Spoiler Alert: This list contains spoilers for ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’.After a very dark period of time for the Marvel Cinematic Universe andMarvel Studioscollectively—projects being ripped apart (some deserved, others not)—2025 has surprisingly been a great year for the franchise. Many attribute this to the exit ofBob Chapekfrom Disney’s CEO position and the return ofBob Iger(the CEO from before things went downhill), while others think that the sheer amount of bad press the studio has gotten from audiences has pressured them into locking back in.
2025 has had some highly anticipated MCUprojects that turned out very well. FromThunderbolts*, toDaredevil: Born Again, to, most recently,The Fantastic Four: First Steps, things have been going well for them.Said recent success is not only part of a resurgence for the MCU, but for theFantastic Fourfranchise as a whole.It’s a great movie filled with some awesome moments that are epic, heartfelt, comedic, and everything the MCU has needed for quite some time now. What moments inThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsare the best, though? There are simply too many to choose from, but thankfully, some stand out among the rest.
10The Ending
After all is said and done inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps,the film ends on a super-fun note and spells out good things to come for Marvel’s first family. As they’re about to appear on Ted Gilbert’s (Mark Gatiss) show for the first time as a team with young Franklin Richards (Ada Scott), they’re once again called to arms and must race off to save the day again. However, this doesn’t immediately jump into an epic sequence, but takes a second to remind the viewers why people love this family so much.
As they’re trying to get into the action,the three boys of the family try to secure Franklin’s car seat in the Fantasticarand, despite their combined efforts, have a ridiculously hard time pulling it off. No matterhow smart Reed Richards(Pedro Pascal) may be, how cocky Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) may act, and how tough Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) may seem, they can’t seem to get this simple car seat in for the lives of them, and it’s hilarious.
9Doctor Doom’s Mid-Credits Debut
Being the second-to-last film to release before the upcomingAvengers: Doomsday, everyone knew thatThe Fantastic Four: First Stepswas definitely going to have a post-credits scene that hinted at what was to come in the upcoming crossover. This was made even more clear by their apparent appearance in thepost-credits scene inThunderbolts*earlier this year. With how connected this team has always been to the next huge antagonist for the MCU, and him being hinted at early in the movie whenthe representative for Latveria decides not to appear at Sue Storm’s (Vanessa Kirby) conference, people were hoping thatthe one and only Doctor Doom(Robert Downey Jr.) was going to make his debut here.
While Robert Downey Jr. doesn’t actually show his face, Doctor Doom does make his MCU debut at the very end ofThe Fantastic Four: First Stepswhen he approaches Franklin Richards with his mask off while Sue is in another room grabbing a book.This is not only cheer-worthy because, well, Doctor Doom, but also because the way the scene is executed makes it feel astoundingly frighteningand sets up whatever conflict is to come through him inAvengers: Doomsdaypretty much perfectly.
8Reed Richards Prepares for the Baby
If there’s one thing that’s true about Reed Richards in any form of media, it’s that he’s a guy who is consistently trying to be overprepared and goes over the top with his calculations and inventions (for the sake of the greater good). So, if one were to ever think that he wouldn’t go absolutely wild trying to prepare for his firstborn son, they’d be dead wrong. When the husband and wife reveal to Ben and Johnny that the baby is coming,it’s time to prep the Baxter Building for this newborn. Baby-proofing a house is complicated enough in real life as it is, but the entire Baxter Building is a whole other beast.
Thankfully, the four havethe ever-lovable H.E.R.B.I.E.to help out, and boy, does he do so in this sequence. H.E.R.B.I.E. rushes through the Baxter Building, baby-proofing absolutely everything, and while Reed works on more stuff, the little robot builds a high-tech crib for the incoming baby. It’s not just a comedic sequence, but it perfectly represents the anxiety and uncertainty that comes when a baby is on the way in any family.This is a perfect example of why The Fantastic Four are so lovable and relatable—they’re just like the viewers, regardless of their extraordinary capabilities.
7"He asked for too high a price."
Things seem to be going in a pretty simple, straightforward direction by this point in the film, as the Four begin to head into space to negotiate with Galactus (Ralph Ineson). Things go awry whenthe devourer of worlds claims he will spare Earth… in return for the unborn Franklin Richards. The family, of course, refuses to accept such a ridiculous offer that would end their firstborn son. With Galactus wanting to use the baby to replace him and give his hunger to him instead so he may be free, the team flees home… only to be met with the people of Earth, assuming that they defeated Galactus while in space.
The scene that follows—a press conference with the reporters of New York City—is nothing but dire. With the people assuming that they had defeated the antagonist and Ben and Johnny taking the lead to admit that they, in fact,did not stop the galactic threat, a sense of panic overwhelms the public. The scene takes its true turn, though, when Reed reveals that the reason Earth is still in danger is that they refused to give up Franklin. The civilians panic and demand to know why they would sacrifice an entire planet for one baby.It’s heartbreaking as the entire city turns on the team they’ve come to love so much, as they begin to believe that The Fantastic Four will not be saving them this time, especially thanks to Reed’s response to a man asking if they’re safe: “I don’t know”. You know things are bad if Reed Richards doesn’t know something.
6Sue Storm Reassures the City
After the city goes up in arms and basically turns against the first family, not understanding the Richards' reasoning for not sacrificing Franklin,Sue decides to approach the public and reassure them all. As a protective mother and family member, she takes it upon herself to explain their mindset. This one confrontation saves the reputation of the team and solidifies Sue’s role as the leading lady of this film. At the end of the day,The Fantastic Four:First Stepsis Sue Storm’s movie, and this scene is a perfect representation of why.
Her speech about pushing forward and promising to do everything in their powerto protect the Earth, as a family, is not only epic but moving, as well.Vanessa Kirby’s performancehere is phenomenal, and it’s one of her best in the film as a whole. It’s a showcase of how The Fantastic Four, as characters and people in their own world, can bring people together in ways other heroes cannot.
5"I herald… Galactus."
A story can’t have Galactus without his herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). Her introduction in this film is chilling and makes for the perfect debut of both this silver character and the idea that the hungry antagonist is coming. Her quote:“I herald his beginning. I herald your end. I herald… Galactus” is chillingand does a great job setting up what’s to come.
Gathering everyone in Times Square for this big reveal makes for a great spectacle moment and visually looks amazing. People were unsure about Shalla-Bal being the Silver Surfer of this movie, butthis scene begins to prove exactly why no one should have doubted her in the first place. She is a great adaptation of the Silver Surfer, and this helps prove it.
4The Final Battle
It all came down to this. The Fantastic Four take a huge risk by using Franklin as bait for Galactus, and attempt to lure him into a teleportation trap in hopes of sending him to another part of the universe, where it’ll take him lightyears to get back to them. As most things do, the plan goes awry, andit becomes a battle to push Galactus into the teleportation portal.
This is one of the strongest feats in the entire MCU’s history…
Sue Storm shows offhow immensely powerful she isby using all of her power and lifeforce to push the titanous being through multiple New York Cityblocks to get him into the trap.This is one of the strongest feats in the entire MCU’s history, and not to be sneezed at. It’s incredibly impressive and memorable. The other members also get some great moments as she holds off the big guy, and they rush to incapacitate him.
3The Opening Montage
The Fantastic Four: First Stepspicks up in a world where The Fantastic Four have been around for quite some time already. Using theTed Gilbert show’s throwback segment on the Four to showcase the first family’s lives up until this pointis a great idea on directorMatt Shakman’s part and offers some great moments to get people excited about the film to come.
Featuring their origin, them fighting villains like Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser), and the way they’ve gained the love of the world, this opening montage immediately shows audiences how muchMarvel Studios and Matt Shakman cared about providing a product that was true and faithful to The Fantastic Four’s comic book roots. It even goes as far as recreating the cover of the firstFantastic Four (1961)issue—one of their most iconic images.
2Galactus Makes His Grand Entrance
Much like The Fantastic Four themselves, Galactus hadnot been treated well in cinemabeforeThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsutilized him. Only ever really represented as a big ‘ol cloud inFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, fans were already excited to see a comic-accurate Galactus in this new iteration of the four. His first physical debut in the movie comes about whenthe heroes decide to jump into space and attempt to negotiate with the devourerbefore he reaches Earth.
The first true image of Galactus is one of the coolest comic book movie moments in years. The way his eyes ignite with purple light and reveal his true size is goosebump-inducing. Part of what makes thisclassic Marvel villainso cool in this movie overall is the fact that he is a physical actor in a suit, which helps scenes like this feel even better—more realistic and tangible to the audience.
1The Excelsior Chase
Immediately after they learn that Galactus wants Franklin Richards as his replacement as a sacrifice, the first family makes a break for Earth,only to be chased by the phenomenally fast Silver Surfer. In what is represented as an inevitable chase—the herald being seemingly unstoppable—the Four have to get creative and use the gravitational pull of a neutron star to not only trap Silver Surfer, but use it to slingshot themselves back towards Earth.
This genuinely isone of the most visually gorgeous sequences in a Marvel movie in a very long time. The sights of Silver Surfer surfing on the wormhole walls and the “ocean” of dust and space debris are stunning. Not only that, but the way she stretches as she’s sucked into the neutron star is chilling. All of this makes for one of thecoolest-looking sequencesin a Marvel movie in quite some time.
