The Fantastic Four’s New Title Supports Major MCU Reed Richards & Sue Storm Theory
The Fantastic Four’s New Title Supports Major MCU Reed Richards & Sue Storm Theory
The Fantastic Four: First Steps, a new film from Marvel Studios, may be hinting to the arrival of two formidable new characters who are linked to Sue Storm and Reed Richards. After Disney’s acquisition of Fox was finalized in 2019, it was swiftly disclosed that Marvel’s First Family will be joining the MCU. However, it wasn’t until this February that Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach were officially confirmed as The Fantastic Four’s cast members. Though excitement is already strong, recent upgrades have increased it even more.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the new subtitle for the upcoming Phase 6 film, which Kevin Feige and director Matt Shakman revealed at Marvel Studios’ Hall H panel at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. This was revealed alongside a short pre-viz reel providing first look footage of Pascal, Kirby, Quinn and Moss-Bachrach as the Fantastic Four, as well as a more in-depth discussion with Shakman and the cast on stage. One theory explains The Fantastic Four’s title change, and brings two of Marvel’s most powerful heroes into the MCU.
Summary
- The Fantastic Four has been given a new subtitle ahead of its release in July 2025, now named The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
- First Steps could be hinting at Reed Richards and Sue Storm’s children, Franklin and Valeria, taking their first steps in the Phase 6 movie.
- Franklin and Valeria Richards’ debuts in The Fantastic Four: First Steps would perfectly set the stage for their huge roles in Avengers: Secret Wars.
The Fantastic Four’s First Steps Title Could Hint at Franklin & Valeria Richards
Although, as Shakman clarified to Entertainment Weekly, the new First Steps subtitle might allude to the Space Race’s initial steps, it could also allude to the Fantastic Four’s first steps in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. On the other hand, another idea contends that the new title of The Fantastic Four: First Steps can allude to the actual first steps taken by Sue Storm and Reed Richards’ children. This might indicate that Franklin and Valeria Richards—whose appearance in the upcoming Phase 6 film has been long-rumored—will feature.
1968’s Fantastic Four Annual #6 marked Franklin Richards’ Marvel Comics debut, while 1999’s Fantastic Four (Vol. 3) #15, featuring his younger sister Valeria, was her first appearance. The pair have been key to decades of Fantastic Four storylines in Marvel Comics, particularly those featuring the Future Foundation and Galactus, both of which are expected to appear in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Franklin and Valeria were also pivotal in one of Marvel’s biggest crossover events, which will be coming to the MCU in 2027.
Franklin & Valeria Richards’ Debut Would Be Huge for Avengers: Secret Wars
Franklin also had a huge role, as he was able to use his reality warping abilities to restore the multiverse and create entirely new realities after his father’s battle against Doctor Doom. It would be great to see these stories play out in live-action after Franklin and Valeria’s possible debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps appearances of Valeria Richards and Benjamin Franklin would add another piece to the puzzle before Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Secret Wars was released. At SDCC, it was confirmed that the Russo brothers would be directing Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars once more. Since Secret Wars is one of their self-proclaimed favorite storylines, it is certain to be authentically translated. Franklin and Valeria might have a significant role to play as a result.
The revelation that Valeria is Doctor Doom’s biological child occurred during the 2015 Secret Wars event, shocking the Richards family on the other side of the universe.
The Fantastic Four (2025)
Marvel’s Fantastic Four is the first MCU movie to feature Marvel’s First Family in the same live-action universe as the Avengers. It introduces the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm, and precedes Phase 6’s Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Director: Shakman, Matt
Date of Release: July 25, 2025
Marvel Studios is one of the studios.
Cast: John Malkovich, Julia Garner, Ralph Ineson, Ralph Ineson, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, and Natasha Lyonne
| Upcoming Marvel Movies | Release Date |
| Captain America: Brave New World | February 14, 2025 |
| Thunderbolts* | May 2, 2025 |
| The Fantastic Four: First Steps | July 25, 2025 |
| Blade | November 7, 2025 |
| Avengers: Doomsday | May 1, 2026 |
| Avengers: Secret Wars | May 7, 2027 |
Everything We Know About Marvel’s Fantastic Four Reboot
Here is all the information you need to know about the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Multiverse Saga, which will include a reboot of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. As the MCU grows, additional chances present themselves to bring more Marvel Comics characters to life and to give characters whose prior adaptations weren’t quite a hit a second opportunity. The Fantastic Four are among the well-known characters from Fox’s Marvel films that Marvel can now incorporate into the MCU timeline thanks to the Disney/Fox merger.
The Fantastic Four saw their first big-screen adaptation in 1994, but the project has since been notorious for never being released. Instead, they didn’t make their official big-screen debut until 2005. The team got the reboot treatment in 2015 in a movie simply titled Fantastic Four and directed by Josh Trank. Unfortunately, Fantastic Four was a massive critical and commercial failure, but the team is getting one more chance, now as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 6 slate, and here’s what’s known so far about the MCU Fantastic Four reboot.
Summary
- The Fantastic Four will finally join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as part of the Multiverse Saga, offering new opportunities for character adaptations.
- The new Fantastic Four reboot will skip the origin story and introduce the team as an active presence in the multiverse, setting up future crossover events.
- The casting for the Fantastic Four reboot includes Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Release Date
Arriving on July 25, 2025, the Fantastic Four film will take place comparatively in the midst of the Multiverse Saga. This comes six years after the first details about the MCU movie were revealed. At Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con panel, it was announced that the Fantastic Four will join the MCU in 2019. After directing the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy, Jon Watts stepped down in April 2022 to take a sabbatical from directing superhero movies, despite the fact that he had been named director in December 2020.
During the 2022 D23 event, Matt Shakman was confirmed as the new director of Fantastic Four, and at the time of writing, the project is scheduled for a May 2, 2025 release, meaning the Fantastic Four will join the MCU during the final chapter of the Multiverse Saga.
Why The Fantastic Four Debut in Marvel’s Phase 6
Most of the MCU’s Phase 5 and what has been revealed of Phase 6 so far have gone through various changes due to production delays, narrative restructures, and the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. What hasn’t changed, however, is The Fantastic Four: First Steps kicking off the MCU’s Phase 6, which might seem like a late introduction for such a big and popular team, but it makes sense within the MCU’s narrative.
Fantastic Four will skip the team’s origin story and will introduce them as an active team, and they are believed to be set up as a big multiverse presence for either Avengers: The Kang Dynasty or Avengers: Secret Wars, so it makes sense that their movie is the one that marks the beginning of the end of the Multiverse Saga.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Cast
| The Fantastic Four Cast So Far | Role |
| Pedro Pascal | Mister Fantastic |
| Vanessa Kirby | Invisible Woman |
| Joseph Quinn | The Human Torch |
| Ebon Moss-Bachrach | The Thing |
| Julia Garner | Silver Surfer |
| Ralph Ineson | Galactus |
| Paul Walter Hauser | Undisclosed |
| John Malkovich | Undisclosed |
| Natasha Lyonne | Undisclosed |
The Fantastic Four movie’s principal cast was officially announced by Marvel on February 14, 2024, via a post on X that read, “Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn are The Fantastic Four.” Pascal will play Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby will play Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn will play Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach will play Ben Grimm, according to the photograph released with it. Audiences will be thrilled to hear that these performers were cast for the parts, as they have all been highly anticipated.
In addition, it was revealed on March 3, 2024, that Shalla-Bal, the MCU’s Silver Surfer, would take the role of the main Silver Surfer, Norrin Radd, in the comic books. This came alongside the news that Julia Garner will be playing Shalla-Bal – a decision that seems well made given her performances in series like Ozark. Notably, this will not be the first time Garner has appeared in a comic book movie, as she also featured in Sin City: A Dame to Kill for as Marcie.
| Fantastic Four’s MCU First Family Explained | ||
| Actor | Character | Superhero Name |
| Pedro Pascal | Reed Richards | Mr. Fantastic |
| Vanessa Kirby | Sue Storm | Invisible Woman |
| Joseph Quinn | Johnny Storm | The Human Torch |
| Ebon Moss-Bachrach | Ben Grimm | The Thing |
On May 2, it was announced that Paul Walter Hauser will play a hitherto undisclosed part in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Later, on May 9, John Malkovich and Ralph Ineson were also confirmed for the project. Malkovich’s role remains a mystery, but Ineson will play the iconic Fantastic Four villain Galactus. The newest addition to The Fantastic Four cast is Natasha Lyonne. However, she continues the trend of undisclosed roles and is not yet tied to a character.
