Fantastic Four: First Steps Is Making a Historic Comics Move, Paving a New Road for MCU Lore to Grow
Before audiences sit down to enjoy Fantastic Four: First Steps on movie screens, Marvel will let fans meet the film"s heroes in a historic one-shot comic book adapted from within Fantastic Four"s universe. Created to be more than a normal tie-in story, this in-universe collaboration may signal the future of Marvel"s comic and film crossovers.
The new one-shot comic arrives before the movie, meaning Fantastic Four: First Steps #1 will actually be the world"s first opportunity to step into the film"s 1960s setting. But unlike previous movie tie-in comics, this comic is lifted from the Fantastic Four: First Steps reality, shattering the walls between Marvel movie canon and our own world. And based on the early comments, Marvel Comics knows just how historic this collaboration really is... opening a major opportunity to expand MCU canon going forward.
This Fantastic Four Comic is Unlike All Movie 'Tie-Ins' Before It The New Comic is A Total Break From Marvel's History of Movie Prequels![]()
Marvel has released several tie-in comics, prequels, or preludes to MCU movies in the past, with the existence of such comics rarely (if ever) recognized by the filmmakers, their plots rendered "non-canonical" if the actual movies ever change course. But it is no coincidence that in this case, artist Phil Noto"s cover for First Steps #1 clearly depicts the exact likenesses of Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach"s versions of Marvel"s first family.
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Related Fantastic Four's Best Member Makes the Rest of the Team Totally Irrelevant The Wonderful One merges the Fantastic Four’s powers into one incredible hero, making Marvel’s first family look a little less fantastic.
Posts As the official announcement itself makes clear, this First Steps comic is "the first-ever authorized retelling of the Fantastic Four"s early adventures," created by actually inviting the creative team to visit the film"s set, receive insights into the designs of the film, and create a comic that "would be available to buy in the reality that the team hails from." Not a comic based on the team in the movie, but a comic based on the team... within the movie"s world itself.
Further blurring the line between reality and movie canon, the comic is produced and published through a partnership between Reed Richards" own Future Foundation and Marvel Comics, arriving in both our universe and the 1960s MCU "just in time for the fourth anniversary of the Fantastic Four"s public debut to our world." Seemingly speaking through decades of fictional time, writer Matt Fraction says what we"re all thinking about this media-spanning crossover:
[indent] "It"s a story we all know by heart, but I think Magic Mark Buckingham and I have found a way to tell it as you"ve never heard or seen before — and who knows, this could be the start of something big!"
[/indent] In-Universe Comics Can Totally Change The Way We See MCU Heroes Expanding The MCU Into Marvel Comics is A Completely New Kind of Crossover![]()
Since Kevin Feige took over leadership of both Marvel Comics and movies, there has been anticipation of what changes, if any, would be made to unite the oddly disconnected media. Influence has surely been felt behind the scenes, but this is without question the most substantial and exciting effort to leverage both media in creating something new. A comic book pulled from within the world of an MCU movie, dramatizing its heroes is certainly an experiment. But it"s impossible to ignore the potential of Marvel movies feeding back into comic properties.
To be fair, it"s an opportunity that comic book movie fans have been screaming about for over a decade, as the MCU adapted iconic comic stories and scenes, wowed audiences around the globe, and made zero effort to drive any of them back to the comics. With Fantastic Four: First Steps, Marvel may actually be giving fans more than they asked for. By extending the fictional reality, not just the characters of the MCU into the comics, a new door has been opened.
![]()
We know Captain America warranted collectible trading cards during World War II, but how did the world perceive his defiance of Iron Man in Captain America: Civil War? Would Marvel"s Stark-approved comics paint the Thunderbolts as heroes, or villains to the MCU"s public? Could a comic depiction of Reed Richards hint at his dark future, seeing what movie audiences might miss?
Whatever these answers, Marvel Entertainment just showed how the questions can be asked to fans of both the movies and the comics, simultaneously.
Fantastic Four: First Steps #1 will be released on July 2, 2025 from Marvel Comics.
Source: Marvel
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Like Follow Followed The Fantastic Four: First Steps Not Yet Rated Adventure Sci-Fi Superhero Release Date July 25, 2025 Director Matt Shakman Writers Jeff Kaplan, Josh Friedman, Ian Springer, Eric Pearson, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee Producers Jamie Christopher, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Tim Lewis Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe Cast See All ![]()
Pedro Pascal Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic ![]()
Vanessa Kirby Sue Storm / The Invisible Woman ![]()
Joseph Quinn Johnny Storm / Human Torch ![]()
Ebon Moss-Bachrach Ben Grimm / The Thing
Powered by![]()
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The new one-shot comic arrives before the movie, meaning Fantastic Four: First Steps #1 will actually be the world"s first opportunity to step into the film"s 1960s setting. But unlike previous movie tie-in comics, this comic is lifted from the Fantastic Four: First Steps reality, shattering the walls between Marvel movie canon and our own world. And based on the early comments, Marvel Comics knows just how historic this collaboration really is... opening a major opportunity to expand MCU canon going forward.
This Fantastic Four Comic is Unlike All Movie 'Tie-Ins' Before It The New Comic is A Total Break From Marvel's History of Movie Prequels
Marvel has released several tie-in comics, prequels, or preludes to MCU movies in the past, with the existence of such comics rarely (if ever) recognized by the filmmakers, their plots rendered "non-canonical" if the actual movies ever change course. But it is no coincidence that in this case, artist Phil Noto"s cover for First Steps #1 clearly depicts the exact likenesses of Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach"s versions of Marvel"s first family.
Related Fantastic Four's Best Member Makes the Rest of the Team Totally Irrelevant The Wonderful One merges the Fantastic Four’s powers into one incredible hero, making Marvel’s first family look a little less fantastic.Posts As the official announcement itself makes clear, this First Steps comic is "the first-ever authorized retelling of the Fantastic Four"s early adventures," created by actually inviting the creative team to visit the film"s set, receive insights into the designs of the film, and create a comic that "would be available to buy in the reality that the team hails from." Not a comic based on the team in the movie, but a comic based on the team... within the movie"s world itself.
Further blurring the line between reality and movie canon, the comic is produced and published through a partnership between Reed Richards" own Future Foundation and Marvel Comics, arriving in both our universe and the 1960s MCU "just in time for the fourth anniversary of the Fantastic Four"s public debut to our world." Seemingly speaking through decades of fictional time, writer Matt Fraction says what we"re all thinking about this media-spanning crossover:
[indent] "It"s a story we all know by heart, but I think Magic Mark Buckingham and I have found a way to tell it as you"ve never heard or seen before — and who knows, this could be the start of something big!"
[/indent] In-Universe Comics Can Totally Change The Way We See MCU Heroes Expanding The MCU Into Marvel Comics is A Completely New Kind of Crossover
Since Kevin Feige took over leadership of both Marvel Comics and movies, there has been anticipation of what changes, if any, would be made to unite the oddly disconnected media. Influence has surely been felt behind the scenes, but this is without question the most substantial and exciting effort to leverage both media in creating something new. A comic book pulled from within the world of an MCU movie, dramatizing its heroes is certainly an experiment. But it"s impossible to ignore the potential of Marvel movies feeding back into comic properties.To be fair, it"s an opportunity that comic book movie fans have been screaming about for over a decade, as the MCU adapted iconic comic stories and scenes, wowed audiences around the globe, and made zero effort to drive any of them back to the comics. With Fantastic Four: First Steps, Marvel may actually be giving fans more than they asked for. By extending the fictional reality, not just the characters of the MCU into the comics, a new door has been opened.
We know Captain America warranted collectible trading cards during World War II, but how did the world perceive his defiance of Iron Man in Captain America: Civil War? Would Marvel"s Stark-approved comics paint the Thunderbolts as heroes, or villains to the MCU"s public? Could a comic depiction of Reed Richards hint at his dark future, seeing what movie audiences might miss?Whatever these answers, Marvel Entertainment just showed how the questions can be asked to fans of both the movies and the comics, simultaneously.
Fantastic Four: First Steps #1 will be released on July 2, 2025 from Marvel Comics.
Source: Marvel
Like Follow Followed The Fantastic Four: First Steps Not Yet Rated Adventure Sci-Fi Superhero Release Date July 25, 2025 Director Matt Shakman Writers Jeff Kaplan, Josh Friedman, Ian Springer, Eric Pearson, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee Producers Jamie Christopher, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Tim Lewis Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe Cast See All 
Pedro Pascal Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic 
Vanessa Kirby Sue Storm / The Invisible Woman 
Joseph Quinn Johnny Storm / Human Torch 
Ebon Moss-Bachrach Ben Grimm / The Thing Powered by
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