How The Fantastic Four Get Their Powers (& How The Trailer Secretly Set It Up)

The first teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps has given audiences a glimpse at the тιтular team’s powers in the MCU for the first time. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is one of the most highly-anticipated upcoming projects in the MCU’s Phase 5, as Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach will reinvent Marvel’s First Family after a series of disappointing live-action adaptations. They’ve now been seen in action in The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ first trailer, which put their incredible abilities on display.

Seeing the Fantastic Four finally come to life in the first teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps is hugely exciting, especially since audiences don’t have long to wait until the movie’s actual premiere this July. One of the most interesting aspects of the team’s debut, however, is the origin of their superpowers. While Marvel boss Kevin Feige previously stated that The Fantastic Four: First Steps won’t be an origin story, it seems the cause of their powers will be seen, which appears to be staying faithful to the team’s Marvel Comics backstory.

The Fantastic Four’s Comics Origin Explained

The Fantastic Four First Appeared In Marvel Comics In 1961’s The Fantastic Four #1

The Fantastic Four’s origin story was explored in their very first Marvel Comics appearance in 1961’s The Fantastic Four #1. In the comics, scientist Reed Richards, sister and brother Sue and Johnny Storm, and pilot Ben Grimm sneak aboard a space shuttle in an effort to beat the Communists in the Space Race. In space, the foursome is bombarded with cosmic rays and, upon landing back on Earth, find themselves transformed, both physically and with remarkable new abilities. They use these powers to become the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four.

Reed Richards’ Mister Fantastic Has Plasticity-Based Powers

After their journey to space, Reed Richards, the Smartest Man Alive, gains plasticity-based powers. This means his body is able to stretch incredible distances, he is able to absorb any impact as his flesh has increased in density, and he can change the shape and form of his body. Aside from his unmatched intellect, Reed Richards’ physical skill and martial arts skills make him a formidable leader for the Fantastic Four team.

Sue Storm’s Invisible Woman Has Invisibility & Forcefield-Projection Powers

Sue Storm, Reed Richards’ love interest and Johnny Storm’s sister, becomes the Invisible Woman after gaining the power of invisibility. She is able to do this by manipulating light fields, and this also allows her to project forcefields from her hands, which come in handy many times in battle. Sue Storm can also render objects outside her own body invisible, and create shockwaves using her light-based powers.

Johnny Storm’s Human Torch Can Harness Fire To Fly

Johnny Storm, Sue Storm’s younger brother, becomes the Human Torch when given the ability of pyrogenesis. This means that Johnny can create fire from inside his body, converting energy into flames, and he can use the thrust of this energy to enable flight. He can shape the form of this fire at will, allowing him to create streams, spheres and even sky-writing. These powers reflect Johnny Storm’s daredevil and adrenaline-junkie nature.

Ben Grimm’s Thing Transforms Into A Being Of Living Rock

Ben Grimm has the most visible side effect to cosmic ray exposure, as his entire body is transformed into a rock-like material. While this leads to him having the hardest time adjusting to his new powers, the Thing subsequently has superhuman strength, durability and an agelessness and regenerative healing factor that renders him practically immortal. Ben Grimm is also an incredibly gifted pilot and has incredible speed and agility.

How The Fantastic Four Trailer Hinted At The MCU’s First Family’s Origin Story

We Might See The Fantastic Four’s Origin Story In The MCU


Fantastic Four before being transformed in The Fantastic Four First Steps trailer

Back in July 2022, Kevin Feige revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that The Fantastic Four: First Steps would not be an origin story for the тιтular team in the MCU. However, the first trailer for the Phase 6 movie provides a glimpse at the Fantastic Four both before and after their superhero transformations, suggesting First Steps will show at least snippets of the team’s origins. The featured rocket launch of their space shuttle, the Excelsior (named for Stan Lee), supports this idea, as viewers may see them travel to space and get bombarded with cosmic rays.

The movie’s first trailer seems to suggest that Marvel Studios will be adapting a comic-accurate origin story for the Fantastic Four in the MCU. 2005’s Fantastic Four stayed fairly true to the Marvel Comics story, while 2015’s reboot completely changed the Fantastic Four’s origins, so it’s great to see Marvel paying homage to the classic Marvel Comics tale in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. While Reed Richards’ plasticity powers are yet to be seen, the demonstration of the other team members’ powers has only raised excitement for the Phase 6 reboot.

Upcoming MCU Movies




  • Captain America- Brave New World - Poster

    Captain America: Brave New World

    Fantasy
    Adventure
    Action


    Release Date

    February 14, 2025








  • Thunderbolts (2025) Official Poster

    Thunderbolts*

    Not Yet Rated
    Adventure
    Action


    Release Date

    May 2, 2025








  • Fantastic Four 2025 Valentines Day Poster Featuring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn

    The Fantastic Four: First Steps

    Not Yet Rated
    Action
    Adventure
    Sci-Fi
    Superhero


    Release Date

    July 25, 2025








  • Avengers 5 Concept Poster

    Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

    Not Yet Rated










  • Spider-Man Homecoming Mondo Poster

    Spider-Man Homecoming 4

    Not Yet Rated
    Superhero
    Action
    Adventure


    Release Date

    July 24, 2026








  • Avengers: Secret Wars

    Not Yet Rated
    Superhero
    Action
    Adventure


    Release Date

    May 7, 2027





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