Marvel needs The Fantastic Four: First Steps to succeed this summer after recent MCU disappointments.
Early reactions to The Fantastic Four: First Steps are extremely positive on social media.
The Fantastic Four have struggled on the big screen before, but Marvel Studios hopes to finally get it right.
Marvel Studios really needs The Fantastic Four: First Steps to hit in a big way this summer. If first impressions of the film are to be believed, things are looking up for the struggling Marvel Cinematic Universe.
2025 has not been a, well, fantastic year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Captain America: Brave New World was met with a collective shrug when it was released in February, despite having the star power of Harrison Ford in tow. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Daredevil: Born Again, and Ironheart all performed relatively well with critics, but none of the shows managed to capture the audience of earlier MCU series like WandaVision. Thunderbolts* proved to be the best-reviewed Marvel Studios film in years, but it ended up bringing in even less money than Captain America: Brave New World did. DC Studios’ Superman has kicked off the new MCU-rivaling DC Universe in style, meaning Marvel has to get their act together and get it together quickly. Their big bet to do so? Bringing in their resident First Family to save the day.
The Fantastic Four’s roster has shifted a few times over the years. These are the strongest members in its history.
First reactions to The Fantastic Four: First Stepsare rolling in on social media, and those who have been lucky enough to see the film certainly seem to be enjoying what the superhero family is bringing to the table. Writer/comedian Chris Killian claims the movie “friggin’ rocks” and that it “feels like Jack Kirby’s imagination brought to life on the big screen.” Entertainment journalist Brandon Davis wrote that the film “is visually one of the best things Marvel has ever made” and that “[p]arts feel like Interstellar & demand IMAX.” Next Best Picture’s Matt Neglia said, “The four main cast members are excellent, Michael Giacchino’s lively score is instantly memorable, and the ‘60s retro-futuristic production design & dynamic visual effects are a delightful treat rather than an eyesore.” All in all, a pretty positive reception for First Steps, it seems.
Early Reactions To The Fantastic Four: First Steps Seem Extremely Positive
What Will Audiences Have To Say, Though?
Hollywood has been trying to get the Fantastic Four right on the big screen for years, with little success to show for it. Ignoring the shelved 1990s adaptation from Roger Corman of all people, 2005’s Fantastic Four was the first attempt at bringing Marvel’s First Family to the multiplex. It was a different era for superhero filmmaking, but even judging by the standards of the time, it wasn’t too hot a film. It did earn enough money to get a so-so sequel in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, though.
When Rise of the Silver Surfer came and went without much fanfare, 20th Century Fox went back to the drawing board, and what came next was Josh Trank’s infamously troubled 2015 film Fantastic Four. Even with a talented cast of Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell, this Fantastic Four tanked so hard, it lost around $100 million for the studio and stopped the franchise before it got started. Now, ten years later, Marvel Studios is hoping they’re the ones to finally get this thing right.
The Fantastic Four have been major players in Marvel Comics since 1961, and Marvel Studios is hoping that they can parley the group’s massive fanbase into helping the MCU get back on track. Whatever happens with the MCU post Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, the Fantastic Four are sure to play a big role. For people to care about that future, The Fantastic Four: First Steps needs to be a hit with audiences and critics alike. We’re just a week away from finding out if the FF are finally Hollywood darlings or if they’re seemingly doomed to never have a successful transition to the big screen.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps releases in theatres on July 25, 2025.
