The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025): facing the comics

A film that closes this phase of the saga, First Steps finally adapts, within the greater Marvel universe, the first family of superheroes - the one who started it all in 1961. Under the direction of Matt Shakman, the film assumes a retrofuturistic aesthetic of the 1960s and confronts one of the greatest cosmic threats in comics. Source-by-source decryption.

As in each article in the series, only verified information (distribution, dates, numbers, creators) is stated; the comparative analysis is ours, without reproducing dialogue or protected images.

Fantastic Four #1 (1961): the comic that launched Marvel

The Fantastic Four are not a team like any other: their first appearance,Fantastic Four #1(1961), by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, marks the birth of the modern Marvel universe. It is this comic that inaugurates the formula that will make the publisher successful: superheroes with human problems, fallible and endearing. The concept is foundational: four explorers – Reed Richards, Sue Storm, his brother Johnny and Ben Grimm – are transformed by cosmic rays during a space flight, acquiring powers (elasticity, invisibility, fire, rock force) which reflect their personality. Above all, they are a family, with its tensions and love, which sets them apart from all previous teams. The film faithfully respects this essence: the family dynamic takes precedence over the action, faithful to what made the Fantastic Four “Marvel’s First Family”.

This family dimension, revolutionary in 1961, is the heart of the concept. The film makes this its priority, understanding that the interest of the Fantastic Four lies not in their powers but in their bonds — a father, a mother, a fiery brother and a friend with a monstrous appearance but a tender heart.

Fantastic Four #48-50 (1966): The Galactus Trilogy

The film adapts one of the absolute peaks of comics: the “Galactus Trilogy” (Fantastic Four #48-50, 1966), by Lee and Kirby, which introduces in the same breathGalactusand the Silver Surfer. Galactus is a titanic cosmic entity that feeds on the energy of entire planets, a threat on an unprecedented scale. The Silver Surfer, his herald, travels the universe to find worlds for him to devour — until, touched by Earth's humanity, he turns against his master. The film faithfully takes up this plot and its emblematic figures: Galactus the devourer of worlds, and the Surfer torn between his duty and his conscience. This story, considered one of the greatest in comics, gives the film its cosmic stakes and its moral dilemma.

The most notable freedom concerns the Silver Surfer, played in the film by a female version, Shalla-Bal — a character linked to the Surfer in the comics (she is his lost love). This rereading, which reassigns the role of herald, illustrates the film's desire to adapt the mythology while renewing it.

Retrofuturist aesthetics, a strong bias

The film's most striking choice is its setting: a retrofuturistic 1960s world, with its sleek rockets, robots and technological optimism. This bias, specific to the film, pays homage to the imagery of Jack Kirby, whose visionary designs of the 1960s mixed science fiction and modernism. By situating the Fantastic Four in a universe distinct from the main Earth of the saga, resembling a golden age of space conquest, the film rediscovers the spirit of adventure and wonder of the original comics. This assumed aesthetic clearly distinguishes the film from other productions in the saga, anchored in the present. It celebrates the roots of the Marvel universe, reconnecting with the style that saw it born.

This aesthetic choice is not just a vanity: it translates to the screen the vision of Kirby, whose influence on science fiction imagery goes far beyond comics. By embracing this retrofuturism, the film pays homage to the designer who, with Stan Lee, invented not only the Fantastic Four, but an entire visual language.

The characters, from paper to screen

• Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic)— The elastic genius, patriarch of the family.
• Sue Storm (Invisible Woman)— Invisibility and force fields, emotional pillar of the group.
• Johnny Storm (Human Torch)— The fiery younger brother, master of fire.
• Ben Grimm (the Thing)— The friend transformed into a stone colossus, with a tender heart.
• Galactus and the Silver Surfer— The cosmic threat and its herald, here a female version (Shalla-Bal).

The First Family, a return to Marvel's roots

Adapting the Fantastic Four means returning to the very source of the Marvel universe. The film is fully aware of this, by making family – and not superpowers – the heart of its story. This fidelity to the founding spirit of 1961 is essential: the Fantastic Four have always been less a team of superheroes than a family unit confronted with the extraordinary. Reed and Sue as parents, Johnny as an impetuous younger brother, Ben as a gruff uncle: this configuration, revolutionary at the time, defined the tone of the entire Marvel universe, that of deeply human heroes. By focusing on these connections, the film honors the legacies of Lee and Kirby and reminds us why the Fantastic Four hold a special place in comic book history.

This return to the sources has a strong symbolic significance: by finally integrating the First Family into the grand narrative of the saga, the film comes full circle, bringing the cinematic universe back to its comic book roots. The Fantastic Four, who started it all in 1961, thus join the universe that they, in a certain way, created.

Galactus, a threat beyond good and evil

Galactus is not a villain like the others. In the comics as in the film, he does not act out of malice but out of vital necessity: he must devour worlds to survive, like a natural phenomenon rather than a criminal. This dimension, imagined by Lee and Kirby in 1966, elevates the antagonist to the rank of cosmic force, indifferent to human notions of good and evil. The dilemma is not to defeat a tyrant, but to survive in the face of a power beyond us — and to convince its herald, the Silver Surfer, to choose humanity against his master. This philosophical breadth, rare for a superhero antagonist, makes the “Galactus Trilogy” one of the most ambitious stories in comics, and gives the film its metaphysical challenge.

By confronting such a threat, the Fantastic Four embody the fragility of humanity in the face of cosmic immensity – a theme dear to Kirby, whose visionary imagination never ceased to confront man with titanic forces. The film takes up this dizzying confrontation, where salvation does not come from power but from ingenuity and conviction. This is also what distinguishes the Fantastic Four: explorers, scientists, a family, opposing their humanity to the disproportionate scale of the universe. By bringing Galactus to the screen in all his grandeur, the film does justice to one of Lee and Kirby's most daring creations.

Where to start reading

To discover the Fantastic Four, the founding reading is of course Lee and Kirby's run, starting with Fantastic Four #1 (1961), and especially the “Galactus Trilogy” (#48-50, 1966), the duo's absolute peak. Modern runs, notably that of Jonathan Hickman (2009), have renewed the family with ambition. For the Silver Surfer, the series by Stan Lee and John Buscema sheds light on this philosophical character. From 1961 to today, this journey covers the sources of the comic that launched Marvel and one of its greatest cosmic stories.

Chronology of comics to know

• 1961— Fantastic Four #1: birth of the First Family and the modern Marvel Universe.
• 1966— Fantastic Four #48-50: the “Galactus Trilogy”, first appearance of Galactus and the Silver Surfer.
• 2009— run by Jonathan Hickman, ambitious rereading of the family.

Collection side: what numbers to aim for after the film

The Fantastic Four line up some of the most prestigious comics ever published.Fantastic Four #1(1961) is an absolute grail of the Silver Age, the comic that launched Marvel, the best copies of which reach heights reserved for the most fortunate collectors.Fantastic Four #48(first appearance of Galactus and the Silver Surfer) is another major key, one of the most sought after of the decade. These numbers are among the most prestigious investments on the market. For a more measured budget, the collections of the “Galactus Trilogy” and the Kirby run offer an ideal entry point. As always, condition and gradation determine value; relying on real recent sales is strongly recommended. Fantastic Four #48 is every cosmic collector's dream.

Its place in the saga and for the collector

First Steps finally integrates Marvel's First Family into the greater saga, a long-awaited event. For the collector, the film has reignited interest in Fantastic Four #1 and #48, two of the most prestigious issues of comics, as well as in Kirby's work in general. This film illustrates the power of cinema to rediscover the very foundations of the Marvel universe. Beyond speculation, it invites us to return to the sources, to this 1961 comic that started it all, and to the “Galactus Trilogy”, the peak of Lee and Kirby’s imagination. By bringing the Fantastic Four to the screen in a retrofuturistic aesthetic faithful to their time, the film pays a vibrant tribute to the creators who invented, with them, the entire Marvel universe.

The Verdict: Back to Marvel's Roots

• Loyalty:the family, the powers, Galactus, the Silver Surfer and the spirit of Kirby come from the comics.
• Freedoms:the retrofuturistic 1960s setting, a female Silver Surfer (Shalla-Bal), a distinct universe.
• Collectible numbers:Fantastic Four #1 (grail, birth of Marvel), Fantastic Four #48 (Galactus, Silver Surfer).

First Steps takes the cinematic universe back to its roots by adapting Marvel's First Family, in a retrofuturistic aesthetic true to Kirby. By focusing on family ties and taking on Galactus, the film honors the 1961 comic that started it all and one of its greatest cosmic tales. For reader and collector alike, it's an invitation to return to the very foundations of Marvel — and its most prestigious issues.

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