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The Fantastic Four: First Steps is arguably the strongest feature-film adaptation of Marvel’s team so far. Its clearest advantages are an established family dynamic, an appealingly retro-futurist setting and a cast whose chemistry drew praise from critics. That verdict applies to films about the Fantastic Four themselves—not necessarily to superhero-family stories such as The Incredibles, which remains a persuasive counterexample.
What makes First Steps different?
Released in theaters on July 25, 2025, The Fantastic Four: First Steps places Marvel’s First Family in a 1960s-inspired retro-futuristic world. Rather than retell how the heroes gained their powers, it begins with the team already established: Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). They must contend with Galactus and his herald, Silver Surfer, while navigating their bonds as a family.
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps - Blu-ray + Digital | $22.96 | Buy on Amazon |
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps - 4K + Blu-ray + Digital | $27.99 | Buy on Amazon |
That starting point matters to the film’s identity. In a July 24, 2025 interview with The Walt Disney Company, Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige said the team is already four years into being the Fantastic Four when the story begins. The choice leaves room for family relationships instead of spending the film on an origin recap.
Marvel also set this version apart from the main MCU continuity. Feige explained that the separate setting let the studio introduce the characters on their own terms: “That gave us a huge opportunity to establish them, on their own, in an alternate universe.” Marvel identifies the film as the team’s MCU introduction, but its story takes place in its own alternate universe rather than the main continuity.
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- Set against the backdrop of a ?60s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel?s First Family faces a daunting challenge. Forced to balance being heroes with their family bond, they must defend Earth from a space god and his enigmatic herald.
Why the case for “best so far” works
The family is central, not just a team label
The premise gives the characters’ relationships a place alongside the cosmic threat. That approach fits the team’s history: in the Disney interview, Feige described the early comics’ appeal as “optimism for future” and “space-age optimism.” He also credited their lasting pull to “relatable, flawed, characters who happen to have extraordinary abilities.” The film’s established-team premise gives that family-centered idea a natural foundation.
The period design gives this version a distinct identity
The retro-futurist setting is more than a change of scenery: it distinguishes this Fantastic Four from a conventional contemporary superhero backdrop. Critics highlighted that visual identity alongside the ensemble. Rotten Tomatoes’ critics consensus describes the film as “Benefitting from rock-solid cast chemistry and clad in appealingly retro 1960s design, this crack at The Fantastic Four does Marvel’s First Family justice.” That is a critical assessment, not proof of an objective ranking, but it identifies the two strengths most often used to support the film’s favorable comparison with earlier adaptations.
The praise is comparative, not unanimous
Rotten Tomatoes Editorial’s roundup of first reviews includes clear endorsements of the film as the best Fantastic Four feature yet. Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence wrote, “Calling First Steps the best Fantastic Four movie yet is accurate and also easy.” Giovanni Lago of Next Best Picture offered a more qualified compliment: “It’s not saying much, but this is by far the best-directed Fantastic Four film to date.” These are individual critics’ judgments, not a universal verdict or a measurable ranking.
Does The Incredibles beat it?
That depends on what “Fantastic Four movie” means. If the comparison is limited to feature adaptations of Marvel’s actual team, First Steps has a strong claim to the top spot. If the category expands to include films about similar superhero families, the comparison changes. Kristen Lopez of The Film Maven argued in the same Rotten Tomatoes roundup: “Some would argue, myself included, that The Incredibles remains the best Fantastic Four movie we’ve ever gotten, and that doesn’t change with the release of Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”
Lopez’s point is a useful distinction rather than a contradiction: The Incredibles is not an adaptation of Marvel’s characters. The fairest answer is that First Steps may be the strongest screen version of the Fantastic Four, while The Incredibles can still be someone’s favorite superhero-family film.
Rank #2
- Set against the backdrop of a ?60s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel?s First Family faces a daunting challenge. Forced to balance being heroes with their family bond, they must defend Earth from a space god and his enigmatic herald.
How does it compare with the 2005 film?
The evidence for First Steps’ advantage is strongest in its approach to the team: it starts with an established family, gives the group a distinctive retro-futurist world and earned praise for cast chemistry and design. The available critical material supports calling it a more compellingly realized adaptation, but it does not provide a systematic scene-by-scene comparison or settle every viewer’s preference. A fan who values a different tone or a particular earlier interpretation may reach another verdict.
Do you need to watch other MCU films first?
No prior MCU viewing is needed to understand the basic setup described by Marvel: this team is introduced in its own alternate-universe story, already operating as the Fantastic Four. Its separation from the main MCU continuity means the premise does not depend on explaining where the team was during earlier MCU events.
Where to watch or own it
Disney UK lists DVD, Blu-ray and digital-download formats for The Fantastic Four: First Steps on its home-release page. That confirms listed formats in the UK, not current stock, prices, a particular retailer’s listing or availability in other regions. Check the retailer and region details before buying.
What the opening weekend says—and does not say
The Associated Press reported estimated opening-weekend grosses of $118 million in North America and $218 million worldwide on July 27, 2025. Those figures describe the film’s debut weekend, not its final or current box-office total. They show a strong launch, but financial performance cannot establish which adaptation is best.
Quick Recap
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