Kevin Feige and the team from Marvel Studios didn’t just bring a new Fantastic Four title to Comic-Con this year. They didn’t just bring director Matt Shakman, and stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. They didn’t even just bring a freaking Fantastic Car that flew across Hall H at the end of the panel to whisk the cast back to London to shoot the movie.
They also brought a very special tease of the film, even though principal photography hasn’t started shooting yet. But it gave a great sense of this futuristic New York City the film is set in. Here’s what went down.
First of all, the footage was square and grainy, like it would be on TV in the 1960s. A logo for a company called “The Future Foundation” says it has a special look at the Fantastic Four. We see Mr. Fantastic (Pascal) hosting a show that looks like a classroom called Fantastic Science with Mr. Fantastic. He’s explaining to a group of little kids that multiverses are possible (hint hint), but when he sees how bored they are he says “Who wants to see a big explosion?” and they all cheer. He lights up a large engine in the room that bursts into flames.
Reed and Ben (Moss-Bachrach) are being interviewed. Both are in space suits. Reed says that Ben is the best pilot in the world, but Ben jokes that maybe he’s the best-looking, but that’s it. Sue (Kirby) gives a tour of the house while Reed says they make a point to have family dinner once a week, Sunday at eight. “No matter what, we’re all here.” Both are looking very dinner-party dappery. It’s followed by footage of a flying car zipping across the very futuristic New York skyline.
We see the outline of the four of them walking in slow motion toward a spaceship as we get some voice-over for a launch. It looks kind of like Apollo 13. Next, we go to a game show called Let’s Make a Match. The host asks the lady which man she wants to pick and she says number three. The camera pans over and we see it’s Thing, though he’s just in silhouette. (He had the classic head shape.)
Back behind the scenes at the launch site, the group is doing a bunch of tests including a coms check. “That last voice you heard is my baby brother Jonathan Storm,” Sue Storm says. “And ladies, he is very, very single.” He (Quinn) looks into the camera all embarrassed.
We see the four of them waving at a crowd as they walk to the shuttle and then, finally, the 4:3 TV ratio expands to full widescreen as the spaceship, which looks almost like a giant spike out of Lord of the Rings, takes flight into the skies. We get the new title, Fantastic Four: First Steps, followed by one quick addition. From inside a building, a giant body stands outside and ducks down to peer in. It’s Galactus.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens July 25, 2025.
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