The forthcoming Fantastic Four reboot is among one of the most hotly anticipated titles on the schedule of upcoming Marvel movies. Fans have been waiting anxiously to see the quartet of heroes enter the cinematic universe and have been eager for details on what's to come. Unfortunately, filming hasn’t started just yet, but production is set to kick off very soon. Ahead of that though, it’s just been revealed that the movie has received an official new title, but what has me more excited is the fact that the team’s next appearances within the overall franchise have been confirmed.
Up to this point, it had been confirmed that the movie would simply be called The Fantastic Four. However, during Marvel Studios’ presentation for the movie at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, it was revealed that the film is now titled The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The studio made that official by way of a social media post that was shared on X, which also confirms that principal photography kicks off this coming week. You can check that out down below:
Just announced in Hall H: Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps begins production on Tuesday. Only in theaters July 25, 2025. #SDCC pic.twitter.com/iPAlXlajnrJuly 28, 2024
To be honest, I’m a little mixed on the name, as I thought the original worked rather well. However, I suppose this new name does make sense. After all, this movie will mark the beginning for this version of the team, so they are, in a way, taking their “first steps.” Surely, fans will have plenty of thoughts on that but, like me, they may have more thoughts on another big piece of news that was revealed.
It was also confirmed during the panel that after their first solo film, Marvel’s First Family will appear in the two upcoming Avengers movies – Avengers: Doomsday (which has been renamed from The Kang Dynasty) and Avengers: Secret Wars. That’s welcome news, and it makes sense, given the storylines involved here.
Based on the title for the first of those two Avengers movies, you can probably guess that it’ll include the one and only Doctor Doom. And, in a wild turn of events, he’ll be played by Robert Downey Jr. (Yeah, the same Robert Downey Jr. that played Tony Stark/Iron Man for over a decade.) So it’ll certainly be interesting to see the blue costume-wearing heroes go up against this variation of Victor Von Doom. As for Secret Wars, it’s even more apt that the four heroes are involved. Fans who’ve read the 2015 iteration of the eponymous comic book storyline likely know that at its core, the tale revolves around a universe-shattering conflict between Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic) and Von Doom. It’ll be exciting to see how Marvel opts to adapt that story.
So it goes without saying that fans are going to be seeing a lot of the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the next several years. I’m definitely not mad at that prospect, especially given the talent involved with the characters and the upcoming superhero movies the group will be in. Matt Shakman is directing the FF reboot, with Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach playing the characters. And Joe and Anthony Russo are helming the Avengers films. So there’s plenty to look forward to, as one of the most beloved superhero teams in comic book history prepare to make their big-screen returns.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set to open in theaters on July 25 as part of the 2025 movie schedule. And Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars are expected to hit theaters in May 2026 and May 2027, respectively In the meantime, grab a Disney+ subscription and stream the Marvel movies in order.
More to come...
