Contrary to popular belief, I actually enjoyed the original Fantastic Four, which came out 20 years ago; heck, I even enjoyed the sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007). Starring, among others, a pre-Captain America Chris Evans as the Human Torch, aside from Hellboy (2004), this was arguably the first superhero film not to take itself too seriously, with many raunchier-than-expected jokes that went right over my head at the time. Then came Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four (2015) reboot with a whole new cast; one day before release, however, the director lambasted the big bad studio executives for destroying his film, turning it into the unwatchable mess delivered to the public.
It’s now been a full decade since anyone dared touch the seemingly cursed yet still enticing superhero quartet. And much like the latest Superman reboot, the trailer for the upcoming Fantastic Four: First Steps actually looks quite fun, if not optimistic.
See the brand new trailer below.
The architectural surroundings and baby blue uniforms look as if it were a live version of that iconic show I used to watch on Adult Swim as a kid, Sealab 2021, but also The Incredibles (2004). Director Matt Shakman, famous for the highly lauded Marvel series WandaVision, clearly has an affinity for this aesthetic, one that has become increasingly popular in culture recently, with the wildly popular Fallout series coming to mind.
With the added star power of Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and John Malkovich, hopefully, the fourth attempt at tackling these OG staples in the Marvel archive will prove more fruitful than those in the past.
Fantastic Four: First Steps releases on July 25, 2025.
