Marvel has dropped a new teaser trailer for "The Fantastic Four: First Steps," offering the first glimpse of baby Franklin Richards and delivering a fan-favorite line viewers have eagerly anticipated.
While several segments of the trailer, launched alongside ticket sales for the upcoming MCU film, were previously released, it does include a fresh shot. For the first time, we see Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic) and Sue Storm (Invisible Woman) in bed with their infant son, Franklin Richards.
Why is this reveal so important? In a recent conversation with Empire Magazine, actress Vanessa Kirby, who portrays Sue Storm, hinted at something significant that sparked widespread fan speculation: "It's not only adults who possess extraordinary abilities."
Kirby's character is pregnant throughout the film, and the trailer confirms we will see Franklin at the very least as a newborn. This is a monumental development for the expanding MCU storyline, a topic IGN has previously analyzed. As we noted earlier this year:
Devoted followers of the Fantastic Four comics understand the immense significance of this storyline development. Marvel Studios is set to introduce a character often considered the most formidable mutant in existence, alongside his potentially gifted sister. Here's a deeper exploration of why Sue Storm's pregnancy carries such profound consequences for the MCU's future and the wider Marvel cinematic multiverse.
Franklin stands as one of the most omnipotent characters within the Marvel Universe. He possesses a reality-altering mastery over matter and energy, a capability so vast it empowers him to spontaneously generate entire pocket dimensions. This core power extends into numerous other abilities, including telepathy, telekinesis, and astral projection across different planes of existence.
In essence, Franklin's power scale is such that it contends with cosmic entities like the Celestials and Galactus himself. His potential is forecasted to grow exponentially with time. The Fantastic Four have encountered multiple adult iterations of Franklin from potential futures, hinting at his ultimate destiny: to become an eternal guardian of the entire Marvel Universe.
Taking this into account, could Franklin's rapid aging feature in the plot, allowing him to aid the team against a threat like Galactus? Does this imply the events of "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" unfold over an extended timeline, perhaps spanning years? Kirby's remarks strongly indicate audiences will witness the character manifest his powers in some capacity during the film.
In other trailer highlights, Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Ben Grimm (The Thing) enthusiastically delivers a long-awaited "hell yeah!" when Joseph Quinn's Johnny Storm (Human Torch) asks the iconic question, "Is it clobberin' time?"
Excitement is building rapidly for "The Fantastic Four" as its July premiere approaches. Director Matt Shakman recently addressed speculation about Robert Downey Jr.'s potential involvement as Doctor Doom, seemingly downplaying his appearance in the main film. Despite this, many fans remain convinced the iconic villain will debut, possibly in a post-credits scene.
Last month, the official runtime for "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" was confirmed, making it the lengthiest MCU installment since 2023's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." Furthermore, the clearest preview yet of Ralph Ineson's Galactus emerged through a promotional leak. This followed an earlier Funko Pop! release that accidentally spoiled a key detail from the film.
