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 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.

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.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Story Predictions

The location of The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the only aspect of the story that has been solidly established thus far. The issue of Life magazine that The Thing is reading is dated 1963, creating a period piece. In June 2024, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige addressed the theories that the film is set in another reality and clarified that the picture is a period piece on The Official Marvel Podcast.

Yes, indeed, in a big way. There is a time frame… Many astute observers noted that the cityscape bore no resemblance to either the New York of the 1960s or the New York that we knew and loved. And I’ll add that those are insightful insights.”

This clarifies the whereabouts of Marvel’s First Family for the remainder of the MCU, while The Fantastic Four’s placement in relation to the upcoming Avengers event raises the possibility that a multiverse plot will bring them to the current day. In any case, the MCU film will have a highly distinct ambiance thanks to its 1960s retro-futuristic style.

Marvel is notorious for withholding information about its films until the very last minute, and it appears that the studio is taking extra care to keep the cast and storyline of its Fantastic Four revival a secret. The MCU’s Fantastic Four won’t be an origin narrative, as Kevin Feige himself has confirmed, as was previously mentioned. However, that is all that is currently known about the plot.

Galactus looks to be the adversary in Fantastic Four, but it’s possible that a lesser-known foe is also there to pose a more immediate threat. The various rumors and theories pointing to The Fantastic Four: First Steps introducing the MCU’s version of Doctor Doom could come true, allowing the Fantastic Four to face their comic nemesis in their cinematic universe debut. This is because the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con revealed that Robert Downey Jr. will be appearing as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday as the main villain of the story.

It was even noted by director Matt Shakman in a Collider interview that “I had to keep that secret for a while, and I have heard about it for a while.” This would lend credence to the theories that The Fantastic Four: First Steps include a cameo by Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom and that the film’s plot serves as a prelude to Avengers: Doomsday, which comes out less than a year later.

Given that the Fantastic Four are expected to feature in both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, it would seem sense to establish the antagonistic relationship between the protagonist team and the antagonist from the outset of each film. Taking this stance can assist the MCU in creating a dynamic that will undoubtedly be crucial to the Multiverse Saga’s future.

This allows a primary arc Centered around important characters to emerge, since Doom hasn’t had as much time to be set up as a nemesis because Avengers 5 was initially Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and the Multiverse Saga revolved around Kang. To establish Doctor Doom as a formidable antagonist in less time, it would be beneficial for the Fantastic Four to discuss his level of threat. Additionally, a confrontation between Pedro Pascal’s Mr. Fantastic and Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom would naturally pique fans’ interest.

Having said all of this, The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ story will undoubtedly remain a secret until the film’s release date approaches. Even then, many details will remain a secret as there surely will be some twists and turns that are best kept under wraps until the movie is released.

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 Lyon