Pedro Pascal is the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, but he is not the new leader of the Avengers. At least that’s what the actor says… for now.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps strides into a whole new world within the MCU that's disconnected from any Marvel movie to date. As such, no homework is required to enjoy the film, and there's also "no Easter eggs" to look out for if director Matt Shakman is to be believed.

At the core of First Steps are Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Reed Richards, Sue and Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm. Each slips easily into their role like a customized astronaut suit, but special praise has to go to Kirby and Moss-Bacharach for giving the ensemble its real heart.

First Steps director Matt Shakman addresses a big Sue Storm moment in the movie's final act and reveals original plans for Franklin Richards' Marvel Cinematic Universe's introduction.

The upcoming film stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch.

First Steps, every frame pulses with clever callbacks, ranging from hidden comic-book nods and retro futurism to multiverse hints that tease future MCU col

Speaking of connections… During one of my recent fits of insomnia, I discovered a strange factoid that connects The Fantastic Four: First Steps with Saved by the Bell, at least an early version of the popular high school-centric sitcom many of us grew up watching. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since, and I have to talk it out.

In the vast and ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe, few characters have left as profound an emotional mark as Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch. From her introduction in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ to her full transformation into the multiverse-shaking Scarlet Witch in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’,

“He goes from being the nerdy scientist who’s locked away in the lab, to the husband and the father who’d do anything to protect his family, to the guy who’s leading the Avengers. I realized that the version we were building had to have all of those elements.”

During the end credits of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, there is also another tribute, simply reading "For Inez Shakman". Inez Shakman is the mother of director Matt Shakman. She sadly passed away on April 3, 2025 at the age of 80.