The Fantastic Four: First Steps Star Confirms What Sets It Apart From Other MCU Movies (And He’s Right)

The Fantastic Four: First Steps star Paul Walter Hauser explains how the film is different from other recent Marvel Cinematic Universe installments. During an appearance on Sam Roberts’ Show, the actor expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming movie, explaining why he thinks it will help Marvel rebound from the rough patches of the Multiverse Saga. According to Hauser, Fantastic Four‘s emphasis on family is what sets it apart, as that will allow audiences to establish a connection with the characters before they deal with dire, multiverse-threatening stakes. He emphasized that it’s important for viewers to “fall in love” with the heroes.

“This is a smart, chic Marvel movie that really focuses on family as part of the theme,” Hauser said. “And you really kind of fall in love with those characters, I think. And that’s what’s missing is sometimes if you don’t fall in love with these characters, and you keep putting them in peril, we don’t really care. You know, you gotta make us care first. And I think Marvel’s hopefully getting back to some of that, maybe.”

Debuting in theaters this July, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the long-awaited MCU reboot of Marvel’s First Family. The film stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the titular team. All four actors will reprise their roles in Avengers: Doomsday, as confirmed by Marvel’s viral casting announcement a week ago.

[RELATED – 3 Theories About How Fantastic Four Will Connect to Avengers: Doomsday]

The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives just a handful of months after Captain America: Brave New World underwhelmed critically and commercially. Earning mixed reviews, Brave New World was a box office disappointment for Marvel. As of this writing, it’s earned $409.6 million worldwide, making it one of the lowest-grossing MCU movies.

One of the reasons why Marvel reached phenomenal heights during the Infinity Saga is that the filmmakers always found a way to get audiences invested in the characters at the heart of the stories. Fans were enthralled by seeing Iron Man and Captain America save the world because they truly cared about Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. An argument can be made that the Multiverse Saga hasn’t been as successful because Marvel is now coming up short in this regard. Characters post-Endgame haven’t resonated as strongly as the Original Six Avengers. Some of that stems from extended gaps between appearances (Shang-Chi returns five years after his solo film in Avengers: Doomsday) but certain projects have received mixed reactions due to weak plotting that struggles to connect on an emotional level. And if viewers aren’t enamored with the characters, they aren’t going to fully care about the action happening on screen.

It would be great if The Fantastic Four: First Steps (and Thunderbolts* before it) could represent a return to form for Marvel. The MCU clearly has a lot riding on these summer releases, and if they fail to meet expectations, it could severely dampen enthusiasm for what’s meant to be an epic conclusion in Doomsday and Secret Wars. Fortunately, audiences seem to be onboard with this new iteration of the Fantastic Four. The film’s first teaser trailer amassed over 200 million views in its first 24 hours, making it one of the MCU’s biggest trailer launches. If the final film delivers those kinds of results, the franchise will be in great shape. It should be very entertaining to see the family dynamic play out amidst sci-fi craziness.