When The Fantastic 4: First Steps premiered on July 23, 2025, it arrived at a critical moment for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film wasn’t just another superhero origin story—it was a reset button, a chance to get the Fantastic Four right after years of false starts and missteps.
What Matt Shakman delivered was something that resonated with audiences in a way that surprised even seasoned Marvel watchers: a film that understood what made this family of heroes special in the first place, wrapped in a perfectly paced 1 hour 55 minutes that never overstayed its welcome.
The financial numbers tell part of the story. With a substantial $200 million budget, the studio clearly wasn’t taking chances—this was an investment in Marvel’s future. But here’s what matters: the film delivered.
A $521.8 million worldwide box office against that budget proved that audiences were hungry for what Shakman brought to the table. That $117.6 million domestic opening weekend wasn’t just a number; it represented confidence restored. For a franchise that had struggled to find its footing, this was vindication.
What makes this film genuinely significant goes beyond box office grosses, though. At its core, First Steps succeeded because it understood something fundamental about these characters that previous attempts sometimes missed.
The creative foundation Shakman built with his cast created something special:
- Pedro Pascal brought gravitas and unexpected warmth to Reed Richards, making the genius inventor feel like an actual father figure rather than just an exposition machine
- Vanessa Kirby gave Sue Storm a presence that commands the screen, refusing to let her become a supporting player in her own story
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach delivered surprising depth as The Thing, balancing the comedic potential with genuine emotional vulnerability
- The ensemble chemistry felt earned, not forced—these didn’t feel like actors playing superheroes, they felt like a real family dynamic
The film’s 7.0/10 rating reveals something interesting about modern audiences: they didn’t need perfection, they needed authenticity. They wanted a film that respected the source material without being bound by it.
This is where the critical reception becomes interesting. A 7.0/10 rating might sound middle-of-the-road, but context matters. With nearly 3,000 votes recorded, the film achieved something more valuable than universal acclaim—it achieved consensus respectability. People weren’t divided or frustrated. They walked out satisfied, which for a superhero film in an oversaturated market is honestly its own kind of victory.
Shakman’s direction deserves credit here. His background in television—particularly with shows that prioritized character work and ensemble dynamics—proved to be exactly what the MCU needed at this moment. He didn’t lean into the visual excess that plague so many contemporary superhero films. Instead, he trusted the story, trusted the cast, and trusted that audiences would connect with genuine character moments between the action sequences.
The “Welcome to the family” tagline sounds simple, but it’s revealing:
- It signals a thematic departure from brooding, isolated hero narratives
- It positions the Fantastic Four as fundamentally different from other MCU heroes—they’re a unit, not individuals
- It acknowledges that audiences were craving more intimate, relatable storytelling within the superhero framework
What First Steps accomplished culturally is still unfolding, but the foundation is clear. This film proved that Marvel could breathe new life into a property many thought was cursed. It demonstrated that sometimes the most radical approach is simply getting the basics right: good casting, a competent director with a clear vision, and the willingness to let the story breathe.
The legacy of this film might not be in awards season recognition—though it earned respect from critics—but in how it reset expectations for what a superhero film could be in 2025.
For a franchise that spent years being a punchline, The Fantastic 4: First Steps became a punchline no more. It proved there was still room for genuine entertainment in the superhero space, that audiences weren’t exhausted by the genre itself—they were exhausted by lazy execution. Shakman and his cast showed that with the right foundation, even a property that had stumbled multiple times could find new life.
The film’s influence on the MCU’s direction became apparent almost immediately. It signaled a shift away from over-complicated multiverse plotting and back toward stories about actual people with actual relationships. Other studios took note. Here was proof that character-driven superhero films could be both commercially successful and critically respectable without sacrificing either element.
Looking back now, The Fantastic 4: First Steps stands as the film that reminded audiences—and the industry—why they fell in love with the MCU in the first place. It’s not a perfect film, and it never needed to be. What it is, is honest, well-crafted, and genuinely entertaining. In an era of exhaustion with the superhero genre, that’s remarkable enough to matter.
