By George & Josh Bate
CinemaCon 2025 offered Disney the perfect chance to preview their upcoming slate of heavy-hitting movies. Alongside Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps was part of the Marvel Studios’ portion of the presentation. As cast members like Pedro Pascal are currently in London shooting Avengers: Doomsday, none of Marvel’s original family were present at CinemaCon, although the audience was treated with a new trailer for the film. Keep reading for a comprehensive description of that footage.
The trailer begins on a talk-show called The Ted Gilbert Show, with Mark Gattiss (Sherlock, Game of Thrones) introducing the Fantastic Four. Gilbert provides a brief recap of how the four became superheroes, which seems to indicate that the film will largely skip over retreading the origin story of the team. Gilbert urges people of New York City to thank the Fantastic Four for what they’ve done. Several clips of firefighters, families, and schoolchildren were then presented, all thanking the Fantastic Four, all of which indicate that the Fantastic Four have been operating for some time prior to the events of First Steps.
The trailer then transitions to a Richards family dinner. Sue (played by Vanessa Kirby) and Reed (played by Pedro Pascal) arrive late, slightly annoying Johnny (played by Joseph Quinn). However, after a few moments, Johnny recognizes that his sister Sue is pregnant. He enthusiastically hugs Sue and then tells Reed he is out of his depth. This part of the trailer confirms a longstanding rumor that the film will introduce audiences to Franklin Richards, the child of Reed and Sue, who plays a key role in the comics.
The tone of the trailer then shifts as meteors shower down from the sky and Silver Surfer arrives. Yes, this trailer reveals our first look at Julia Garner as the Silver Surfer. The visual effects look pretty good and will likely look even better when the film hits theaters in July. Silver Surfer asks the Fantastic Four if they are protectors of Earth before telling them that they have been marked for death.
Reed then tells Sue that this is his fault, hinting that some of his research or experimentation may have opened the door to cosmic threats. “I stretched the bounds of space and they heard,” Reed troublingly says.
The same shot of Galactus from the first trailer was then presented, followed by a new shot that shows Galactus’ massive shadow hovering over New York City.
The Fantastic Four are then shown at some kind of press event or public hearing in which they are facing a barrage of questions. Someone asks the team if Earth is safe. A concerned Reed looks down before meekly replying, “I don’t know.”
Another shot of the Silver Surfer (this time surrounded by some kind of lava) is followed by a young girl running to pick up her action figure of The Thing from the ground as a massive boulder falls from the sky.
The trailer concludes as Reed says, “We will protect you.”
The footage from The Fantastic Four: First Steps was (aptly) fantastic. The alterante futuristic Tomorrowland-esque 1960s world is beautifully realized, while the stakes seem high. How this film, which clearly takes place in another universe, will connect to the main universe in which the MCU is set remains unclear. However, this trailer does confirm the existence of Franklin Richards and gives us our first look at the Silver Surfer.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25, 2025.