The Fantastic Four: First Steps Review: What Superman Does So Right, The MCU’s Latest Gets Wrong

Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

I don’t pick sides in the Marvel vs. DC debate because it’s never actually made any sense to me: across all media forms – including comics, television, movies and more – both companies have produced absolute brilliance from some of the greatest minds to ever tell stories, and both have also produced plenty of junk and pablum. The breadth of each includes such a wide variety of adventures and dramas that a broad comparison becomes meaningless. Any dedicated Marvel fan could easily discover something to read/watch from DC that would fit their personal tastes, and the same is true for DC fans reading/watching something made by Marvel.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Release Date: July 25, 2025
Directed By: Matt Shakman
Written By: Josh Friedman and Eric Pearson and Jeff Kaplan & Ian Springer
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Julia Garner, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, and Ralph Ineson
Rating: PG-13 for action/violence and some language
Runtime: 115 minutes