The Fantastic Four: First Steps paid tribute to three legends at both Marvel Studios and to director Matt Shakman personally. First Steps has finally kicked off Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, bringing audiences to a retro-futuristic, 1960s-inspired alternate universe to see Marvel’s First Family come to blows with the planet-eater Galactus and his herald, Shalla-Bal’s Silver Surfer. First Steps is a brilliant debut for the Fantastic Four in the MCU, especially since it pays tribute to the team’s Marvel Comics history. BE WARNED: This article contains major spoilers for The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
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At the end of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Sue Storm’s Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby) and Shalla-Bal (Julia Garner) successfully managed to throw Galactus (Ralph Ineson) into the teleportation portal, and Reed Richards’ Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) saved Franklin, who used the Power Cosmic to revive his mother. This incredible battle led to much-anticipated end-credits scenes, intermingled with tributes to three individuals: Jamie Christopher, Jack Kirby, and Inez Shakman. These people have an important place in Marvel’s, the Fantastic Four’s, and First Steps’ crew’s history.
Who Is Jamie Christopher?
The first individual who The Fantastic Four: First Steps is dedicated to is Jamie Christopher. Christopher was a British assistant director and film producer who got his start as a third-AD on 1992’s Alien 3, and he spent the next three decades working as a first or second-AD on all eight Harry Potter movies, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Resident Evil: Retribution, but he also has a lengthy history with Marvel Studios. He worked on Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Black Widow, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Jamie Christopher tragically passed away from heart complications on August 29, 2023, while working as a producer on Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps. “We are incredibly saddened by Jamie’s passing. He has been a part of the Marvel Studios team for over a decade,” Kevin Feige mentioned in a statement released shortly after. “He was a calm presence behind the camera, and a wonderful, supportive crew member on set… Jamie was a beloved member of our Marvel Studios family, and he will be dearly missed.” It was important that First Steps pay tribute to Jamie Christopher’s dedication and passion.
Fantastic Four’s Other Dedications Explained
Jamie Christopher wasn’t the only dedication at the end of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. In fact, director Matt Shakman also dedicated the movie – his second MCU instalment after 2021’s WandaVision – to his late mother, Inez Shakman. Inez Shakman passed away at 80 on April 3, 2025, only three months before First Steps’ release, so it was surely a point of pride and comfort for Matt Shakman to dedicate his MCU feature film debut to his mother. First Steps also paid a beautiful tribute to a Marvel Comics legend and co-creator of the Fantastic Four in 1961, Jack Kirby.
“If you look at my characters, you will find me. No matter what kind of character you create or assume, a little of yourself must remain there.” This Jack Kirby quote appeared at the end of The Fantastic Four: First Steps to underline the fact that there is a little of Kirby – and co-creator Stan Lee – in this iteration of the Fantastic Four. Kirby’s birthday of August 28, 1917, also contributed to the designation of First Steps’ alternate reality as Earth 828, paying a brilliant tribute to an original Marvel Comics (and Timely Comics before it) artist who created iconic characters including Captain America, Ant-Man, the Avengers, the Silver Surfer, the X-Men, and many, many more.
Have you seen The Fantastic Four: First Steps yet? What did you think? Let us know in the comments!
