A new international teaser for The Fantastic Four: First Steps sets the stage for an epic showdown between the titular superhero team and the villain Galactus. The footage establishes how the Devourer of Worlds arrives to Earth in the alternate reality of Earth-828, as he’s seemingly drawn to the planet thanks to scientific work performed by Reed Richards. The Silver Surfer can be seen sharing a warning: “Your time is short, Galactus advances.” The rest of the spot largely consists of the Fantastic Four gearing up to save their home, with The Thing believing the group is more than up to the task.
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The trailer boasts a fittingly somber tone for a story about an entire planet facing annihilation and the difficult choices heroes have to make in an effort to defend the people they love. You can check it out in the space below, courtesy the X account Cosmic Marvel:
We now know that part of the reasoning why Galactus comes to Earth is so he can take young Franklin Richards for himself. In the comics, Franklin is one of Marvel’s most powerful characters and has the ability to create pocket universes populated by worlds. Galactus evidently wants Franklin to create a never-ending string of planets for him to consume, but the Fantastic Four aren’t willing to part ways with the baby. It’s a compelling setup for what could be a dramatic arc for Reed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The threat of Galactus has been a constant component of the Fantastic Four: First Steps marketing campaign dating back to the first teaser that came out in February. Interestingly, Marvel has made the decision to largely hide Galactus in officially released footage, instead giving fans a better look at his comics-accurate appearance in other materials such as collectible figures and popcorn buckets. This strategy allows the studio to save Ralph Ineson’s performance for the film’s premiere while also hyping the villain’s role.
Galactus has the potential to be one of the most memorable villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ineson has made the cast that Galactus isn’t “evil” in the traditional sense, which is somewhat true. He travels in search of worlds to devour so he can continue to live, so as long as the character is compellingly written, he can be a well-rounded and tragic antagonist who’s capable of doing some horrific things. A popular fan theory posits that Galactus is successful in destroying Earth from Earth-828, which is how and why the Fantastic Four end up in Earth-616 for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Marvel isn’t afraid to let the villain win (see: Thanos in Infinity War), so anything is possible with Galactus.
After the substantial disappointment of Galactus in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (which infamously reimagined the villain as a cloud), it’s exciting that we’re finally getting something much more faithful to the source material. Kevin Feige has envisioned The Fantastic Four: First Steps as an opportunity to finally do these classic characters justice after two previously failed attempts at film series. By all accounts, First Steps looks to be the Fantastic Four film fans have long been waiting for.
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