**SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK**
Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps has rocketed its way on the big screen (again) in cinemas, but this time, it has clobbered previous box office numbers by making a strong Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut and cementing its place, not just on Earth-828, but in the hearts of audiences. With their heroic feats and their contributions to society in the socio-political and scientific scenes, as well as their undying desire to do what’s right, safeguard humanity and protect their family, they have truly set our hearts ablaze.
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and director Matt Shakman’s efforts to build a standalone film that would allow audiences to connect uniquely with the heroic quartet have certainly paid off, giving viewers a heartwarming and impassioned glimpse into the lives of Marvel’s First Family, undistracted by the ramifications of the larger MCU. And it certainly helps that the four stars in the film – Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby (The Crown) as his pregnant wife Sue Storm / Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) as Ben Grimm / The Thing, and Joseph Quinn, (Stranger Things Season 4) as Sue’s younger brother, Johnny Storm / Human Torch – have embraced their roles, and delivered the best live-action versions of these characters.
Despite that, one cannot help but wonder if perhaps the strong focus on family and heart wound up leaving some glaring holes in the larger narrative. Certainly, there were some aspects of the film that left us scratching our heads, as we pondered the impacts of certain narrative elements and wondered if perhaps some characters had been diminished for the sake of plot convenience.
Here are 10 questions we have after watching the movie.
1) What’s the significance of Earth-828?
This is not the first time that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has explored a different dimension in the multiverse, but this time, the whole movie takes place on Earth-828 and outside of the Sacred Time, a.k.a. Earth-616. Hardcore MCU fans will also point out that last year’s Deadpool and Wolverine also takes place outside of Earth-616, but that film was a wrap to the X-Men and other Marvel movies under the 20th Century Fox banner and has cameos galore. Meanwhile, First Steps features no one or thing outside of Earth-828, but why?
Why does this particular group of Fantastic Four matter?
External context provided by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige to media in attendance at the recent press conference for the film indicates that having the movie occur in a separate reality increases the accessibility for casual viewers who do not wish to do homework prior to watching the film.
While there is some value in not having audiences do any homework to know what has come before, that’s too convenient a cop out to present to fans. What audiences love about the MCU is its interconnectivity among the dozens, if not hundreds, of characters in live-action and animation, so unless Feige is telling us that moving forward, all its releases will occur in a different Earth and avoid the Sacred Timeline, to make things easier for audiences, this reasoning will not fly.
Would you want the upcoming X-Men films to take place away and disconnected from the current MCU franchise? We doubt it.
Since Robert Downey Jr has returned to play the villain Doctor Doom in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday, it begs the question – is this Doctor Doom from Earth-828? If not, is he from Earth-616? And is there a Fantastic Four in the Sacred Timeline? There are so many unanswered questions around this.
Still, it is nice to see Marvel Studios recognise Jack Kirby, not only in a post-movie tribute, but also in the naming of Earth-828. Kirby, the legendary artist and co-creator behind a majority of Marvel Comics characters, was born on Aug 28, 1917. In the US, the month comes before the date, so he was born on 828 – Aug 28.
But it also begs the question – does this reality matter more than just as a tribute to the legendary Jack Kirby?
2) Are there any other heroes on Earth-828?
Based on mentions throughout the film, the Fantastic Four appear to be the only heroes in this reality, and they mainly operate within America, specifically New York. Reed Richards, in particular, has such a firm grasp of crimefighting within the city that he is even able to keep tabs on 47 different criminal organisations, headed by different villains as well, including Puppet Master and Diablo.
Assuming these monikers are given to superpowered villains, and it’s not just mere leaders of crime families or organisations that Reed is monitoring, that would mean that Earth-828 essentially has four heroes and at least 47 supervillains, or 48 if we include Mole Man.
This is further backed up by the opening montage for The Ted Gilbert Show that depicts the global impact that the Fantastic Four have. Even excluding the various magazine articles that show the Fantastic Four excelling in various lifestyle categories, such as cooking and golf, as well as more vital fields such as science, invention and politics, it’s clear that the Fantastic Four’s reach and influence have expanded far beyond the reaches of just New York, and heroics.
We see Sue Storm heading the Future Foundation, a global charter meant to lead and help the world, and it has certainly shaped the socio-political and scientific scenes. The world also clearly hails the Fantastic Four as their saviours and their guides, and fully entrusted them to negotiate their survival and peace with Galactus, offering no substitute or addition to this diplomatic party sent to seek out Galactus.
When the Fantastic Four refuse to sacrifice Franklin to save the Earth, tons of civilians protest against the perceived injustice and lack of effort, but no other superpowered hero comes along to intervene, in an attempt to thwart the Fantastic Four’s plans or protest their decision.
Even in the final battle against Galactus, no other hero shows up to aid our quartet, even though it is clearly an extinction-level crisis, on par with, if not superseding, Thanos’ arrival on Earth-616, which saw all of the known heroes, from various continents and origins, unite to lend their aid. With all of these indicators, it seems highly likely that there are simply no other heroes on Earth-828, and the Fantastic Four were humanity’s sole hope, therefore explaining the panic and sheer desperation of the world’s civilians as they were disappointed by their only pillars of salvation.
But if the Fantastic Four were the only heroes on Earth-828, this would then beg another question – why? What makes this reality so unique?
3) Are Reed Richards and Sue Storm heroes, or is there more to them?
If there is one thing audiences can take away from this film, it’s that the Fantastic Four would do anything to save the people and Earth, including transporting an entire planet and hiding it from Galactus.
Still, two points in the movie serve to question the morality and nature of our married duo. Early in the film, as the quartet is escaping a chasing Silver Surfer in the Excelsior space craft, and Sue is about to give birth, she shouts to her brother Johnny Storm to “Kill her!” (referring to the Silver Surfer), much to her brother’s surprise. Her explanation? Silver Surfer’s trying to separate the baby from the parents, so Sue must take decisive action.
Later in the film, when Pedro discusses the potential courses of action, including acquiescing to Galactus’s demand to surrender Franklin Richards, Sue gets angry that her husband can even consider such a notion. In the final act, Reed has the plan to use Franklin as bait to lure Galactus, and while he doesn’t say it out loud, Sue understands the intent and brings Ben and Johnny up to speed. This means that while he might be against expressing some of his more nefarious or evil thoughts, they do live inside him. And Sue gets it, and at times will agree with her husband.
Another point to consider is that the movie has a throwaway line by Reed at the start, where he explains to a class of school children that the concept of the multiverse is real. What if he didn’t teleport Galactus away, but sent him to another reality?
One thing the movie doesn’t establish well is how conniving Reed Richards can sometimes be. In the comics, he’s brilliant but also prone to picking the understanding of scientific understanding over morality (in the comics, he once cloned Thor, because he could). In the film, Sue understands this about him, that it is who he is – someone who weighs all options, including the morally ambiguous ones – after all, he did say he considers them all, so no one else should think that way.
So he creates a teleportation device, but when he makes the egg disappear, there are two things needed: a pad on both ends. One to create a field to envelope the item into, and a receiving one to send the item to. Next, we see him move to place a receiver across the table in his first transporter demonstration to Johnny. But when he designs the bigger ones meant to send the whole planet across, the receiving pad is noticeably absent. Why doesn’t he need one?
And how can you teleport something to the far end of the universe? He designed a prototype, and suddenly he can send a massive planet to another galaxy, or a giant being to the other side of the known universe?
What if, instead of a teleportation device, Reed opened a portal to another reality and dumped Galactus there instead? This explains the massive doorway and not having of a need for a receiving pad. And dumping your garbage in someone else’s backyard – that’ll piss off the World’s Mightiest Heroes, won’t it?
In the comics, an alternate version of Reed includes the Maker, a supervillain who wants to restore his destroyed dimension. There’s also Malice, a negative aspect of the Invisible Woman’s personality that Sue suppresses. As we saw in the post-credits for Thunderbolts*, when the New Avengers are tracking a multidimensional incursion, the ship that appears looks similar to the Excelsior, though this one has the number 4 logo painted on its side.
Did this ship escape the destruction of their reality? Are they looking for Galactus? Is that ship from Earth 828? Are the crew of this ship seeking sanctuary or something far darker, such as finding a means to restore their planet or reality?
4) Why would Galactus even have to set foot on Earth?
Sure, he’s omnipotent, but he also has the Silver Surfer to do his bidding, so why not send her to retrieve the child on Earth instead?
Maybe he suspects that Shalla-Bal is plotting against him, and since it doesn’t look like he has another herald, he doesn’t have much of a choice or anyone else to do the dirty work for him. But he’s also the wielder of the Power Cosmic and can’t simply snap his fingers to make a child appear before him?
Also, after retrieving Franklin, Galactus says, ‘Time to feed,’, so his intent is clearly to directly consume Franklin. If he was planning on feeding on the newborn all this while, why did he not simply devour the entire planet along with Franklin?
5) How did the Fantastic Four even survive and successfully escape Galactus’s ship?
Given that Galactus demonstrated his telekinesis when he lifted and strangled Shalla-Bal with barely a flick of a single finger, coupled with the fact that we saw Shalla-Bal using cosmic energy burst and overwhelming speed to destroy all of the world’s teleportation towers within seconds, we have overwhelming evidence that the two of them are far more powerful than anything our four heroes have demonstrated in their heroic feats.
In that case, how were the four of them even able to escape Galactus’s and Shalla-Bal’s grasps? Given her display of her abilities, Shalla-Bal should have been easily able to use her cosmic energy bursts to blast them into oblivion. Even if we give Galactus the benefit of the doubt and assume that he had given Shalla-Bal strict instructions to not let any fatal harm come to Sue Storm, lest Franklin be hurt, Shalla-Bal should have been minimally able to overpower them with her sheer speed, or Galactus himself could have used his telekinesis to subdue them without harming a hair on infant Franklin’s head.
In addition, why were the Fantastic Four so complacent that the Excelsior remained where it was? Knowing that the Fantastic Four was making an escape, wouldn’t Galactus have commanded his minions aboard his giant ship to sabotage the ship, or lock it in place or even destroy it entirely? Or is the Silver Surfer the only being in Galactus’ employ?
If this were the case, then it would at least partially explain why Galactus was entirely dependent on Shalla-Bal to retrieve the Fantastic Four, but it certainly doesn’t explain why Galactus couldn’t chase them himself, especially if Franklin is that important. Given that he was the one who bestowed a fraction of the Power Cosmic upon Shalla-Bal to make her the Silver Surfer, wouldn’t Galactus have the ability to fly after the Fantastic Four himself? With all these odds against our protagonist quartet’s favour, how on earth did they manage to make it out of the ship alive?
6) Galactus has the Power Cosmic, so how is Sue powerful enough to push a cosmic primordial being?
It has been established through various comic book runs that Sue Storm is actually the most powerful one of the Fantastic Four, with her force fields actually granting her the ability to control and manipulate objects, which simulates a limited form of telekinesis. This would certainly explain why her powers and attacks were the most effective on Galactus, compared to the others in the team.
However, that should still in no way equip her to have abilities on par with Galactus, or even be strong enough to push him into the black hole. Galactus is meant to be a primordial cosmic being who, due to wielding the Power Cosmic, is in effect an omnipotent god-like being. Being powerful enough to grant a fraction of the Power Cosmic to his herald, the Silver Surfer, who is capable of travelling unaided through space at speeds surpassing that of a rocket, can pass in and out of wormholes freely, and even escape gravity wells in neutron stars, one would assume that Galactus himself should minimally be capable of the same feats of strength and speed.
Why then does Galactus not display any of these powers in his battle against the Fantastic Four? Other than a general brute strength that arises from his sheer size, and a mild usage of telekinesis to retrieve Franklin from his protective pod, why did Galactus not demonstrate any of his other more potent abilities that would have no doubt crushed the Fantastic Four and rendered them incapable of resisting him?
Was he simply complacent due to his godlike abilities? Why did he not resist harder when Sue was pushing him into the portal? Why did he not utilise his own telekinesis or cosmic energy to resist or even pulverise her? These are all questions that the movie could not answer for us.
7) The Silver Surfer picked Earth for Galactus and wasn’t aware of Franklin. Galactus only knew of Franklin after the Fantastic Four sought him out, so if they failed to find him, would Galactus still be aware of Franklin?
It appears to be a mere coincidence that the solution to Galactus’s infinite hunger lies in Franklin Richards, especially given that Shalla-Bal had chosen Earth as the next target for his consumption without knowledge of Franklin’s existence in Sue’s belly. It was only because the Fantastic Four sought Galactus out and successfully located him that Galactus found out about Sue’s pregnancy and Franklin’s infinite cosmic potential during his scan of the Excelsior, and thus decided to take Franklin in exchange for the planet’s survival.
In that case, this begs the question – was it all just a coincidence that Galactus came to know of and target Franklin specifically? On that note, how did Shalla-Bal even select Earth as a planet? Did she have a lower-tier sense of cosmic potential compared to Galactus and perhaps sensed something unique about Earth, but could not attribute it to Franklin? Did she choose based on her own criteria, or was she given specific instructions by Galactus to seek out certain planets that would be able to satiate his hunger temporarily? Or did she choose these planets arbitrarily? And hey, did she notice seven other planets in our solar system that do not contain life? Why not consume them?
8) The country of Latveria was referenced several times in the film, but we never see its leader, Doctor Doom, until the end of the film. Where was he during the events of the film, and why did he not help or intervene? More importantly, is this the version of Doom played by Robert Downey Jr in Avengers: Doomsday?
At the end of the film, the movie says that the Fantastic Four will return in Avengers: Doomsday. The mid-credits reveal that Doctor Doom, unmasked but face not shown, visits a four-year-old Franklin at the Future Foundation headquarters in the Baxter Building. In the post-credits for Thunderbolts*, the New Avengers are tracking a multidimensional incursion by a ship that looks similar to the Excelsior, and this one has the number 4 logo painted on its side. These guys will also return in Avengers: Doomsday.
Everything points towards Doctor Doom being the next big bad in the franchise but unlike in Avengers: Infinity War, there hasn’t been any set up and this film is the first time we see Doctor Doom in the flesh, unless it’s a Doombot, but it makes you wonder – what was he going even doing as Galactus was headed to destroy and devour Earth?
Do the events of Avengers: Doomsday occur because the threat of Galactus has been delayed,d but it’s not over? Doom now knows Franklin Richards is important to an almost omnipotent being, and he could be aware that Franklin brought back a newly dead Sue Storm, though no one can explain why.
Given Franklin’s abilities to reshape reality, he could serve as a precursor to the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027. There are several comic book series with the Secret Wars name, but the most likely reference is to the 2015 series that sees the destruction of the entire Marvel Comics Universe, including all the other alternate universes or realities. The various realities then merge to form Battleworld, built by the remnants of some of the fragmented realities, before the series ultimately streamlined these comic book realities into one. Such an endeavour requires more power and skills, but a young Franklin might have the required powers.
Doom has set his sights on Franklin, and this is rarely good for anyone else other than Doom. Still, Doom is coming,g but unless you read the comics, this movie doesn’t tell you why.
9) If Latveria and Doctor Doom exist, why didn’t Reed Richards seek Doom’s help with Galactus?
The movie shows Latveria, and the end credits reveal Doctor Doom after a four-year time jump. The assumption is that Doctor Doom exists on Earth 828, so have the Fantastic Four encountered him before in the first four years they have been around?
If so, why didn’t Reed seek out Doom, regarded as Reed’s intellectual equal (or superior, depending on why you’re asking), to figure out how to deal with Galactus? In fact, why didn’t the world leaders also seek out Doom’s help, in case the Fantastic Four cannot? Doom is neither mentioned nor shown, so does it mean Doom didn’t exist in the first four years, or doesn’t exist in this reality, and the reference to Latveria is a misdirection?
It seems unlikely (though possible) that the Fantastic Four aren’t aware of Doom, or that he doesn’t exist in this reality, but it begs the question- where was Doom throughout the events of the movie? If his planet is in peril, he’s not the type to let his country down. And any chance to save the world to show how incompetent Reed is is all the reason he needs to step up to save the planet.
10) In the movie, a newborn Franklin resurrects Sue. In the comics, Franklin has the ability to create new realities and even revive the dead, including Galactus. Is he aware of his abilities, and is he hiding them?
Franklin Richards’ powers are never explained in the movie beyond a brief mention by Galactus of the seemingly infinite cosmic potential he has within him. Similar to the narrative treatment of Jack-Jack from The Incredibles, it’s likely that the filmmakers have left it intentionally vague since he’s a baby and would presumably not have full control over his abilities. However, was Franklin’s ability to bring back his mother simply a narrative cop-out to prevent a fatal loss of an important character, or did he do it intentionally?
Given that Franklin is an infant, it is highly unlikely that he’s able to intentionally control his powers. In that case, one possible explanation is that Franklin’s desire to see and feel his mother’s love, shown in his attempts to reach out to Sue’s body while in Ben and Reed’s arms, manifested his abilities subconsciously to manipulate reality and grant him the outcome he desired, therefore bringing her back to life. This would be a similar case to X-Men’s Darwin, who is unable to consciously control his powers and how they will adapt to the situation at hand. His powers choose the most efficient method to ensure his survival, in one case even choosing to teleport him away from a fight against the Hulk, instead of choosing to continually increase his endurance to take punishment from the green behemoth. With this comic book precedent, it is certainly not entirely impossible that that’s how Franklin’s cosmic reality-altering powers manifested to revive his mother.
However, in the mid-credits scene, as we see Sue looking for a new book for Franklin to read, Herbie offers a hardcover edition of “The Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin, which Sue acknowledges that Franklin does enjoy the book, but they’d just read it the day before. In that case, if Franklin is able to comprehend the complexities of the theories of evolution at a mere age of 4, could Franklin also be hyper-intelligent, on top of his cosmic powers?
In the comics, a young Franklin is aware of his vast powers and creates mental blocks that limit his use to only once a year. Fearing that his powers will impede his development, Franklin controls his abilities but has used the narrative that he has lost his powers to protect himself and his family, and hides his abilities from almost everyone. Can he be doing the same here?
Bonus: Reed Richards has the powers of elasticity, where he can extend his limbs and other body parts… so why couldn’t he get Sue pregnant for two years?
Fans of Kevin Smith’s 1995 sophomore flick, Mallrats, would appreciate this bonus question. In the film, Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee, who has a cameo in the film, is asked if every part of Mister Fantastic’s body could stretch, including <pointing at the groin>. Stan sidesteps the question, but it bears repeating.
After two years of trying, Susan gets pregnant with Franklin, which means the raw materials they both have work. As a scientist, Reed built machines to monitor Franklin’s growth in Sue’s tummy, but he’s not a medical doctor. The concept of artificial insemination has been documented as early as the 1700s, and it was popularised as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) in 1978 by Steptoe and Edwards.
Since events of the film take place in the 1960s, maybe the concept of IVF is still relatively unknown, so can we assume that Reed tried it the good old-fashioned way? Regardless, comic book fans know that Valeria Meghan Richards is not far behind, given that the film sees a four-year time jump, and we cannot wait to see the goddaughter of Doctor Doom grow up.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps may not answer these questions, but what it did accomplish was establish Marvel’s first family as a firm contender for best superhero team, and with them soon to enter the MCU’s main timeline in Earth-616, perhaps the thing that could revitalise the fandom’s cries of a weakening MCU and rumours of superhero fatigue would precisely be this family that’s full of heart, love and cosmic rays. The heroic quartet are already in the midst of filming for Avengers: Doomsday (2026), and we will no doubt see more of their contributions, not just in their fantastic abilities but also in their leadership, charisma and heart, to the multi-team crossover event. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is out now in theatres, as of 24 July 2025.
Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?
Si Jia
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