The Fantastic Four: First Steps: your definitive guide to the next Marvel movie (release date, trailer, cast, plot, and more)

The Fantastic Four: First Steps isn't far away now. The third and final Marvel movie of 2025 will be released worldwide on July 25, so the countdown is on until its achieves lift-off.

Before the next Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film takes flight, you'll want the definitive lowdown on The Fantastic Four's next big-screen adventure. In this guide, you'll find plenty of details concerning its trailers, confirmed cast, story specifics, and potential impact on future MCU projects.

Full spoilers follow for Thunderbolts*. Potential spoilers are also discussed for First Steps.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps release date

As mentioned, The Fantastic Four: First Steps lands in theaters on Friday, July 25. It was originally due out last November, but Marvel revised the launch date of its Fantastic Four movie last February.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer

YouTube

Watch On

Marvel unveiled The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer in early February, and it revealed official looks at Marvel's iconic quartet of superheroes, the movie's Big Bad in Galactus, and John Malkovich's mysterious character.

YouTube

Watch On

Two months later, Marvel debuted First Steps' official trailer, which revealed first looks at Reed Richards' stretchy powers, The Silver Surfer, and other Galactus-sized teases.

That teased also contained footage first presented at CinemaCon 2025, with both trailers confirming a big fan theory about Sue Storm. I'll explain more about that in this article's plot section later on.

In early June, Marvel released one final trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which confirmed two of the movie's worst-kept secrets, too. Check it out below:

YouTube

Watch On

The Fantastic Four: First Steps cast: confirmed and rumored

Here's the confirmed cast for Marvel's latest Fantastic Four movie reboot:

• Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic
• Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman
• Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing
• Ralph Ineson as Galactus
• Julia Garner as Silver Surfer
• Matthew Wood as H.E.R.B.I.E
• Mark Gatiss as Ted Gilbert
• John Malkovich as TBC
• Paul Walter Hauser as TBC
• Natasha Lyonne as TBC
• Sarah Niles as TBC

Ahead of the first four actors' official unveiling as the titular team, there were an avalanche of casting rumors that sent MCU fans into a tailspin. However, Moss-Bachrach has since told The Jimmy Kimmel Show that he officially signed on in August 2023. One month earlier, Kirby told TechRadar "it would be an honor" to play Sue Storm, which all but confirmed her hiring.

Pascal reportedly held talks with Marvel about joining the cast in November 2023. Then, a February 2024 report revealed Pascal had signed on to play Richards, so the sting was taken out of that surprise. The only shock reveal was Quinn's, with the Stranger Things actor announced as Johnny Storm last February.

On the villain front, The Office UK's Ralph Ineson voicing Galactus, aka the movie's villain-in-chief and a regular foe of Marvel's First Family. Ineson will be joined on antagonistic duties by Ozark's Garner, who'll play a gender-swapped version of the Silver Surfer, aka the Herald of Galactus.

Supporting character-wise, Matthew Wood will voice The Fantastic Four's robot assistant H.E.R.B.I.E (per Empire) and, as the second trailer revealed, Mark Gatiss is also involved. He'll portray a news anchor who interviews the titular group.

Hauser, Malkovich, and Niles are also part of the cast and, while their roles remain a mystery, Quinn accidentally revealed (per Omelete.br) that another villain – Mole Man – will feature. Maybe Hauser or Malkovich is playing this individual, then.

Lastly, Poker Face and Russian Doll's Natasha Lyonne is involved, too. Her role hasn't been publicly disclosed either, but Marvel fans think Lyonne would be perfect for a very specific role.

And what of Doctor Doom, another of the team's legendary villains and one of Marvel's most iconic villains? With none other than Robert Downey Jr – yes, he of Iron Man and Avengers fame – playing Doom, who is now the Multiverse Saga's new main villain, he should cameo, right?

Speaking to Empire magazine (as reported by comicbookmovie.com), First Steps director Matt Shakman denied Downey Jr will appear, saying Doom isn't "part of my purview". I wouldn't be surprised if Doom appears in one of the film's end credits scenes, though, especially if Avengers: Doomsday directors Joe and Anthony Russo shot such a scene. After all, they filmed Thunderbolts' post-credits scene, which ties into First Steps' plot. Speaking of which...

The Fantastic Four: First Steps story synopsis and speculation

Here's The Fantastic Four: First Steps' official story brief: "Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family... as they face their most daunting challenge yet.

"Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer. And, if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal."

The first thing to note about this Marvel Phase 6 project is it isn't an origins story. Other Fantastic Four films have already covered their space radiation-based superpowered beginnings in a live-action capacity, so don't expect this movie to re-tread old ground. As Shakman told Entertainment Weekly (EW): "There's a lot of well-known narrative that leads into that moment, right? And then you're making up your new story starting basically at the end of the first act, and we thought 'Well, let's just start this thing off on a completely new foot. So we are beginning after that.'"

If you're concerned about watching it with little to no knowledge of the titular team, don't fret. Marvel is due to release a First Steps prequel comic book that'll explain how the quartet acquire their superhuman abilities, the universe they inhabit, and more. So, be sure to pick up a copy if you need to.

First Steps will not only be a period piece, but is also set in a parallel universe. That much was made clear in the movie's first official artwork (see the X/Twitter post above), which depicted a different New York to the one we're used to seeing in the MCU

Fans have long predicted that the group will eventually cross over into the MCU (designated Earth-616 by Marvel) as part of the ongoing Multiverse Saga. The aforementioned artwork, trailer, and the first poster for Marvel's new Fantastic Four movie poster suggested this would be the case, but Thunderbolts' end credits scene practically confirmed this would happen. For more details, read my Thunderbolts* ending explained article.

There have been plenty more hints about the film's narrative in the run-up to release.

For starters, Marvel teased some key story details about The Fantastic Four: First Steps in April 2024 by making some iconic Fantastic Four comic books available to download and read for free. Those literary works feature Galactus and the Silver Surfer as the villains of those issues, so it appears Shakman and company have taken lots of storytelling inspiration from their pages.

Then there's the big fan theory about Sue Storm that was proven correct by First Steps' second trailer – that being, Sue and Reed will welcome their first child, Franklin Richards, during this movie.

If online rumors are to be believed, he'll be an important part of the plot, too, which would tie into the 'personal' element of First Steps' story synopsis. That particular piece of gossip was reportedly part of a major plot leak that The Fantastic Four: First Steps suffered in late May – but, don't worry, you won't find any major spoilers here or the previously linked-to article.

YouTube

Watch On

Regardless of whether the Franklin-related story rumors are correct or not, The Fantastic Four's latest silver screen outing will lean heavily into the familial aspect that's made them such an iconic group in Marvel's library of superheroes.

Indeed, Shakman and the film's main cast have stressed the importance of examining the team's familial dynamics in separate chats with Entertainment Weekly and Collider. Whether it's Sue and Johnny's sibling bond, Sue and Reed's marriage, or Reed and Ben's friendship, you can expect one of The Fantastic Four's core themes to be explored at length in First Steps.

Where can I watch the previous Fantastic Four films?

You can stream 2005's Fantastic Four, 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and 2015's Fantastic Four on Disney+ no matter where you live. As long as you're subscribed to one of the world's best streaming services, you can watch it in the US, UK, and Australia.

How will The Fantastic Four impact the MCU?

The short answer is: we don't know. If, as it's been heavily rumored, the group will become part of the MCU after The Fantastic Four: First Steps, they'll have a big role to play in the Multiverse Saga's final projects, including Avengers: Doomsday.

We know that the foursome will appear in Avengers 5, too. Indeed, The Fantastic Four were announced as part of Doomsday's initial 27-strong cast in late March. Throw in their spaceship-based appearance in the MCU in Thunderbolts' post-credits scene, and the long-awaited arrival of Marvel's First Family in the comic giant's cinematic juggernaut is finally happening.

As for potential First Steps spin-offs, a Silver Surfer TV show was reportedly in development for Disney+. We've heard little about this possible project since, so it's unclear if it'll ride the crest of The Fantastic Four: First Steps' wave and see the light of day.

For more Marvel-based coverage, find out how to watch the Marvel movies in order. Alternatively, read more about Spider-Man: Brand New Day, see if you agree with my ranking of the best Marvel movies, or see why Marvel should do the unthinkable with First Steps and Avengers: Doomsday.