‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’: everything we know about the next Marvel movie (release date, trailer, cast, plot, and more)

actor announced as Johnny Storm last February.

On the villain front, The Office UK‘s Ralph Ineson voicing Galactus, aka the movie’s villain-in-chief and a regular foe of Marvel’s First Family. Ineson will be joined on antagonistic duties by Ozark‘s Garner, who’ll play a gender-swapped version of the Silver Surfer, aka the Herald of Galactus. Incidentally, Ineson and Garner never filmed a scene together and only actually met once while on First Steps‘ set.

Meanwhile, Hauser, Niles, and Gatiss were later revealed as part of the cast, as was Lyonne. Initially, Marvel fans thought Lyonne would be perfect for a very specific role, but she isn’t playing the character many of us expected.

Another actor who was set to appear was John Malkovich. He was expected to play another Fantastic Four adversary called Red Ghost, but director Matt Shakman told Variety that, much to Shakman’s disappointment, this villain had to be cut from the final edit.

And what of Doctor Doom, another of the team’s legendary villains and one of Marvel’s most iconic villains? With none other than Robert Downey Jr – yes, he of Iron Man and Avengers fame – playing Doom, who is now the Multiverse Saga’s new main villain, he should cameo, right?

For starters, Shakman told TechRadar that, regardless of whether Downey Jr would play him or not, Doom was never considered as First Steps‘ primary villain.

Speaking to Empire magazine (as reported by comicbookmovie.com), Shakman also denied Downey Jr will appear in this movie, saying Doom isn’t “part of my purview”.

However, Shakman has since said (per ScreenRant) that Avengers: Doomsday directors Joe and Anthony Russo shot this film’s post-credits scene. The pair are also credited with shooting Thunderbolts‘ post-credits scene, which ties into First Steps‘ plot. So, it’s all but confirmed – in my mind, anyway – that Doom will show up before the screen cuts to black for the final time.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps story synopsis and speculation

Here’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ official story brief: “Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family… as they face their most daunting challenge yet.

“Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer. And, if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.”

The first thing to note about this Marvel Phase 6 project is it isn’t an origins story. Other Fantastic Four films have already covered their cosmic radiation-based superpowered beginnings in a live-action capacity, so don’t expect this movie to re-tread old ground.

If you’re concerned about watching it with little to no knowledge of the titular team, don’t fret. Marvel has released a First Steps prequel comic book that’ll explain how the quartet acquire their superhuman abilities, the universe they inhabit, and more. So, be sure to pick up a copy if you need to.

First Steps will not only be a period piece, but is also set in a parallel universe, which has since been confirmed as Earth-828.

That much was made clear in the movie’s first official artwork (see the X/Twitter post above), which depicted a different New York to the one we’re used to seeing in the MCU. Given it’s set in an alternate reality, you won’t have to watch any other Marvel projects because it’s genuinely a standalone story. Indeed, Shakman told TechRadar that fans new and old won’t have to do any MCU homework to enjoy First Steps. Phew!

Anyway, fans have long predicted that The Fantastic Four will eventually cross over into the MCU (designated Earth-616 by Marvel) as part of the ongoing Multiverse Saga. The aforementioned artwork, trailer, and the first poster for Marvel’s new Fantastic Four movie poster suggested this would be the case, but Thunderbolts‘ end credits scene practically confirmed this would happen. For more details, read my Thunderbolts* ending explained article.

There have been plenty more hints about the film’s narrative in the run-up to release.

For one, Marvel teased some key story details about The Fantastic Four: First Steps in April 2024 by making some iconic Fantastic Four comic books available to download and read for free. Those literary works feature Galactus and The Silver Surfer, so Shakman and company have taken plenty of storytelling inspiration from them.

Then there’s the big fan theory about Sue Storm that was proven correct by First Steps‘ second trailer – that being, Sue and Reed will welcome their first child, Franklin Richards, during this movie.

If online speculation is to be believed, he’ll be an important part of the plot, which would tie into the “personal” element of First Steps‘ story synopsis. That rumor was part of a major plot leak that The Fantastic Four: First Steps suffered in late May – but, don’t worry, you won’t find any major spoilers here or the previously linked-to article.

Regardless, The Fantastic Four’s latest silver screen outing will lean heavily into the familial aspect that’s made them such an iconic group in Marvel’s library of superheroes.

Indeed, Shakman and the film’s main cast have stressed the importance of examining the team’s familial dynamics in separate chats with Entertainment Weekly and Collider. Whether it’s Sue and Johnny’s sibling bond, Sue and Reed’s marriage, Reed and Ben’s friendship, or the changes that come following Franklin’s birth, one of The Fantastic Four’s enduring themes will be explored at length in First Steps.

Where can I watch the previous Fantastic Four films?

You can stream 2005’s Fantastic Four, 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and 2015’s Fantastic Four on Disney+ no matter where you live. As long as you’re subscribed to one of the world’s best streaming services, you can watch it whatever region of the world you dwell in.

How will The Fantastic Four impact the MCU?

The short answer is: we don’t have a complete picture yet.

The group will become part of the MCU after The Fantastic Four: First Steps because they’ll have a big role to play in Avengers: Doomsday. Pascal, Kirby, Quinn, and Moss-Bachrach were announced as part of Doomsday‘s initial 27-strong cast in late March. Throw in their spaceship-based appearance in the MCU in Thunderbolts‘ post-credits scene, plus Doom’s likely cameo in one of First Steps‘ own end credits stingers, and Doomsday and its sequel Avengers: Secret Wars will be heavily impacted by the eponymous team’s MCU debut.

That won’t be the last time we see them, either. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is reportedly getting a sequel, though it’s unclear when work will begin on it or how it’ll fit into Marvel Studios’ post-Secret Wars plan, which Marvel President Kevin Feige has already referred to as a soft reboot of the cinematic juggernaut (per Variety).

As for potential First Steps spin-offs, a Silver Surfer TV show was reportedly in development for Disney+. We’ve heard little about this possible project since, so nobody knows if it’ll see the light of day. In short: keep your eyes trained on TechRadar for news on all of the above once we know more.

For more Marvel-based coverage, find out how to watch the Marvel movies in order. Alternatively, read more about Spider-Man: Brand New Day, see if you agree with my ranking of the best Marvel movies, or get the lowdown on Daredevil: Born Again season 2.