My 900th post on Super Duper Stuff! I may have slowed down over the years but this site is still very special to me. I enjoy writing and I hope you still enjoy reading. Onwards to 1000!
It might not be fantastic, but “The Decent Four” doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Our third cinematic beginning for Marvel’s first family forgoes an origin story. First Steps takes us to Earth-828, where The Fantastic Four have been the world’s only superheroes for roughly four years. The heavy focus on family, and how they really feel like one, would have Dom Toretto in ecstasy. From their tech to their diplomacy, they’ve improved their world, stood up as its protectors, and are rightly a group to aspire to.
There’s a lot to appreciate here. The retro aesthetic, from architecture to the suits and the Fantasticar, makes a nice change. The antagonist is very faithful, showing how far the genre has come. And there’s great chemistry between the Fantastic Four themselves. It also forgoes spending much time on the origin story which is another sign of the genre’s maturity. Nowadays we can just believe unapologetically.
Bar a post credits scene this film is operating entirely on its own. No crossovers. No homework. Is Marvel learning? The initial magic of an interconnected world eventually met the same confusion that comics face. When to step on? What do you need to know? It can and has become bewildering, especially with a glut of film and TV “content” that no longer feels like event viewing.
There are frustrations. Why isn’t Reed’s collar white like on the other three suits? Just match up! It would look nicer! Then there’s the rushed feeling around the Silver Surfer. Feels like a couple of story beats were missed out there. Finally, the massive variance in abilities. Sue is nearing OP levels whilst Reed seemingly can’t stretch that far.
Speaking of the heroes, the film feels as though it’s mostly focused on Sue Storm. No bad thing, she’s great. But it has a cost. Reed gets the chance to be a nerdy planner. Johnny gets the chance to be more than just a jock, with himself and Ben proving their worth as uncles. But it is Ben who I feel gets the raw deal. I think he looks great, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach is brilliant. But skipping over the origin removes any sense of him struggling with his identity. Perhaps it shouldn’t all be about that and there should be other story hooks for him. But bar some piloting and a resistance to using his catchphrase, there isn’t much here. Cool beard though.
Uncles. Yes there’s a baby. And my goodness is the CGI on him terrible. Poor little Franklin. I wouldn’t be worried about Galactus when I appear to be the spiritual successor to Renesmee. Haunting.
First Steps isn’t a magic bullet that brings back the Marvel Magic. Just looking at 2025, we’ve had two good films and one that was disappointing. It’s not something that will happen overnight. But whilst Thunderbolts and First Steps may not have set the box office on fire, they do show that Marvel is at attempting to course correct.
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