Get ready superfans! After years of waiting, some of Marvel’s most influential characters will be getting another crack at the spotlight with the Marvel Cinematic Universe’sTheFantastic Four. There have been more than a few film adaptations over the years, such as the 1994 Roger Corman creation, the 2005 film, and its 2007 sequel, and the totally beloved by all and definitely not universally maligned Fant4stic. Each adaptation has some high points, but fans have been anxiously awaiting a superior, comic-accurate adaptation of Marvel’s so-called “First Family”.
Now that Marvel can use the characters following Disney’s historical merger with 20th Century Studios, fans are eager to see how the MCU will take on the Four. Following an exciting announcement on Valentine’s Day 2024, we not only got an idea of what time period the film will take place in (potentially during the 1960s), but we now know who will be playing the titular heroes. The bad news is that John Krasinskiwill not be playing Mr. Fantastic, showing that his appearance as the character was just a cameo for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The good news is that the three gentlemen and one lady that Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four is going with is nothing to scoff at in any sense.
Fantastic Four (2025)
One of Marvel’s most iconic families makes it back to the big screen, the Fantastic Four.
Release Date July 25, 2025
Director Matt Shakman
Writers Josh Friedman , Jeff Kaplan , Stan Lee , Ian Springer
Pedro Pascal
Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic
Pedro Pascal, at least leave some lead roles for the rest of Hollywood. Pedro Pascal has gone on an incredible run in his career, even getting a phenomenal in with Disney thanks to his starring role in the smash-hit Star Wars show, The Mandalorian. Pascal is set to reprise the fan-favorite character of Din Djarin in the upcoming feature film, The Mandalorian & Grogu. Star Wars and Marvel aren’t the only frontiers that Pascal has tames, as he also starred as Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones, Whiskey in Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and Joel in The Last of Us.
An accomplished scientist and one of the greatest minds to ever live in the Marvel Universe, Reed Richards’ path to becoming a superhero didn’t start until he started attending Caltech for college. There, he met the love of his life, Sue Storm, his best friend in the world, Ben Grimm, and a lifelong rival, Victor Von Doom. Reed was fascinated with all aspects of scientific exploration but had a true passion for exploring the stars. Once out of college, Reed wanted to prove that anyone could travel through space, and upon developing a rocket ship, he recruited Sue, Ben, and Sue’s little brother Johnny Storm to test his theory. He succeeded, but during their inaugural space mission, all four of them were exposed to cosmic rays that would change their lives forever.
They were gifted with incredible and miraculous superpowers that dramatically changed their lives. For Reed, his body gained the ability to stretch and mold to extraordinary heights and distances. The other members were skeptical of their abilities, especially since the experience had dramatic physical effects on Ben. However, Reed inspired all of them so that they could be a benevolent force for good, and their superhero careers had then officially started. Since then, Reed and his family have been integral in just about every major event in the Marvel Universe.
Vanessa Kirby
Sue Storm / The Invisible Woman
Next up is Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, who, much like Pedro Pascal, has been having a fantastic last few years in her acting career. Recently, she starred as Princess Margaret in The Crown, Josephine Bonaparte in Napoleon, and The White Widow in the Mission: Impossible franchise.
Sue Storm met Reed when they were in college, and the two started dating not long after. When she joined Reed on their space mission, she received not one, but two distinct powers. The first, as her superhero alter-ego implies, allows Sue to turn herself invisible and can even turn other objects invisible on occasion. Sue is also capable of creating force fields and protective psionic barriers to shield her and her friends from harm. These powerful abilities arguably make Sue one of the most, if not the most, powerful members of the team. Even though they were constantly busy with their superhero careers, Sue and Reed still loved each other dearly. Eventually, the two got married and even had two children with Valeria and Franklin Richards.
Joseph Quinn
Johnny Storm / The Human Torch
Portraying Sue Storm’s cocky little brother is Joseph Quinn, who became an international sensation when he portrayed the wildly popular Stranger Things character, Eddie Munson.
The comic relief of the group and their youngest member, Johnny is always getting himself into trouble and has a pretty high opinion of himself. His occasionally hotheaded attitude is fitting, given that he would get powers related to that during the Four’s first space mission. Faster than you can say his famous catchphrase, “Flame On,” Johnny is able to cover his body in flames, control them at will, and even use them to create a self-propelled flight. This made wearing clothes a bit difficult, but luckily, his brother-in-law, Reed, was able to make Johnny a flame-retardant supersuit.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Ben Grimm / The Thing
Much like Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach is now a household name thanks to television, being one of the absolute best and most complex characters in the hit Hulu dramedy, The Bear. Moss-Bachrach also made an appearance in the first season of the Rogue One prequel series, Andor. Moss-Bachrach is also no stranger to the Marvel Universe, having played Micro in the first season of The Punisher.
Ben Grimm has one of the biggest hearts of the team, which is why what happens to him is even more heartbreaking. Most of the abilities that the Four get are all, forgive the pun, invisible, meaning that they still look like their everyday selves when they aren’t using their powers. Ben, however, went under a significant, permanent physical change, as his body and skin transformed to make it appear as if he were completely made of rocks. This understandably led to Ben’s life going through many hurdles, and while the process was long and unfortunate, Ben ultimately learned to accept his circumstances and embrace his persona as The Thing.
TBD
H.E.R.B.I.E.
Image via NBC
That covers the titular Fantastic Four, and unfortunately, we don’t yet know who the villain is going to be, be it the highly speculated Doctor Doom or someone else entirely. However, the Valentine’s Day poster for the film does reveal another ally of the Fantastic Four will appear in the MCU reboot. That character is the Robot companion H.E.R.B.I.E., who is essentially the Fantastic Four’s equivalent to Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) J.A.R.V.IS. (Paul Bettany). We don’t yet know who will be voicing H.E.R.B.I.E., but the character’s inclusion in the movie is yet another reason to be excited.
The Fantastic Four will flame on into theaters on Friday, July 25th, 2025.