Fantastic Four: First Steps – Release Date, Cast, Plot & Everything We Know

Marvel Studios officially announced The Fantastic Four: First Steps at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, revealing the release date, cast, and some key plot details about the highly anticipated MCU debut of Marvel’s First Family.

Release Date

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set to hit theaters on July 25, 2025, kicking off Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Director & Writers

Matt Shakman (WandaVision) is directing the film from a script penned by Josh Friedman, Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer and Josh Friedman.

Cast

• Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic
• Vanessa Kirby as Susan Storm / Invisible Woman
• Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm / Human Torch
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm / Thing
• Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal / Silver Surfer
• John Malkovich, Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne and Ralph Ineson in undisclosed roles.

Plot

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be a period piece set in the 1960s and an alternate universe rather than the main MCU timeline. The title refers to the film focusing on the team’s origin story, which in the comics happened during Earth’s early steps into space exploration.

The story is loosely based on the Ultimate Fantastic Four comics, with the four characters gaining their powers after a space mission gone wrong. They must learn to harness their abilities and work together to save Earth from a familiar enemy.

Robert Downey Jr. will also appear as an alternate universe version of Doctor Doom, who is confirmed to have major roles in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars films. Rumors suggest Downey’s Doom could first show up in First Steps.

The main cast is expected to continue their roles in the two Avengers sequels after the Fantastic Four movie.