The MCU did not disappoint with its take on Marvel’s first family, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps managed to avoid a fate that doomed other adaptations. With how high the fan anticipation was for the arrival of the Fantastic Four, it’s a relief that Marvel didn’t fumble their MCU debut. One specific creative decision was all the film needed to shine.

Marvel fans have had their fair share of live-action adaptations of the Fantastic Four, but none have been quite satisfactory. Tim Story’s 2005 adaptation was entertaining but mediocre, and the 2015 film was even more negatively received. The MCU’s take was the breath of fresh air that the family needed, and it’s because of the direction of the story.

Marvel’s Previous Fantastic Four Movies Overly Focused On Their Origin Story

Both 2005 and 2015’s Fantastic Four films open with the family’s origin story. In both live-action adaptations, the audience starts following Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben before they get their powers. When they finally do recognize their new abilities, both films spend a good chunk of time showing how the family adapts.

There’s nothing wrong with showing the Fantastic Four’s origin story. After all, it is a staple of the superhero genre. Especially when a story involves a regular human becoming a superhero, audiences usually like to see what went down for their lives to change. However, both the 2005 and 2015 Fantastic Four films put arguably too much emphasis on the origin story.

It already takes a decent amount of time for the Fantastic Four’s origin story to unravel. Once they return from space, they then have to learn how to use their powers. By the time each member is fully comfortable with themselves, there’s barely any runtime left dedicated to their full-fledged lives as superheroes.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Focuses Very Little On The Team’s Origin Story

It was incredibly smart of Matt Shakman to take a risk with The Fantastic Four: First Steps and omit their origin story. Instead of their origin story fully playing out on-screen, the film opens with a montage that summarizes the space trip that gave them their powers. When the story actually starts, the Fantastic Four are already four years into their superhero careers.

Some fans may have wanted to see the MCU’s specific take on the Fantastic Four’s origin story, but it was the right move not to. At this point, even general audiences are pretty familiar with how the Fantastic Four came to be. The montage summary had more than enough context and worked well with the television program angle that they took.

Perhaps the MCU’s Fantastic Four film was able to omit the family’s origin story because the past two live-action adaptations familiarized the public with their beginnings. Even without prior knowledge though, The Fantastic Four: First Steps focuses less on how the family got started and more on what their dynamic is like in the present moment.