Marvel Studios has hit some speed bumps since the last time Marvel graced the stage at Hall H. Way back in 2022, Kevin Feige gassed up fans with trailers for Wakanda Forever and Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania. He welcomed the Guardians Of The Galaxy for one last time in the main event spotlight. Wearing his signature baseball cap, Fiege heralded the arrival of Kang, the MCU’s brand-new Thanos. Aside from Guardians, none of that went as expected. In addition to a critical drubbing, Ant-Man became a target for bad press surrounding Marvel’s exploitation of effects workers via the studio’s artistic incoherence and indecision. The Kang Dynasty collapsed under the weight of Jonathan Majors’ abuse allegations, killing several TV shows and sequels in one fell swoop. But Feige had a backup plan: All those Fox properties the studio had yet to test out.
So that brings us to today. Deadpool & Wolverine’s release means that mutants have arrived in the MCU with the rest of the 20th Century Fox galaxy of superheroes. Chief among those properties is Marvel’s first family: The Fantastic Four. Perhaps the most hotly anticipated Marvel movie in years, Fantastic Four is Marvel’s latest and, possibly, most significant attempt at winning back the droves they scared off with Secret Wars.
Joining Feige on stage, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn were greeted by a hero’s welcome—a surprise addition, after Feige had previously told the audience they were busy filming in the U.K. The presentation confirmed some stuff we had already guessed—that the film would take a 1960s inspiration—and some stuff we hadn’t. Namely, the official title of the film will be Fantastic Four First Steps.
Elsewhere during the presentation, a first look at some footage was unveiled, demonstrating Pascal’s Reed Richards going into space before their exposure to the cosmic rays that would eventually give the team their superpowers. Meanwhile, in San Diego, the cast will be getting on a plane of their own tonight, back to set across the pond.
The Fantastic Four clobbers theaters on July 25, 2025.
