Marvel has released a new The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer that shows baby Franklin Richards for the first time and finally sees THAT line fans have been waiting for.
Much of the trailer, designed to promote the release of ticket sales for the upcoming MCU movie, we’ve seen before. But we do get a shot of Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic and Sue Storm / Invisible Woman lying in bed with baby Franklin Richards in what is our first look at the character.
Why is this significant? In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, Vanessa Kirby, who plays Sue Storm, dropped an interesting tease that set tongues wagging within the MCU fandom: “It’s not just adults that have superpowers.”
Kirby’s Storm is pregnant in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and the trailer confirms we see Franklin at least as a baby in the film. This is a huge deal for the MCU, as IGN has explored. As we said in April:
Anyone familiar with the Fantastic Four comics will know that this is a big deal for the team. Marvel Studios is about to introduce arguably the most powerful mutant in existence. And maybe his super-genius sister for good measure? Let’s take a closer look at why Sue’s pregnancy has major implications for the MCU and the Marvel movie multiverse.
Franklin is easily one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. He has the ability to warp reality and matter at will, a power that even allows him to create entire pocket dimensions out of nothing. This power also manifests in other ways, giving Franklin everything from telepathy and telekinesis to the ability to project his consciousness across the astral plane.
Essentially, Franklin is the one being on Earth whose power is so great it rivals that of cosmic entities like the Celestials and Galactus. And he’s destined to only grow more powerful with age. The FF have met multiple adult versions of Franklin from the future, suggesting that he’ll one day grow to become an immortal defender of the entire Marvel Universe.
So, with this in mind, could Franklin age fast in the film and eventually help The Fantastic Four fend off the might of Galactus? Does this all suggest the events of The Fantastic Four: First Steps occur over the course of a year or more? Kirby’s comment certainly suggests we’ll see the character demonstrate his powers to some degree.
Meanwhile, we hear Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm / The Thing respond "hell yeah!" when Joseph Quinn's Johnny Storm / Human Torch asks: “Is it clobberin’ time?" Finally!
Things are heating up in the world of The Fantastic Four as the movie’s July release date approaches. This week director Matt Shakman commented on whether Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom would make an appearance, seemingly confirming the character will be absent. However, fans still strongly suspect Doctor Doom will show up in the movie, perhaps in a post-credits scene.
Last month, we got a confirmed runtime for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is the longest MCU film since 2023's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. We also got our best look yet at the film's version of Galactus, as played by Ralph Ineson, via a Snapple promo that leaked the character's design. That followed a revealing Funko Pop! spoiler for The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
