| Fantastic Four: First Steps | |
|---|---|
 Cover art byPhil Noto | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Format | One-shot |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | July 9, 2025 |
| No. of issues | 1 |
| Main characters | |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Matt Fraction |
| Artist | Mark Buckingham |
| Letterer | Joe Caramagna |
| Colorist | Alex Sinclair |
| Editor | Tom Brevoort |
Fantastic Four: First Steps is aprequeltie-in comic published byMarvel Comics for theMarvel Studios filmThe Fantastic Four: First Steps. The comic was written byMatt Fraction, with art fromMark Buckingham and a cover byPhil Noto. Fraction and Marvel Comics worked closely with Marvel Studios to create the comic, having it be set within theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to tell the origin story of theFantastic Four. It was published in July 2025 ahead of the film's release, and received positive reviews from critics.
Reed Richards,Ben Grimm,Johnny Storm, andSue Storm pilot a spaceship, but are bombarded with celestial radiation[1] and have to return to Earth. They isolate themselves in a buildingRocket City at Reed's insistence in order to fully understand the way their physiologies were changed and ensure they were not a danger to others. Having learned to control their new superpowers, the group get frustrated with their isolation and decide to leave when they seeHarvey Elder leading an attack onNew York City.
They arrive in New York City and are met by paparazzi, whenGiganto appears from underground. Sue works to protect civilians while Reed, Ben, and Johnny attack Giganto. Sue eventually creates a forcefield around Giganto, suffocating him. Suddenly, thePan Am Building falls into the ground as flashbacks reveal that Elder is attacking out of revenge for the surface world's drilling into his underground society,Subterranea. The team, now dubbed theFantastic Four, reach the ground floor of the Pan Am Building, where Elder orders his army to attack. A pregnantMoloid gets trapped in a forcefield, worrying Elder and causing him to surrender and end the attack. Elder is taken into the Fantastic Four's custody while the team discuss the pregnant attacker's dedication to the cause.
Sue approaches Elder in custody, and Elder reveals that he studied with Sue's grandfather. Sue acknowledges Subterranea as a society and asks how the people of Subterranea and the people of the surface world can coexist peacefully. Sue helps Elder guarantee sovereignty for Subterranea, and the Fantastic Four help to rebuild the underground city as they are recognized by the public as a team of superheroes.
In April 2025,Marvel Comics andMarvel Studios announced atie-in one-shot comic for theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) filmThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, titledFantastic Four: First Steps,[2] to be released on July 9, 2025 ahead of the film's July 25 release date.[3][1] The comic is written byMatt Fraction and drawn byMark Buckingham,[2] with colors byAlex Sinclair and lettering by Joe Caramagna.[3]Tom Brevoort served as the comic's editor and it featured cover art byPhil Noto.[2][3] Marvel Comics worked closely with Marvel Studios and the creatives to ensure the comic had the same style and tone as the film, with the comics creators visiting the set during filming.[2] Justin Carter fromGizmodo said it was an "inspired choice" to have a comic "sell the idea [theFantastic Four have] been around for years and have a history" within the MCU and felt Marvel was giving more significance to this comic than their other MCU tie-in ones.[4]
The in-universe comic was meant to be published by theFuture Foundation in collaboration with Marvel Comics Group with the "first-ever authorized retelling of the Fantastic Four's early adventures", coinciding with the fourth anniversary of the team gaining their powers.[5][1] The team'sorigin story in the MCU is similar to the one from the comics inThe Fantastic Four #1 byStan Lee andJack Kirby,[1][6] with Noto's cover a recreation of that debut comic.[1]Fantastic Four: First Steps includes the team's first encounter withHarvey Elder / Mole Man.[6] ActorPaul Walter Hauser was confirmed to be portraying Elder in the film through the comic; his role in the film had been unknown prior to the comic's release, with speculation that he was playing Elder given his resemblance to the character.[7][1] Casey Loving atTheWrap referred to this as the biggest revelation of the comic.[1] The comic also features in-universe advertisements.[8]
According toreview aggregator Comic Book Roundup,Fantastic Four: First Steps received a 7.9 out of 10, based on 4 reviews.[9]
David Brooke atAIPT gave the comic a 7.5 out of 10, enjoying the in-universe aspects of the comic and referred to it as a celebration of the Fantastic Four, though noted the story similarities toThe Fantastic Four #1. He found the comic's art to be uneven.[8] Casey Loving fromTheWrap noted how the comic helped introduce the characteristics of each member of the Fantastic Four for readers ahead of the film. He noted a difference to the team's costumes in the comic from those seen in promotional material for the film.[1]
Praise was given to the team's response to Mole Man's imprisonment and their subsequent conversations. Brooke referred to it as "a wholesome and diplomatic turn that shows this team isn't about jailing every villain, but finding reasonable solutions".[8] Loving felt the moment showed "an increase in focus and agency" for Sue Storm compared to how the character was written in the early issues of theFantastic Four comics. He was hopeful that it indicated Sue would have a larger and "more well-rounded" presence in the film after theprevious film adaptations saw the character take a lesser role.[1] Tom Chapman fromDen of Geek believed since the comic prominently featured Elder, the character would have a limited role in the film.[7]
In December 2025, Marvel Comics announced four additional tie-in one-shot comics that, similar to theFirst Steps one-shot, are presented as in-universe comics published by the Future Foundation and expand on characters and moments from the film; the four comics are expected to be released quarterly throughout 2026. The first one-shot, titledFantastic Four: First Foes, is scheduled for release on March 4, 2026. It was written byDan Slott, with Buckingham and Noto respectively returning as artist and cover artist, and explores an early adventure of the Fantastic Four facing off against theMad Thinker. A two-page short story written byRyan North, "Fantastic Science", is also included, which is inspired by Reed's educational television programming as seen in the film.[10]
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