Warning! This article contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.

Summary

• The Fantastic Four: First Steps movie faces increased pressure to succeed in the MCU.
• The casting process for the MCU’s Fantastic Four was controversial, with fan-favorite John Krasinski not returning after an MCU debut.
• Joseph Quinn, the most contested cast member, has a tough job measuring up to Chris Evans as Johnny Storm in the MCU, which is harder after Deadpool & Wolverine.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be one of the most important releases in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and despite already having a lot riding on it being successful, the movie has just got even more pressure added to it. At San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios released the new title of the movie,now called The Fantastic Four: First Steps, as well as the first footage from the Fantastic Four reboot, which was exclusive to attendees of the event. The footage showed a new look at the Fantastic Four’s cast as their characters.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ story will take place in the 1960s, with the movie being set in a retro-futuristic New York City. I’m very excited about the Fantastic Four reboot, as the team has a lot of potential to change the MCU for the better. That said, after the awful 2015 movie reboot attempt, as well as the Galactus cloud in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, it is clear that bad interpretations of the team are a thing. The MCU must not go wrong with the Fantastic Four, and the pressure to get it right has increased.

Chris Evans Returned As Johnny Storm In Deadpool & Wolverine

Fox Marvel Characters Were The Focus

Chris Evans has become famous in the MCU for playing Captain America, with his take on the character leading to one of the most popular roles in superhero movie history. However, years before first playing Steve Rogers, Evans starred as Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, in two Fantastic Four movies. I always loved Evans’ take on Johnny Storm, with the actor having the impeccable comedic timing that is needed for the hero. Thanks to the Multiverse Saga, Evans returned to the MCU as the Human Torch, not Captain America, as one of Deadpool & Wolverine‘s surprise characters.

Evans showed that he was the perfect casting for Johnny Storm all those years ago, with the MCU actor stealing every scene he was in. Evans’ Human Torch was hilarious, with the character’s R-rated rant in Deadpool & Wolverine‘s post-credits scene leading to one of the funniest moments in MCU history. While Evans’ Johnny Storm was killed by Cassandra Nova, I think it is safe to say that he made an impact, with the former Captain America actor once again showing the audience that he is the definitive casting for the Human Torch.

The Fantastic Four’s Casting Was A Long & Controversial Process

Marvel Didn’t Bring A Fan-Favorite Back

It took quite some time for Marvel Studios to announce the cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, so much so that the movie’s lineup managed to leak online a couple of months before it was officially revealed. The casting process for the MCU’s Fantastic Four was long and led to several casting rumors emerging. Among those rumors were major names like Emma Stone, Margot Robbie, Adam Driver, Jake Gyllenhaal, and more, with some said to have passed due to pay and others having scheduling issues. I was interested in some of the rumored names.

While James Gunn’s Superman reboot was releasing casting information left and right, Marvel remained tight-lipped on the Fantastic Four reboot, which was not the best. Adding to that, the fact that John Krasinski, who was the fan-favorite for Reed Richards and appeared as the hero in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, did not come back for the movie proved itself divisive. While I think Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn will do great as Johnny Storm, the actor’s casting was clearly the most contested among the Fantastic Four by fans, and Evans’ MCU return will only impact that further.

The Fantastic Four Reboot Now Has To Measure Up To The Team’s Best Non-MCU Casting

Joseph Quinn Has A Tough Job Ahead

While both past live-action Fantastic Four franchises have their fair share of issues, I wouldn’t say casting is one of them. There were some exciting choices, especially in the 2000s Fantastic Four movies, and I believe Chris Evans as Johnny Storm is easily the best of the bunch. With Evans back as the Human Torch in Deadpool & Wolverine and being one of the best parts of the movie despite not being in it for long, Joseph Quinn, who is the most contested casting of the MCU’s Fantastic Four, will have quite the task.

He has to measure up not only to the best live-action Fantastic Four casting, which was just re-confirmed a year before Quinn’s MCU debut, but an actor who is one of the most important parts of the MCU. That’s a hell of a thing to put on top of the pressure that The Fantastic Four: First Steps has to succeed, as the movie needs to be better than all Fantastic Four releases that came before it and escape the issues that multiple Multiverse Saga movies have faced. I think the movie could succeed, but it will have to be excellent.

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Marvel’s Fantastic Four is the first MCU movie to feature Marvel’s First Family in the same live-action universe as the Avengers. It introduces the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm, and precedes Phase 6’s Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars.

  Director

  Matt Shakman

  Release Date

  July 25, 2025

  Writers

  Josh Friedman , Jeff Kaplan , Ian Springer

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  Deadpool & Wolverine

  A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.

  Director

  Shawn Levy

  Release Date

  July 26, 2024

  Cast

  Ryan Reynolds , Hugh Jackman , Emma Corrin , Morena Baccarin , Rob Delaney , Leslie Uggams , Karan Soni , Matthew Macfadyen , Brianna Hildebrand , Shioli Kutsuna , Stefan Kapicic , Lewis Tan , Randal Reeder , Jennifer Garner , Aaron Stanford , Billy Clements , Ollie Palmer , Chris Hemsworth , Rob McElhenney

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