{"id":160915,"date":"2025-06-05T18:38:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T18:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/160915\/"},"modified":"2025-06-05T18:38:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T18:38:12","slug":"the-fantastic-four-first-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/160915\/","title":{"rendered":"THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is just over a month away from hitting theaters, but will it turn Marvel Studios’ fortunes around after Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*?<\/p>\n

That’s the hope, and it does rather look like a return to form for the MCU. Alas, there are those willing it to fail, either because they have an irrational hatred for this franchise now or because the “woke” movie has made the sort of tweaks we see in every superhero movie.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In this feature, we’re taking a closer look at some of the more ridiculous complaints made about The Fantastic Four: First Steps. We’re also explaining why, upon closer inspection, they make absolutely no sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As always, just hit the “Next”https:\/\/comicbookmovie.com\/”View List” buttons below to find out why these “problems” aren’t problems at all…

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4. The Gender-Swapped Silver Surfer<\/p>\n

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From the moment we first heard that The Fantastic Four: First Steps would feature a female Silver Surfer, the complaints have come thick and fast. How dare Marvel Studios “gender swap” one of its most iconic characters!\u00a0<\/p>\n

Except that isn’t what’s happened. Shalla-Bal is a separate character who became the Silver Surfer in Earth X, a comic that saw her and Norrin Rad share the burden of being Galactus’ Herald (the twist was that Franklin Richards had become Galactus, a plot point we believe could be touched on in this movie).\u00a0<\/p>\n

While we’d have loved to see the “classic” Silver Surfer alongside the MCU’s Eater of Worlds, it’s important to remember that The Fantastic Four takes place in an alternate reality. Marvel Studios likely wants to save Norrin for the new timeline created after Avengers: Secret Wars, so why not sub in Shalla-Bal here?

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3. Mister Fantastic’s Facial Hair<\/p>\n

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Don’t like the lines on Peter Parker’s suit in Spider-Man: Homecoming? Not a fan of nanotech? Frustrated that Doctor Doom will be an Avengers villain before a Fantastic Four one? Those are all valid complaints.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The discourse surrounding Mister Fantastic’s facial hair in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, on the other hand, is laughable. Reed Richards has been known to rock a beard on the page, and in Pedro Pascal’s case, the hair on his upper lip is slightly darker than that on his chin and cheeks.<\/p>\n

Alas, some fans\u00a0can’t get over this. It may even be a deal breaker for them. This is as ridiculous as saying Tony Stark’s goatee is the incorrect shape, and if you’re unable to deal with a superhero rocking a cool ‘tache…maybe it’s just because you can’t grow one?

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2. Invisible Woman Is The Lead Character<\/p>\n

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All signs point to Sue Storm being The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ “lead.” That doesn’t necessarily mean she’ll have more screentime or that the rest of Marvel’s First Family; it’s more a case of the story being built around the Invisible Woman and her pregnancy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Spoiler alert: that’s not a bad thing. Not only have the best comic book writers established that Sue is the Fantastic Four’s most powerful member, but Franklin is a game-changer for the MCU, and more specifically, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sue should be this movie’s main focus, especially as previous movies relegated her to eye candy whose clothes disappeared or a scientist still not as smart as her boyfriend. Vanessa Kirby is perfectly cast in this role, and these complaints feel like they boil down to good ‘ol-fashioned sexism. Sigh…

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1. The Thing’s Accent<\/p>\n

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Ben Grimm has a very distinct accent on the page. Hailing from\u00a0Yancy Street, The Thing’s speech pattern is undeniably unique…but that won’t necessarily translate well to live-action. In fact, it runs the risk of making the hero sound like a walking, talking cartoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There’s also a misconception that The Thing should have a Brooklyn accent. However, Yancy Street is on the Lower\u00a0East Side; Brooklyn is across the river. Various animated shows have gone with the Brooklyn accent, though, making it the only correct choice in the eyes (ears?) of some fans.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Is The Thing’s character design the best we’ve seen? There’s room for improvement, in fairness. The size complaints are overblown because, depending on which artist is drawing him, he’s either huge or not that much bigger than a regular, muscular guy. The MCU is in the middle.\u00a0

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Why Fans Should Give The Fantastic Four A Chance<\/p>\n

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Look, we’re not saying you can’t complain about what you’ve seen from The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Heck, that’s a big part of being a comic book fan in the first place.<\/p>\n

However, if you’re not going to watch this movie for any of the petty (and arguably incorrect) reasons above, then you might want to check yourself. Joseph Quinn’s wig is questionable, and we kinda hate that the top of Reed’s suit is blue rather than white…but c’mon, everything about this movie looks like what you’d ask for from a Fantastic Four movie.<\/p>\n

It boasts a great cast, an 1960s-inspired setting that pulls inspiration from the work of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and a comic-accurate Galactus. The Fantastic Four are finally in the MCU (or very nearly as we write this), and that’s cause for celebration.\u00a0

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