from the teaser trailer just how much of a family angle this new movie is going to take.

Family dinner, every week

Of course, there’ll be more to the awesome foursome than what’s given away in this first teaser. However, what we do see is a cohesive group that knows each other. Reed and Sue are already an established couple, and there’s a sense of understanding and support between them. 

“We make a point to do family dinner every week. Sunday at 7, on the dot, no matter what. We’re all here,” Reed says in the opening moments. At one of those aforementioned shared dinners, Reed and Sue are sitting back while Ben Grimm interferes with H.E.R.B.I.E’s cooking. 

Seeing the characters interact with each other out of choice and in a moment that isn’t directly A) complaining about their situation or B) doing something superhero-related isn’t something we’re used to, and it’s undeniably refreshing.

Perhaps it helps that this doesn’t appear to be a straightforward origin story. The Four aren’t so preoccupied with struggling and adjusting (both to their powers and each other), but rather, they’re already settled.

Sue Storm says it best: “Whatever life throws at us, we’ll face it together. As a family.”

Still room to fail

Of course, the trailer is no indication of how good First Steps will actually be. There’s still plenty to see, and plenty to get wrong. (Any Marvel cynic will already be tallying up the odds of Reed’s abilities looking absolutely ridiculous.) 

But at least the new MCU flick has taken its first few steps in the right direction. Even if everything else fails, it may just be the first time Marvel has gotten the Fantastic Four right.

So yes, it may not fully prove itself until May. But at least we’ve been given small hope that this version, for the first time, might actually be fantastic. 

The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters on July 25, 2025.

For more, check out our list of the superhero movies you might never see, the ten best Fantastic Four comics to read before the next movie, and all the other most exciting 2025 movies coming out.