That might sound like no big deal, but after 2023’s “The Marvels,” this spring’s fourth “Captain America” movie and “Thunderbolts*” all underperformed by Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) standards, the new “Fantastic Four” may offer broader audience appeal by not pulling from other franchises.

The movie is the latest from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and marks the third “Fantastic Four” film adaptation since 2005.

In 1978, the animation company DePatie–Freleng (best known for The Pink Panther) teamed with Marvel to make The New Fantastic Four. The stories leaned a little more into sci-fi and tech, especially with the inclusion of H.E.R.B.I.E., the group's little robotic friend not too dissimilar from Star Wars' R2-D2.

First Steps” is the third Marvel movie to hit theaters this year, but it packs way more hidden references and nods than “Captain America: Brave New World” or “Thunderbolts.” It’s not on the same level of Easter eggs as last year’s “Deadpool and Wolverine,

First Steps is now playing in most locations worldwide, and we want to know what ComicBookMovie.com's readers made of the

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Everett Collection SATURDAY AM: The Fantastic Four: First Steps at $120M-$125M is one of the sixth best openings for a Marvel Cinematic Universe title post Covid and that’s a great thing.

Production designer Kasra Farahani took that and ran with it, turning London’s Pinewood Studios into a retro-futuristic Manhattan by drawing influences from Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” and architects including Eero Saarinen and Oscar Niemeyer.

First Steps director Matt Shakman has revealed what the cut sequence featuring John Malkovich's Red Ghost entailed, and explains why we're unlikely to ever see it officially released.