There was plenty of big Fantastic Four news at San Diego Comic-Con, not the least of which being the jaw-dropping announcement that Robert Downey, Jr. has been cast as Doctor Doom. But Comic-Con is also where we learned the full title of the next Fantastic Four movie. It’s officially called The Fantastic Four: First Steps. And like Spider-Man: Homecoming before it, this is a Marvel title with a lot of hidden meaning.
From an allusion to the movie’s 1960s setting to a potential tease of a major FF character, let’s break down what exactly the First Steps title reveals about the new movie.
The Beginning of a New Fantastic Four Saga
Let’s start with the most obvious interpretation of the Fantastic Four: First Steps title. This is clearly Marvel telling us that the movie is a brand-new start for the FF franchise. They’re introducing a new version of the team with no ties to past incarnations like 2005’s Fantastic Four or 2015’s Fantastic Four.
It’s especially important for Marvel to draw a hard line between them, given that neither of those previous attempts were particularly well-received by fans. Fantastic Four ‘05 and its sequel are, at best, a product of a different era of superhero movie-making. And as for Fantastic Four ‘15, that film’s infamously troubled production is fully evident in the finished product. It’s a good idea for Marvel to establish right up front that this new film is a fresh start for the series, free from the baggage of previous movies.
It’s a good idea for Marvel to establish right up front that this new film is a fresh start for the series, free from the baggage of previous movies.
But the title also hints at a larger road map for the Fantastic Four franchise. This film is literally the first step in a larger plan. No doubt Marvel has sequels in mind, assuming First Steps does well at the box office. And we know that the FF are going to be integral to the larger MCU going forward, with the team appearing in both 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday and 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars. How could they not, with Downey’s Doom serving as the new Thanos of the MCU?
After two failed attempts at forging a lasting Fantastic Four franchise, (three if you count the never officially released Roger Corman movie), Marvel wants us to know that the FF are back, and that they have a plan for giving this family of heroes the love they deserve.
The Fantastic Four and the Space Race
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is unusual among MCU movies in that it’s set in the early 1960s, the same era when the team originally debuted in the comics. That setting is shaping up to be integral to both the plot and general tone of the movie, as First Steps embraces the optimism and adventurous spirit of the early ‘60s.
With that in mind, the “First Steps” subtitle seems designed specifically to invoke the Space Race and astronaut Neil Armstrong’s iconic message, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” The FF are helping guide the human race as they take their first steps into a larger universe.
But this isn’t our world; this is a version of the ‘60s where Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards and his family are celebrity superheroes. And First Steps isn’t actually set in the MCU, either. It’s instead set in an alternate universe where the FF are reshaping human history as we know it. We get a taste of that in the early teaser art for the movies, which shows a framed photo of Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm as an astronaut and the helpful robot H.E.R.B.I.E. serving drinks. This is a version of 1960s America that’s more advanced and futuristic than our own.
“We’re not just doing the ‘60s, we’re doing retro future ‘60s… it’s part what you know from the ‘60s, but part what you’ve never seen before,” Shakman said during Marvel Studios’ SDCC panel. “With the right heart and mind, you can do anything.”
But is the title specifically referring to man walking on the moon? We’re not so sure. For a man of Reed’s incredible intellect, even sending a spaceship to the moon is small potatoes. We could easily see the “First Steps” subtitle referring to something even more revolutionary. Are the FF walking on Mars? Taking their first steps into another universe or dimension like the Negative Zone? Given that the FF are appearing in the next two Avengers movies, we essentially have confirmation that they’ll be crossing over from their universe to the MCU. Is that thanks to Reed’s latest scientific breakthrough?
Or is the title referring to mankind making first contact with alien life? We know that the film will introduce Ralph Ineson as Galactus and Julia Garner as the Silver Surfer. First Steps could be about humanity (and the Richards family) contending with the realization that they aren’t alone in the Marvel Universe.
The First Generation of Marvel Heroes
The “First Steps” subtitle may also be referring to the fact that the FF themselves are the start of a new generation of superheroes. In the comics, the debut of the team in 1961’s Fantastic Four #1 is credited with jumpstarting the modern era of the Marvel Universe. Marvel had certainly had superheroes before that point (including Golden Age favorites like Captain America, Namor, and the original Human Torch), but the FF ushered in the Silver Age and paved the way for other hit titles like The Amazing Spider-Man and The Avengers.
We assume that part of the motivation for setting The Fantastic Four: First Steps in an alternate universe is to show fans a world where the FF have had the same impact. In the MCU, Iron Man is the harbinger of the modern superhero era, as everything can be traced back to that fateful day Tony Stark built his armor in a cave with a box of scraps. It was never clear how Marvel would introduce the FF into that landscape. Would they be the new kids on the superhero block? Would they be veteran heroes the world had been made to forget? Marvel seems to have decided on a third option.
It remains to be seen if the Fantastic Four: First Steps universe even has other heroes beyond the FF themselves. But if characters like Spider-Man or the Avengers do exist, they’re apt to be very different from the MCU versions. These characters will have been influenced by the Fantastic Four and the example they’ve set for the world.
This may be where Doctor Doom comes in. The fact that Downey has been cast as Doom suggests that this version of the villain is a Tony Stark variant gone astray. Perhaps in this universe, Stark, not Victor von Doom, is the one who develops an intense rivalry with Reed Richards as a young man. Instead of experiencing a heroic epiphany and transforming himself into Iron Man, this Stark undergoes a megalomaniacal evolution and becomes Doctor Doom. In this case, the impact of the Fantastic Four isn’t all roses and sunshine.
Teasing Franklin Richards
It’s hard to read the words “First Steps” and not picture a toddler taking their first steps. That may well be an association Marvel wants us to make. The Fantastic Four are, first and foremost, a family, and that family eventually grows to include children in the comics.
Could The Fantastic Four: First Steps be introducing Franklin Richards, the son of Reed and Vanessa Kirby’s Susan Storm? Reed and Sue are certainly old enough in the movie that they could be grappling with parenthood. Franklin brings with him his own set of challenges, as he happens to be one of the most powerful mutants in the Marvel Universe, one capable of generating entire pocket universes out of pure imagination.
Franklin is also a character with ties to Galactus, so that makes his appearance in the film all the more likely. We could also see him being used as the catalyst for the FF’s journey from their universe into the MCU. From there, his mutant heritage would help forge a major link between the FF and the MCU’s X-Men, whenever they finally debut.
It’s also possible the film could introduce Reed and Sue’s other child, Valeria. Valeria is another fun character, as she has the intelligence of her father packed inside a diminutive frame. And she shares a deep bond with the normally antisocial Doctor Doom. Doom is basically her godfather, and he named her after his own mother.
The “First Steps” name could even be referring to the creation of the Fantastic Four’s extended family, known as the Future Foundation. In the comics, Reed establishes the Future Foundation as a way of guiding and shaping the minds of young super-geniuses like Valeria, Alex Power, Wakandan native Onome, and Bentley-23, a clone of the FF villain The Wizard. Again, First Steps could be about exploring the way the Fantastic Four are influencing a new generation of heroes and scientists.
Ultimately, all four of these theories could be true. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is definitely signifying a fresh start for the franchise. It’s also evoking the Space Race and reminding us that the FF are the harbingers of a new Marvel era. And one way or another, it’s probably a Marvel movie about parenthood. This a title with a lot of different meanings.
But do you have any other theories about the title? What do you most hope to see from The Fantastic Four: First Steps? Let us know in the comments.
For more on the future of the MCU, find out why Robert Downey, Jr. has been cast as Doctor Doom and brush up on every Marvel movie and series in development.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
