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I’m so excited to see the first official teaser for Marvel’s First Family has been released ahead of their big screen appearance in July. You will find that teaser enclosed below. The trailer times in at a brief 1 minute and 37 seconds, but gives us a lot to take in and mull over.
In this first teaser for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Marvel formally introduces to the First Family. Reed Richards (Pedro Pescal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) are showcased against the backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world. We are shown them blasting off on their ill-fated mission, as well as learning to deal with, and understand the powers it provided them, all thanks to a voiceover from Pascal and Kirby.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a giant leap for Marvel as it will be the first movie in their planned Phase 6. The teaser gives a glimpse of what the tone for that phase will be like, as well as our first look at Galactus and some really cool references to the world of the Fantastic Four and the wider MCU as a whole. As a bit of a MCU nerd, I examined the teaser, as my wife says with a sarcastic look which means move on, a little too closely. But you get to reap the rewards of that close examination, as I break down some of those really cool references below.
Cool Nods from The Fantastic Four: First Steps Teaser
1. The Future Foundation
At the Marvel-hosted trailer release party (video above), there was a namedrop of the Future Foundation, which if you’re a Fantastic Four fan, you will know well. The Future Foundation debuted in the Fantastic Four comics in 2010, and was founded in the wake of Johnny Storm’s death, and serves as both a superhero team and a school for super scientists. As one of the more influential superhero team-ups in recent Marvel history, it features everyone from Spider-Man to Doctor Doom at different points.
Certainly, I’m not exactly sure how The Future Foundation will feature in the upcoming film just yet, but thanks to the video above, we know they are behind the launch of the First Family’s rocket.
2. The Fantasticar
This one I’m supremely excited about, as I have a thing for flying cars. The iconic Fantasticar, designed by the Marvel production team, makes a very brief appearance in the trailer, seen zooming through the streets of Manhattan. The beloved flying car has been a staple of The Fantastic Four since it first appeared in Stan Lee’s early Fantastic Four comics as the team’s primary source of transportation.
3. The Baxter Building
At the beginning of the teaser, Sue and Reed are shown walking into a building introduced as the Baxter Building. Fantastic Four fans will note this office building located in Manhattan in New York City, was first introduced back in the third issue of Fantastic Four in March 1961, and its five upper floors house the Fantastic Four’s headquarters. It’s also where the team have dinner together every week as Kirby’s Storm explains.
4. Galactus
There has been significant conversation online about what the big guy might look like, and we have our first glimpse at his MCU appearance, and he’s well, huge. The cosmic entity brought to life through Ralph Ineson consumes planets to sustain himself, so certainly it was predictable that he was going to be sizable, but in the final moments of the trailer, we see the full scale of the character. Sure, we only see the back of his head, but no doubt, he looms over New York City. Although, this will be Galactus debut in the MCU, the God-like character has always been a Fantastic Four villain.
5. Hints of The Multiverse?
In the teaser, Pascal’s Reed Richards has the chance to show off his famed intelligence. But is it possible that these scrawlings on the chalkboard are hinting at something else entirely? Looking just over his left shoulder, you can see a diagram that certainly appears to be a wormhole that takes its user from one place to a marked exit. Though it’s difficult to make out, the words ‘Another Universe?’ can be seen under the drawing.
I think it is way too early to conclude anything yet, but one passibility to explain this, is that Reed is already aware of the existence of the multiverse. Whether that’s the case or not, it could answer how the Fantastic Four find themselves in the MCU before the next Avengers movies, which has them already confirmed.
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6. A potential stretch
Again, the internet was a blaze with fans who noted that Reed Richards’ stretchy powers did not appear at all in the first teaser. But it is possible we got a taste of those powers. In the scene above where Reeds is writing on the chalkboard in his classroom, it is notable that this is a super wide chalkboard that seems custom made for a man with elasticity, and there’s also the fact that we can’t see his left hand.
7. H.E.R.B.I.E.
Sure, we’ve been aware for some time that H.E.R.B.I.E. was going to be a part of the team, but this is the first time we’ve got to see him in live-action. Appearing early on in the teaser cooking and preparing Sunday dinner with Ben Grimm, the robot is another cool reference to Fantastic Four history. Brought in with The New Fantastic Four in 1979, he’s been a mainstay of the comics since then and a loyal member of the team. However, his seasoning could use a little work it appears.
8. The Uniforms
At the very end of the teaser, we get to see the team suited up in their pale blue uniforms. Not only do they look very classic, but there is also similarities to the easily discarded 1994 movie and the presentation of the white necklines showcases the look comic book fans will note first started appearing around Issue 256 of the Fantastic Four comics. The design is again, very classic and perfectly fits the 1960s aesthetic of the film.
9. The Thing in the Kitchen Cooking is a Cool Reference to the Popular Series The Bear
The first teaser for Fantastic Four: First Steps opens with Ben Grimm, aka, The Thing in the kitchen cooking in preparation for one of the team’s family dinners. Now, Ebon Moss-Bachrach portrays The Thing, and astute viewers will know this is a really cool reference to the hugely popular comedy-drama series The Bear, in which he plays restaurant manager Richie Jerimovich.
”Herbie, how’s that sauce coming?” he asks the perky robot, before it wheels over and suggests that it is done in various beeps and boops. “Yeah, I’ll be the judge of that,” Grimm states, as he dips his finger into the pan and has a taste, “Okay, okay,” he claps very enthusiastically. “Is this guy good or what? I’m gonna add a couple cloves of garlic, not because it’s not delicious, I just want to add a bit of zip.” Great dialogue whether it’s Jerimovich or Grimm.
10. Red Ghost?
That’s correct, as sources have been talking about for weeks now, the legendary John Malkovich is starring in First Steps. In the brief glimpse the teaser gives us, the actor is sporting long grey hair and a bushy beard, and sitting in a dark room. Now the question remains, who is he playing? Nothing has been detailed, but the online rumor mill has been alive for weeks suggesting that the star is playing one of the Fantastic Four’s oldest enemies, a character named Ivan Kragoff, aka Red Ghost.
Kragoff is an evil genius who gained the powers of invisibility and intangibility (a fancy word meaning he’s just unable to be touched) after being exposed to powerful cosmic rays. Kragoff first appears in 1963’s Fantastic Four #13, and was created by the duo Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Of course, there has not been an official confirmation yet that Malkovich is portraying the Red Ghost, but there has been a lot of speculation to that point.
11. Screenwriter Jeff Kaplan has a Store Front (Kaplan’s)
In the Prepare 4 Launch video, if you look closely on the television being pushed as a Sale Special, the tag reads Kaplan’s. Now this is clearly a just a nice little nod to screenwriter Jeff Kaplan, who penned the script along with Ian Springer. While I was unable to spot a link to Springer in the Prepare 4 Launch Video or the trailer, I’m pretty certain there will be a really cool nod somewhere in the feature film.
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12. The Thing’s Trench Coat
There’s a scene in the trailer where The Thing is watching himself on television in the store window, and he’s wearing a trench coat and a hat, which is all strikingly similar to versions we’ve seen of the character before on screen and in the comics. Grimm often dons this hat and trench coat in a bid to go undercover after his transformation into The Thing as he maneuvers around New York City.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters on July 25.
The Final Word: “Ben has always been a rock. Johnny is… Johnny. And I am right here. Whatever life throws at us, we’ll face it together, as a family.”
Until next time, enjoy your time at the movies! As always, your thoughts are welcome in the comments section below. And you can get my posts delivered straight to your inbox by subscribing below as well.
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