First Steps’ Greatest Story Risk Follows In The Footsteps Of 2 MCU Movies Worth $1.5B
The quality that makes The Fantastic: Four First Steps such a unique adaptation of Marvel’s First Family has already been tried by two very successful MCU movies. After Thunderbolts* wraps up Phase 5, Matt Shakman’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps launches Phase 6 and starts the countdown for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars‘ release, as well as the end of the Multiverse Saga. There’s a lot riding on The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and everything seems to be in place for it to be a widely successful MCU entry.
None of the four Fantastic Four movies made so far have reached the same level of popularity as the Avengers movies, despite the team’s comic book fame. In order to help the heroes stand out in the MCU, Marvel Studios is relying on Matt Shakman’s proven talent to establish fictional characters in certain eras of world history to transport the Fantastic Four to an unprecedented world. In The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Marvel’s First Family live in a universe of their own.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Follows The Same Concept As Captain America And Captain Marvel
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Is The Third Period Movie In The MCU
Breaking off from the previous four Fantastic Four movies, The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ 1960s-inspired setting presents a completely new angle on Marvel’s First Family. The MCU’s Fantastic Four inhabit an alternate timeline where they’re Earth’s only superheroes and the world’s biggest celebrities. Society is a retrofuturistic version of 1960s’ New York, with technology, fashion, and architecture that calls back to real-life mid-twentieth-century art and pop culture. While this style is unique to the Fantastic Four, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the third MCU period piece, after Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain Marvel.
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Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars’ multiversal premise may not be wild enough to allow an epic Marvel hero crossover to happen in the MCU.
Captain America: The First Avenger took place almost exclusively in the 1940s, detailing Steve Rogers’ evolution from army recruit to WWII icon. Meanwhile, Captain Marvel took place entirely in the 1990s, revealing why Carol Danvers didn’t return to Earth in thirty years and how Nick Fury rose through the ranks of SHIELD. On the small screen, Matt Shakman’s first MCU project, WandaVision, followed Scarlet Witch through short snippets of multiple decades inside her Westview hex.
Marvel’s Period Pieces Have Been Quite Successful So Far
The MCU’s Two Period Movies Earned $1.5 Billion Together
Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain Marvel rack up $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office. Phase 1’s Captain America: The First Avenger $370 million and Phase 3’s Captain Marvel earned an impressive $1,131 billion. Captain Marvel currently holds the eleventh spot in the MCU’s worldwide box office rankings, and Captain America: The First Avenger remains the third lowest-grossing MCU movie. While Captain America: The First Avenger‘s box office seems disappointing, it more than doubled its budget, which is an increasingly rare achievement in the Multiverse Saga.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is likely to get close to a billion dollars
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is one of the most awaited installments, not only of Phase 6, but of the whole Multiverse Saga. The Fantastic Four is a superhero team as important to Marvel history as the Avengers and the X-Men, and the titular heroes haven’t starred in a successful movie yet. The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ cast is brimming with talent, its multiversal nature is key to the saga, its retrofuturistic setting is a fresh addition to the franchise, and the team’s future interactions with the rest of the MCU are highly anticipated. Hence, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is likely to get close to a billion dollars.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Wasn’t The Only Period Piece In Production At Marvel
Blade Was Almost The Fourth MCU Period Piece
It was recently revealed that Blade almost took place in the 1920s, but the Mahershala Ali-led movie went back to the drawing board, and its setting changed. Blade has gone through several scripts, writers, and directors. At this point, it’s unknown whether Blade will move forward or not, as no actors other than Mahershala Ali are confirmed and no release date has been announced yet. A Blade movie set in the 1920s could have been an exciting follow-up to The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ 1960s setting, and it could have opened the door for more stories set in the same era.
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I’m reallly hoping that the MCU’s Fantastic Four: First Steps will be able to break a tragic 20-year trend when it comes to Marvel’s First Family.
WandaVision briefly explored every decade from the 1950s to the 2000s, Captain America: First Avenger took place in the 1940s, and Captain Marvel took place in the 1990s. Eternals visited certain points of human history, such as sixteenth-century Tenochtitlan, seventh-century Babylon, and fifth-century India. There are countless possible eras of human history the MCU has yet to explore. While Blade is foregoing the 1920s, The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ 1960s setting could start a new wave of similar projects.
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
- Director
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Matt Shakman
- Producers
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Jamie Christopher, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Tim Lewis
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Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic
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Vanessa Kirby
Sue Storm / The Invisible Woman
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Johnny Storm / Human Torch
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Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Ben Grimm / The Thing
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8/10
- Release Date
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March 8, 2019
- Runtime
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124 minutes
- Director
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Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden
- Writers
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Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
