The Marvel Cinematic Universe has returned to the big screen with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which puts the franchise in an intriguing position. As the second-to-last movie releasing before 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday, First Step introduces the Fantastic Four in Earth-828 and sets them up to converge with the Avengers, Thunderbolts/New Avengers, X-Men, and Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) in the upcoming movie. Fourteen released films and 15 Disney+ TV shows comprise the MCU’s slate from Phase 4 onward, introducing a multitude of compelling characters, forming new superhero teams, and generating exciting twists and turns. At the same time, the quality of the MCU’s recent projects has fluctuated, and the Multiverse Saga’s story has grown quite messy over the last four years.
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There are numerous reasons to look forward to what the MCU has in store after The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but fans should also be concerned about where things are headed.
6) Reason to Be Excited – The MCU Has Finally Introduced the Best Version of the Fantastic Four
After failed attempts to bring Marvel’s first family to life in 2005’s Fantastic Four, 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and 2015’s Fantastic Four, the MCU has finally delivered the best version of Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). The Fantastic Four: First Steps was among the MCU’s most anticipated projects since its official announcement in 2019, and it did not disappoint fans.
Bolstered by comic-accurate characterizations and layered acting performances, First Steps is easily the greatest Fantastic Four movie. The team’s family dynamic shines throughout their race to save their world and each other from Galactus (Ralph Ineson), while the film’s visuals and musical score also stand out. A rendition of the Fantastic Four that fans could really get behind was long overdue, and it’s exciting that they belong to the MCU. Limitless possibilities beyond Avengers: Doomsday have opened up for the iconic superhero family, and it will be fascinating to see how the franchise handles them.
5) Reason to Be Worried – Avengers: Doomsday Still Lacks Adequate Buildup
For the first time in history, the MCU approaches an Avengers movie without a solid foundation. The Multiverse Saga has certainly touched on alternate realities, incursions, and the like in Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Still, these bits and pieces don’t adequately preface a high-stakes character-stuffed event such as Doomsday. From its inception, the MCU’s Infinity Saga had a clear objective of culminating its story with the Avengers, Thanos (Josh Brolin), and the Infinity Stones, developing relevant plot threads and characters in solo movies, post-credits scenes, and smaller team-up films.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ mid-credits scene is all MCU fans have seen of Doctor Doom, and the complete lack of attention he has received before Doomsday is a major problem. It’s hard to believe Doomsday will have space to properly introduce its villain while following up on existing MCU characters’ storylines. Sam Wilson’s assembly of his Avengers team and its conflict with the New Avengers conflict likely won’t receive enough focus in Doomsday, as Doom, the Fantastic Four, and the Fox X-Men will take up a hefty amount of space. All of this, combined with Mystique actor Rebecca Romijn’s revelation that Doomsday is filming without a finished script, set up the movie to be an overstuffed mess. Perhaps Marvel and directors Joe and Anthony Russo can manage to generate another gem, but the odds are undoubtedly stacked against them.
4) Reason to Be Excited – So Many Characters are Returning Soon
The MCU’s Multiverse Saga has dispersed its heroes far and wide with only a few crossover stories. In the years since Avengers: Endgame, team-up movies and big events have grown rare, but that’s about to change. Months before scores of Marvel characters converge in Avengers: Doomsday, Spider-Man: Brand New Day will release as the MCU’s fourth Spider-Man solo film and first since 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. Fans are eager to find out what Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland) has been up to since the whole world forgot his identity and potentially learn how he’ll fit into Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
When Doomsday hits theaters, audiences will get to see Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) for the first time in over five years, and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Shuri/Black Panther (Letitia Wright) for the first time in more than four years. Beloved MCU characters like Sam Wilson/Captain America (Anthony Mackie) Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the Fantastic Four, the Thunderbolts/New Avengers, and presumably more are set to feature in the movie.
Despite Doomsday‘s crowded cast, the upcoming Avengers installment promises to bring back many of the MCU’s best post-Endgame characters in a huge way. A high-stakes story such as Doomsday is bound to produce thrilling and memorable interactions between characters, and fans should be thrilled to see what the MCU has in store for them.
3) Reason to Be Worried – The MCU Has Too Many Ongoing Storylines
While the MCU’s ongoing plot threads involving the multiverse will come to a head in Doomsday, there still exist quite a few storylines that may not make the cut before Phase 6 concludes. Phases 4 and 5 openly hinted at the Young Avengers by introducing heroes like Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), Riri Williams/Ironheart (Dominique Thorne), yet no concrete updates on a project have been made public. The Scarlet Witch’s (Elizabeth Olsen) “death” and Agatha All Along’s reveal of Billy Maximoff/Wiccan (Joe Locke) are other unresolved arcs that may not be addressed in Doomsday and Secret Wars. Moreover, a slew of post-credits scenes, such as Eternals’ Eros (Harry Styles) and Blade (Mahershala Ali) teases, and Thor: Love and Thunder‘s introduction of Hercules (Brett Goldstein) have led nowhere.
The MCU’s larger narrative lies in a current state of disarray, in part due to the last-minute pivot away from Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) as the Multiverse Saga’s big bad. Feige has made it known that the MCU won’t follow up on all recent post-credits scenes and story threads, but it’s still not clear what the plan is. The post-Secret Wars reset could clean things up in the MCU and pave a hopeful path forward, but the MCU still has a responsibility to tie up its existing narrative in a satisfying manner. Wrapping up the Multiverse Saga neatly and enjoyably is arguably Feige and co.’s biggest challenge yet.
2) Reason to Be Excited – The Multiverse Saga is Nearing Its End
It’s clear that the MCU is fast-tracking the end of the Multiverse Saga, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This chapter of MCU stories — comprised of Phases 4 through 7 — has struggled to forge the strong interconnectivity of the Infinity Saga and maintain critical and commercial success. But the MCU’s next era presents the perfect opportunity to right the ship. When Phase 7 kicks off after Secret Wars, the MCU will introduce an entirely new X-Men cast — something fans have been eagerly awaiting since Marvel and Disney acquired the film rights to the team in 2019. Additionally, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that a “reset” will follow the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga.
All of this means that the MCU can course-correct, regain a good rhythm, and effectively plan for the future in a way it failed to do in the wake of Avengers: Endgame. The positive reception to The Fantastic Four: First Steps as a reboot is an encouraging sign ahead of the MCU’s new X-Men film, and Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier appears an excellent choice to helm the project. Outside of mutants, the MCU’s next saga can fix the disorganized slate of the Multiverse Saga and truly revive the franchise’s glory.
1) Reason to Be Worried – The MCU’s Over-Reliance on Nostalgia Poses Problems
Unfortunately, the Multiverse Saga’s two highest box-office performers to date are movies saturated with nostalgia bait. Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool and Wolverine may have struck a chord with those enamored with old Spider-Man and X-Men movies; however, their storytelling value falls apart when not looking through those rose-colored glasses. Marvel’s desperate move of bringing back Downey Jr., the Russo brothers, and the Fox X-Men for Doomsday extinguished any hopes of the franchise taking a bold direction not driven by fan service and nostalgia.
The MCU’s over-reliance on familiar faces is a jarring deviation from the franchise’s early days, which wooed audiences because they were full of hope and a bright vision for an interconnected web of stories. Now that the novelty has worn off in the post-Endgame era, Marvel has lost its ability to adapt.
Amid the cameo-ridden cash grabs, exceptional movies such as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps have prevailed. One can only hope that the MCU focuses more on producing movies and shows that don’t cling to the past in Phase 7 and beyond, but the probable financial successes of Doomsday and Secret Wars could mean the MCU’s nostalgia-bait problem will continue.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now playing in theaters.
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