Nearly two decades since the MCU began, it feels like that there’s been one glaring omission from the universe and that would be Marvel’s first family, the Fantastic Four. Thankfully for us, the second that Marvel Studios got the rights back in 2019, a new film was put straight into development. Six years later, we finally have The Fantastic Four: First Steps finally coming out this Friday. We at OTN were lucky enough to attend a press conference (moderated by the amazing Ash Crossan!) with the cast, director Matt Shakman, and producer Kevin Feige. Here are the 5 biggest takeaways we got from the First Steps press conference.
5. The Fantastic Four has shot half of their scenes for Doomsday
Avengers: Doomsday is now confirmed to be the first part of effectively ending the MCU, and resetting the MCU, and Feige confirms they’re deep into production on that. While speaking about how great it is to finally have the film out, Marvel’s head honcho added at the end “Even though everyone in this film is very tired, having already shot half of their next appearance in Avengers: Doomsday”. Hearing this is promising for the ambitious film, which is said to have over 60 cast members in the ensemble (26 have already been announced)
4. Why First Steps takes place in another universe
One of the most notable things in First Steps is that the film is the first to take place completely outside of Earth-616. Instead, the film takes place on Earth-828. When Shakman was asked about why they’re in a seperate universe, his answer was simply “we would’ve heard about them by now”. He then expanded on this by stating “We knew they were such public figures and leading lights of their age and era, that we would’ve heard about them by now, so we had to put them in a different era, a different universe, different earth. This meant we had chance to build a different retro-future 1960s”. It’s a simple, yet very logical solution to a potential major plot-hole.
3. Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s first foray into motion capture
Ben Grimm/The Thing was always going to be the hardest character to bring to life in this movie. After all, he’s just a a pile of rocks. Thankfully, Moss-Bachrach was game for that. Speaking about stepping into this role, he says “I’ve never done performance-capture work and that attracted me to the movie. I wanted to explore this method of acting and to get to play this incredible, strong, heavy character“. When asked about his initial nerves in the role, he mentions “I had some anxiety and nerves as it was a dim departure, but melted away in a couple days. It was really freeing”. If early reactions are any indication, not only did Moss-Bachrach kill it as the Thing, but he’s visually stunning as well, with some of the best CGI Marvel has ever done!
2. Ralph Ineson on playing Galactus, from the voice, to the costume, and more
Galactus is arguably Marvel’s most powerful villain, and one that has been adapted in movies poorly. No more is he just a shadow of clouds, but we see the planet eating monster in the flesh for the first time in live-action. He’s played by Ralph Ineson, one of England’s most prolific actors with an extremely distinctive voice. Speaking on the process of joining the MCU, Ineson said “It happened over few months. Every few weeks I got to stand in front of a three-way mirror and look at the character”. Feige added that the costume crew was given art from Galactus’ appearance in Fortnite as inspiration. Ineson also had nothing but praise for the costume department, describing his costume as “Art and engineering, a 350 lb huge, muscular thing. It was wearable design, incredible”. Director Matt Shakman also has praise for Ineson’s portrayal of Galactus, adding that they lowered Ineson’s iconic vice by an octave, saying “The first time he debuted on the mic, it took my breath away”.
1. Why First Steps could be Marvel’s most entry-level movie in years
If you told someone that the 37th movie in a cinematic universe would be the most easy one to get into, you might be called a madman. However, Kevin Feige believes this is indeed the case. One of the first things Feige mentions during this conference is how First Steps is “really the first standalone setting up its own new, established universe.” and that’s there’s “no homework required. Everything you need to know about the Fantastic Four, you learn in the first 10 minutes of this movie”. After a two-year or so window where Marvel projects relied on you watching multiple movies and seasons of television to understand what was next, its really nice to have this change of pace and just go into a movie, without needing any background info. This could very well be crucial to the success of this movie with audiences.
Read the synopsis for The Fantastic Four: First Steps:
Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro- futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Julia Garner, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatiss, and Ralph Ineson. Catch it on the biggest screen possible when comes out in theatres this Friday. Stay tuned for our review, coming soon!
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