Look, we were skeptical. Fantastic Four: The First Step sounded like a rebrand cooked up by a boardroom full of execs who only read Wikipedia plot summaries. After years of mid-tier multiverse sludge (Quantumania, The Marvels, Thunderbolts – never forget), it was hard to imagine Marvel pulling out of the tailspin.
But somehow… they did.
The First Step isn’t just a return to form, it’s a reminder that Marvel knows how to make movies people actually care about. The story? Focused. The characters? Instantly memorable. The tone? Confident without being smug. And no, it doesn’t end with a portal in the sky or a vague tease for a thing we won’t see until 2029. It’s tight, satisfying, and actually funny, not the AI-generated quip-fest we’ve come to fear.
Reed Richards is finally the genius we want to follow, Sue Storm is more than just “the emotional core,” Johnny is hot (in both senses), and Ben Grimm? Marvel gave the Thing real heart – and not just rocks and punchlines. The dynamic works. The movie works.
And for the first time in years, fans left the theater talking about the movie itself – not a post-credits cameo, or how it all “connects.”
Is Marvel fully back? Too early to call. The hole they dug is still deep, and we’re not climbing out just because one reboot didn’t crash. But Fantastic Four: The First Step is exactly that – a real first step.
More of this, Marvel. Less of whatever Thunderbolts was. Please.
