Opinions are the author’s alone and not endorsed by 2 NEWS and/or Nexstar Media Group. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — The Fantastic Four have officially debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, opening the door to more cosmic adventures and a saga against Marvel Studios next big bad Dr.

At the time of writing, the only way to see "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" is by heading to your nearest movie theater. It only hit the big screen on July 25 (or July 24, in the U.K.), and that's likely where it'll stay for some time.

First Steps is coming in lighter than projections in its first box office weekend with $117.6 million. Still records were broken.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios' THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL

First Steps line up with the end of Thunderbolts* as the franchise builds to the release of the epic Avengers: Doomsday in December 2026? CinemaBlend's own Jeff McCobb recently broached that subject in an interview with director Matt Shakman during the Los Angeles press day for the new 2025 movie,

For viewers whose curiosity was sparked by The Fantastic Four: First Steps ’ deep dive into Marvel mythology, the good news is that these stories have been explored in even greater detail across thousands of comics.

Similar to how Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm went through a massive physical transformation after being subjected to cosmic rays during a space mission, Sue's giving birth to Franklin radically changed the mental and emotional structure of the core characters’ brains.

First Steps wastes no time diving into the team’s beginnings, and it does so with an exciting nod to the comics. The movie opens with a montage of their origin story and their very first showdown with Mole Man.