‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Is A Visual Retro Marvel To Behold, But Will It Save The MCU?

“Marvel is back!”

How many times have you heard that since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame? The same was said about Thunderbolts* earlier in 2025, and now that’s the consensus about Matt Shakman’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. But is the sleeping juggernaut known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe ready to run through box office profits like it once did with such ease? Maybe it’s best to temper the expectations for a while.

‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ chooses a new aesthetic

Let’s be clear here: Marvel Studios has freshened up its style. That much is obvious in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The film takes place in an alternate version of the 1960s, looking like a live-action version of The Jetsons and making the audience wonder what could have been. It’s visually striking, setting it apart from other MCU movies with its retro-futuristic quality.

It’s all part of head honcho Kevin Feige’s new approach to the MCU’s slate as well. Marvel Studios realized it has made several missteps over the years, namely that it has overwhelmed the viewers with way too much content. Now, it aims to make shows and films that people can’t wait to watch rather than have to in order to keep up with the storyline. “I’ve always thought if you take success and don’t experiment with it and don’t risk with it, then it’s not worth it,” Feige said at a recent conference (via Variety). “What we also ended up focusing on because of Disney+ was expansion – and it’s that expansion that I think led people to say, ‘It used to be fun, but now do I have to know everything about all of these?’”

Something like The Fantastic Four: First Steps falls firmly into the intriguing category of must-watch comic book movies. Not only does it look different from every other Marvel release, but everyone is also curious to see how Marvel Studios handles the popular superhero team under the MCU umbrella. Unlike Thunderbolts* – which is an excellent film, by the way – this is a conversation starter for average fans, who’ll likely flock to the cinema to see what it’s all about.

The superhero film fills up on star power

The Fantastic Four: First Steps also has serious star power attached to it, as Marvel’s First Family is proudly represented by Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Richards), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm). People can debate who they would have cast in the parts, but these are four actors at the very top of their game and known to general audiences. Also, looking at the antagonists, Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer and Ralph Ineson’s Galactus, there’s no denying that Marvel brought out the big guns for this production.

The studio needed to do this, however, since The Fantastic Four: First Steps is meant to launch the team as the next big superstars in the MCU. Pascal’s Reed Richards, in particular, is being eyed as the natural successor to fill the gap left vacant by Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark. Much like the X-Men, Marvel Studios is banking on the Fantastic Four as the new faces of the evolving MCU. This version of the Fantastic Four simply needs to work.

Marvel continues to put too much stock in the Avengers

There’s one problem, though. Marvel Studios continues to fall into the same-old trap of focusing too much on what’s ahead rather than what’s in front of it. Think about it this way: what’s all the talk been about since San Diego Comic-Con International 2024? Oh, that’s right – Avengers: Doomsday, and how Downey will feature as Doctor Doom.

Heck, earlier this year, Marvel Studios suckered fans into a live stream where they watched chairs with actor names be unveiled to showcase the cast for Avengers: Doomsday. Where is this same energy for the marketing of The Fantastic Four: First Steps? Instead, this movie feels like a warm-up to the big game rather than the full experience – and that’s exactly where Marvel Studios has lost the fans in recent times.

If you’re making a big deal out of a high-stakes movie on the horizon, it automatically makes everyone think that everything before it is inconsequential – or watchable on Disney+. Marvel Studios used to have a gift of making everything feel important and essential; now, it’s almost too obvious where its interests lie and don’t lie. Case in point: Ironheart, where the online trolls did more to spread the word that it was out than Marvel’s marketing department.

Yes, Marvel has promoted The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but has it got behind it 100% like it has Avengers: Doomsday? Nope. Ultimately, this could end up being to its own detriment, because fans will eventually think that nothing matters anymore – and how long can Marvel go with only the Avengers movies being the be-all and end-all of the MCU?