The Fantastic Four: First Steps - Official Teaser Trailer (2025)

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The teaser makes it pretty clear this is an alternate timeline. I think the narrative point of having Shalla-Bal be the herald is that it sets us up to wonder what is happening in the equivalent situation in the MCU. I would expect Norrin Radd to be the herald there, when the time comes.

 

[jian]

This all looks fantastic. Best version of Ben put to screen.

The earlier post about “it’s not our world since the rocket isn’t covered with Amazon ads” made me think how easy it would be do evil (or at least amoral) FF in a modern setting. Reed is Peter Thiel (or Musk if he was actually an engineer or at all clever) - a ruthless techbro who owns the government and wants to own Mars. Sue, leaning into her training as a biologist, is a wealthy GOOP-style anti-vax alternative-health influencer. Johnny is an Andrew Tate style online MRA firebrand. Ben is… well, he’s the hardest to do but I’d lean into ex-military Joe Rogan just-asking-questions podcaster. They all go up in Reed’s rocket - which is of course insufficiently tested, they’re lucky to not just blow up on the pad - and come back changed, which only enhances their fame and influence.

 

[Umbran]

. He only makes the sacrifice to become the Silver Surfer in exchange for Galactus sparing his love Shalla-Bal, and that tragedy is the heart of the character.

And obviously, ONLY MEN can sacrifice for their loved ones...

Piffle on that argument, I say.

... I just hope there is some clear "this is an alternate timeline" mention in the film. Which I think there will be.

It seems pretty obvious that this movie does not start on Earth-199999, just from the visuals. The FF's world doesn't match the MCU-Earth esthetic.

Where it ends, goodness only knows.

I'll be skipping it based on the expectation of its climax being a glorified schoolyard fistfight.

If that climax is against Galactus... not likely. In the comics, when Ben and Johnny tried to fight Galactus, they just... bounced off. As was appropriate.

We all know how the FF beats Galactus the first time out - The Watcher sends Johnny Storm to get the Ultimate Nullifier from Galactus' worldship. Threatened with it, the Big G agrees to go away.

You can have a big fight at the initial meeting with the Surfer, ending in the usual team-up when heroes fight. You can have a big fight against G's "Punisher" cyborg....

And you can have a big fight when Dr. Doom tries to grab the Nullifier, which ends in a malfunction that transports them all to the MCU... or however we justify a Doom that has Stark's face...

 

[Umbran]

Also -- Krazinski is a better Reed.

Rahul Kohli would out-Reed either of them, with one arm tied behind is back... with his other arm.

But, this is the world we have, so we make do with what we got.

 

[Umbran]

The earlier post about “it’s not our world since the rocket isn’t covered with Amazon ads” made me think how easy it would be do evil (or at least amoral) FF in a modern setting.

Marvel already did that, with a Reed from the Ultimates universe, called The Maker.

 

[Ryujin]

And obviously, ONLY MEN can sacrifice for their loved ones...

Piffle on that argument, I say.



It seems pretty obvious that this movie does not start on Earth-199999, just from the visuals. The FF's world doesn't match the MCU-Earth esthetic.

Where it ends, goodness only knows.



If that climax is against Galactus... not likely. In the comics, when Ben and Johnny tried to fight Galactus, they just... bounced off. As was appropriate.

We all know how the FF beats Galactus the first time out - The Watcher sends Johnny Storm to get the Ultimate Nullifier from Galactus' worldship. Threatened with it, the Big G agrees to go away.

You can have a big fight at the initial meeting with the Surfer, ending in the usual team-up when heroes fight. You can have a big fight against G's "Punisher" cyborg....

And you can have a big fight when Dr. Doom tries to grab the Nullifier, which ends in a malfunction that transports them all to the MCU... or however we justify a Doom that has Stark's face...

If we actually ever get to see Doom's face, without hideous scarring. He could well be in the mask the whole time.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The earlier post about “it’s not our world since the rocket isn’t covered with Amazon ads” made me think how easy it would be do evil (or at least amoral) FF in a modern setting. Reed is Peter Thiel (or Musk if he was actually an engineer or at all clever) - a ruthless techbro who owns the government and wants to own Mars. Sue, leaning into her training as a biologist, is a wealthy GOOP-style anti-vax alternative-health influencer. Johnny is an Andrew Tate style online MRA firebrand. Ben is… well, he’s the hardest to do but I’d lean into ex-military Joe Rogan just-asking-questions podcaster. They all go up in Reed’s rocket - which is of course insufficiently tested, they’re lucky to not just blow up on the pad - and come back changed, which only enhances their fame and influence.

If you haven't read Planetary, their version of the Fantastic Four -- which predates the era of the techbro, so they're military-industrial complex villains -- is a great and scary bunch with a similar approach.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

If we actually ever get to see Doom's face, without hideous scarring. He could well be in the mask the whole time.

I don't think you make a big deal about hiring Downey to play Doom if you're not going to see his face.

 

[Ryujin]

I don't think you make a big deal about hiring Downey to play Doom if you're not going to see his face.

Perhaps, but I'd prefer it if we didn't see his face. He's got the chops to carry it off.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Perhaps, but I'd prefer it if we didn't see his face. He's got the chops to carry it off.

Hopefully the MCU Doom (I'm assuming Downey Doom dies during Secret Wars) will take this approach.