The Fantastic Four: First Steps

The time has finally come – after years of anticipation, fans finally have their first true, in-depth look at the MCU’s upcoming adaptation of Marvel’s first family, The Fantastic Four. Admittedly, the team have had a rough history in terms of cinematic adaptations. Tim Story’s duology have aged horribly, and are way too goofy for their own good, while 2015’s FANT4STIC is one of the most universally despised superhero movies of all time – doesn’t exactly set hopes high for the MCU’s take on these characters! However, with the release of this trailer, we now have a better idea of what to expect from The Fantastic Four: First Steps when it releases this Summer, so with that being said, let’s break down this trailer!

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The Trailer

Image by Marvel Studios

The trailer opens with the viewer instantly placed inside the Baxter Building, the iconic headquarters of our titular team of heroes. From as early as the opening frames, the retro-futuristic, 1960’s vibe that this movie is going for instantly shines through, and I think such a vibe works well for the Fantastic Four. After all, the team debuted in the comics back in 1961, and have always had a more retro feel to them as opposed to the other, more modern properties adapted into the MCU. The Marvel Studios logo even receives a retro-revamp – you can’t deny they’re committed to the vibe with this!

We then get our first look at some of the cast members in action – Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, and most notably, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who plays The Thing. Going into this trailer, I had no doubt that the first look at The Thing would be jarring – the MCU prefers a CGI approach to these sorts of big, hulking (pun intended) characters. However, I didn’t expect it to be this jarring. He doesn’t look bad, per se. He does, however, look really unnatural alongside his teammates, particularly when you can see his human eyes moving around within his stony eye-sockets. Ben’s appearance as The Thing is, of course, a huge part of his character arc, something we see him struggle with later on in the trailer, so he’s not exactly meant to blend in with the crowd. Still though, something about this version of The Thing feels completely otherworldly, even more so than in any of the previous film adaptations.

We also get our first look at H.E.R.B.I.E., a character from the comics who fans of Marvel movies exclusively have likely never heard of, at least until he made his recent appearance in Marvel Rivals. The robot is typically presented as a cute, non-verbal ally to the team, with his backstory stating that he was originally conceived in the hopes that he would aid the Fantastic Four in their fight against Galactus – given this origin, it’s not difficult to see how H.E.R.B.I.E. fits into the plot of this movie. Let’s hope he plays the central role he’s destined for in the plot, instead of just being a comedic relief sidekick.

Image by Marvel Studios

The trailer then hints at the origins of the team, their mission into space and subsequent acquisition of superpowers, with a showcase that highlights each of their individual abilities, and how those abilities tie into the role they play within the Fantastic Four family. Visual effects wise, I’m a little torn on this segment. Sue’s abilities were always going to be difficult to pull off on-screen, given that her power is turning invisible, but something about how static and blurry they look is throwing me off. Johnny, on the other hand, looks incredible. We don’t see much of him in this trailer, but from what we do see, I’m a lot more sold on Joseph Quinn in this role than I was before. Notably, we never see Mister Fantastic’s powers in action – this is a little worrying. Out of the entire team, Reed’s powers were the ones fans were most anxious to see brought to life, given how disturbing they can look if done incorrectly. We’ll just have to wait until the official trailer to see his stretchiness in action, but it seems fans’ anxieties surrounding his powers won’t be alleviated any time soon.

We don’t get a very good idea of what exactly is going to happen story-wise in this movie – after all, this is only a teaser. However, the latter half of the trailer does show off some of the film’s more dramatic shots – Johnny flying into space, some sort of hellish barrage raining down on Earth from the sky, and of course, the ominous shadow and mandatory ‘back-of-the-head’ shot of the big bad himself, Galactus. The film’s plot synopsis had revealed prior that the movie will centre on the team going up against Ralph Ineson’s Galactus, one of the most formidable foes to hit the MCU yet, alongside the help of the Silver Surfer, played by Julia Garner. While we don’t see any of Garner’s Silver Surfer in this teaser, Galactus makes more than enough of an impression on his own to hold up the antagonistic side of the trailer.

The trailer ends on the notion of family, and we get our first wide-shot of the entire Fantastic Four, suited up. The suits are comic-accurate, but I’m not entirely sure how to feel about them just yet. Something about them looks very ‘Winter-gear’ish, almost like our heroes are getting ready to climb a snowy mountain rather than face off against the forces of evil in a Summer movie. Maybe it’s the gloves. Either way, the wide-shot was undeniably the best choice to end the trailer on, as fans prepare for a few more months of radio-silence from Marvel on this project while they await the drop of the official trailer.

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Final Thoughts

Image by Marvel Studios

Now comes the section of the breakdown where I word-vomit all of my thoughts on a trailer that was less than 2-minutes long. Overall, this trailer didn’t take my breath away. As you may know if you’ve read my previous articles regarding the MCU and its upcoming endeavours, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is my most anticipated superhero project of 2025 – I love these characters, and really want to see a movie do them justice. There’s nothing to really complain about with this teaser, but it didn’t move me at all, and I’m no more excited to see the movie now than I was when it was first announced.

I’m a little reassured with some of the casting decisions – I’m now sold on Joseph Quinn as Human Torch, and Vanessa Kirby looks like she’s going to be a solid Invisible Woman (excuse the pun). However, to be blunt, Ebon Moss-Bachrach unsettles me as The Thing, and I’m still very unsure about Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic. We see very little of Ralph Ineson’s Galactus, but Ineson is a very talented actor, and the shots we do see of the giant, life-consuming cosmic being do seem domineering. At the end of the day, this teaser is very short, and a huge chunk of the runtime is consumed by The Thing taste-testing H.E.R.B.I.E’s cooking, so beyond the visual aspects, there’s not a lot to say that hasn’t been said already.

I’m no more excited for this movie now than I was before, but I’m also no less excited after this teaser, so that is a big plus. It’s clear that comic accuracy is on Matt Shakman’s mind, and he did direct WandaVision, which I personally think is the very best of Marvel’s television projects, so I’m holding out hope. I hope an official trailer will soon bring clarity to what exactly this movie is about, and will give us a look at Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer, but this teaser did achieve what it set out to do – broke the silence on one of the MCU’s longest-anticipated movies.

See also: Most Anticipated Movies 2025

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Conclusion

Image by Marvel Studios

What did you think of the first teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps? Are you hyped up to go see this thing, or has this teaser left you feeling a little less than fantastic? Be sure to let us know, and get ready to see The Fantastic Four: First Steps when it releases theatrically, July 25, 2025.

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