Three months after the premiere, Disney+ released Fantastic Four: First Steps for streaming on November 5. Now fans can rewatch the movie as many times as they want. This is one of the greatest films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t problems on a rewatch.
Calmly getting to watch Fantastic Four: First Steps at home, it means fans have much more time to notice several strange details. These small things, like Reed’s terrible paternal instincts and the absolute neglect of Silver Surfer’s backstory, don’t ruin the movie, but they change the way fans perceive the film, so they’re still worth discussing.
Reed Richards Is Not A Great Father
Marvel / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Reed Richards is a genius with the best of intentions, but he is not a great father. When he learns that Sue is miraculously pregnant, he is worried that his son will have an anomaly due to their complex DNA. It makes sense that Reed wants to be prepared to help his son in whichever way he can, but he spends so much time creating machines to analyze Franklin that he barely enjoys the journey. He even makes H.E.R.B.I.E. build the baby’s crib so he can spend more time building complex technology to look into Sue’s fetus. It’s not until Sue scolds him that he makes not one, but three cribs.
Much like Sue points out, Reed spends so much time envisioning the worst-case scenarios that he misses out on his family. There’s a point when he even considers that giving Franklin to Galactus isn’t such a far-fetched idea, and he comes up with the plan of using Franklin as bait. In the end, it is Sue who takes it to the last consequences to protect Franklin, while Reed is paralyzed mostly by fear. Richards might become an emotionally absent father, too concerned with protecting his son in theory, just like he’s concerned about “solving everything” in the comics.
No One Pays Attention To Ben’s Sadness
One of the most heartbreaking parts of Fantastic Four: First Steps is the fact that Ben doesn’t get to live a regular life. The others in the team got powers, but they preserved their human forms. Ben wasn’t so lucky. His mutation turned his skin into rock, which causes Ben to feel insecure about his physical appearance. The movie barely explores this, instead turning the Thing into a comic relief.
When he isn’t cracking jokes, Ben looks sad throughout most of the movie. He spends lots of time in his old neighborhood, where he meets Rachel Rozman, a teacher whom Ben clearly likes. However, he seems insecure around her, likely because of his rock-like appearance. He also looks disturbed at his image on the TV, clearly missing the person he used to be. None of the Fantastic Four talks to him about this sad issue, even though they obviously know it’s difficult for him.
The Team Underestimates Johnny
Despite the fact that Johnny is both powerful and smart, the team often doesn’t take him seriously. When he explained to the others that the Silver Surfer spoke to him in his language, they assumed he was simply attracted to her. However, Johnny’s attention to detail proves to be essential to save the world and Franklin.
Johnny uses the Silver Surfer’s phrase to decode her language, which he heard on records from space. This was enough for him to get through Silver Surfer, who was surprised Johnny knew her language. In the end, Silver Surfer sacrifices herself to stop Galactus, an act that Johnny inspired. Johnny, unlike the rest of the team, saw a person in the alien and appealed to her empathy. The rest didn’t even think he was doing something worthwhile.
Silver Surfer’s Sacrifice Goes Unnoticed
Silver Surfer proved to be a formidable adversary in Fantastic Four: First Steps, but an even bigger ally. Even though she was Galactus’s herald, she gave him the last push to send him through the portal, selflessly saving Earth. Johnny was going to do it himself, but the Silver Surfer got there faster, saving Earth after she had doomed it.
Even though this is an epic moment and an incredible sacrifice, there is very little mention of the Silver Surfer’s actions after the fact. Not only did she save Johnny, but there is a chance Johnny wouldn’t have been strong enough to stop Galactus. Silver Surfer, with her strength and speed, made sure Galactus couldn’t get out, but there is no recognition of her last heroic act.
The Fantastic Four Would Have Died In Space If It Weren’t For Franklin
The members of The Fantastic Four in The Fantastic Four: First StepsImage via Marvel Studios
When the Fantastic Four learned that Galactus was going to eat Earth, they decided to pay the cosmic being a visit… to talk. They learned that Galactus had already eaten several planets, but this fact didn’t scare the four heroes. They got on a spaceship with a very pregnant Sue and tracked Galactus.
Galactus is a being of unimaginable power. As soon as they found him, he consumed a planet in only seconds. Galactus, however, scanned their ship and noticed Franklin, a baby with the power to satiate his hunger. This is the only reason he allowed the Fantastic Four to live. If not, they would have died a very quick death in space, doing nothing for Earth.
Reed Is A Genius Who Can’t Put On A Baby Seat
With a genius-level intellect, Reed Richards is one of the most intelligent characters in Marvel. In Fantastic Four: First Steps, he proved this by building several complex artifacts, including the very teleportation system that sends Galactus away. However, a baby seat almost defected the Doctor in physics.
At the end of Fantastic Steps, there is a scene where Reed, Johnny, and Ben struggle to install Franklin’s seat in the car. Sue watches them from afar, amused. Even though the moment is hilarious, it makes no sense that one of the greatest minds of his generation is incapable of installing a baby seat efficiently. Given Reed’s fantastic history of inventions, it’s even surprising the seat doesn’t self-install.
Silver Surfer Was The Biggest Victim In Fantastic Four
While Silver Surfer was one of the antagonists in Fantastic Four: First Steps, she was also a misunderstood character with a complicated past. She sacrificed herself so Galactus would spare her world. However, this meant she had to become Galactus’ Herald, choosing planes for him, and witnessing his destroying power. Even though Silver Surfer willingly committed to serve Galactus, it was clear she was pained by all the death she caused.
In reality, the Silver Surfer is a very tragic character. She had to leave her family for them to survive, and then serve an evil cosmic entity for centuries. Finally, she gets teletransported with Galactus when she pushes him into the portal. It’s hard to know what destiny awaits her, but probably nothing good.
The General Public’s Reaction In Fantastic Four Is Not Realistic
When the Fantastic Four informed the general population that Galactus asked for their kid in exchange for sparing Earth, people were angry but rational. They demanded that the heroes give away their baby because it was one life to save billions. However, Sue gives a speech in which she states that Earth is their family and that she won’t sacrifice her baby for Earth, but she also won’t sacrifice Earth for her baby. This appeased people, and they all started working together to make the teleportation plan work.
This is incredibly idealistic. In real life, many selfish and evil people would have tried to kidnap Franklin and attack the Fantastic Four. It’s even shocking that no government intervened, considering how overbearing the government is in other MCU movies. The idea that the U.S. government didn’t take Franklin from his parents is completely unrealistic.
Reed Was Very Naive Throughout The Film
Even though he is a genius, Reed knows very little about human nature. For example, as soon as he returns from Earth, he tells reporters that Galactus asked him to save Earth by giving his baby to Galactus. He immediately said it was too high a price to pay and that he didn’t know whether Earth was safe. A statement like this obviously sent the whole world spiraling.
Reed, who was presumably accustomed to talking to the press, should not have given that news spontaneously. A more clever person would have thought it through before stating something like that to the entire population, especially since the life of his son was on the line. The problem is that Reed naively thought the world would understand, without considering all the possible reactions.
Franklin Could Never Be Safe
Franklin Richards and Doctor Doom in The Fantastic Four: First StepsImage via Marvel Studios
The fact that Franklin is so powerful that he gained the attention of a cosmic entity like Galactus means the kid will always be in danger. Other mysterious and powerful beings will eventually recognize his existence and try to use him for their own purposes. Of course, Franklin likely can protect himself, but what if this new person finds a way to manipulate him?
In fact, the post-credit scenes in Fantastic Four: First Steps show Franklin interacting with Doctor Doom when Sue is distracted. This is a big tease about what will happen in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, but it’s also a terrible reminder: even if the outcome of this interaction is positive, the Fantastic Four are likely going to encounter many dangerous challenges to protect their son, and even then, it’s impossible to control Franklin’s future moral alignment.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Release Date
July 25, 2025
Runtime
115 minutes
Pedro Pascal
Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic
Vanessa Kirby
Sue Storm / Invisible Woman