After watching the newest The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer, I’m convinced the MCU is giving Mister Fantastic a story Iron Man waited 7 years to get in his movie debut. While there’s still several months left until the film releases, the story of The Fantastic Four: First Steps has already started to be fleshed out for audiences via interviews and trailers. The most recent of these – April 17’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer – has thus far teased the most plot-wise for what is to come, including addressing the fact Sue Storm is pregnant in the MCU movie.

Given this and several other exciting teases, it seems the upcoming MCU movie could well be one of the franchise’s biggest and best yet, particularly when looking at the scope of the story, which even includes Marvel’s own Galactus as its suitably ominous villain. With that said, the way the latest trailer suggests Galactus’ story is tied to the Fantastic Four – and specifically Mister Fantastic – also suggests that this version of Reed Richards is about to experience a storyline Iron Man had almost a decade into his arc in the MCU timeline.

Avengers: Age Of Ultron Cemented The Risks Of Iron Man’s Scientific Experiments

The scientific endeavors of Iron Man were repeatedly shown to be vital to his ability to help protect and save the world, as evidenced most obviously with his suits of armor and their increasingly elaborate abilities and uses, but also with other creations like his work building the Nano Gauntlet – alongside Bruce Banner and Rocket – which would eventually undo Thanos’ Snap. However, the MCU also wasn’t afraid to show that Tony Stark’s scientific endeavors carried with them great risks, showing that while he’d left the weapons manufacturing business, his inventions could still hold lethal and unpredictable potential.

While this message first begins to be conveyed in Iron Man 3 – where Tony destroys a vast number of his own suits to show he’s not beholden to them – this is more concretely established in Avengers: Age Of Ultron. In the second Avengers movie, Tony’s desire to put a “suit of armor over the world” ends up with him creating Ultron alongside Bruce Banner after Stark convinces him. Unfortunately, Ultron’s directive of creating peace combined with the Mind Stone quickly leads the A.I to conclude that the most consistent way to ensure this is to wipe out humanity.

As such, not only does Ultron become a notable warning to Stark about how his desire to protect others can also result in new dangers for those exact same people, it also serves as a reminder about how his capacity to create incredible inventions carries with it incredible risks due to the experimental nature of much of this work, and the powerful abilities Stark’s inventions tend to have. This works effectively to humanize the super-scientist and flesh out much of his emotional journey, showing that his arc is much more complicated than simply making better and stronger Iron Man suits.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Trailer Has Already Teased Mister Fantastic’s Own Version Of Iron Man’s Ultron Story

The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ newest trailer teases that Mister Fantastic’s MCU movie debut essentially comes with his own version of Iron Man’s Ultron story, as Reed Richards comments in it that “It’s my fault. I stretched the bounds of space… and they heard.” This appears to reference Reed’s research, as he’s previously been shown writing what appeared to be equations that could relate to multiversal travel, given the wormhole bridge diagram seemingly detailed on this chalkboard, and given he even seems to be sat in front of a chalkboard with these calculations and diagrams when he delivers this line.

As such, much like Iron Man, it’s suggested that Mister Fantastic has built his own downfall in a way here due to not considering the prospective risks of his groundbreaking scientific research, as his attempts to tamper with seemingly reality itself appear to have been exactly what summoned Galactus and the Silver Surfer to the Fantastic Four’s Earth. This would explain what brings Galactus to this specific Earth in the movie’s story, and provide more personal stakes for the team, much like Iron Man’s scientific know-how creating Ultron made his role in the film more significant.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps also places Mister Fantastic in a similar position to Iron Man in the sense that it’s clear he’s a public hero who feels responsibility for protecting others, even being shown on mic stating “We will protect you” in the new trailer. With this in mind, it’ll be interesting to see whether Mister Fantastic’s arc reflects Iron Man’s in terms of how they deal with being public heroes who also brought some of Earth’s greatest threats to their doors.

Mister Fantastic Being Responsible For Galactus Attacking His World Makes The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Story Way More Interesting

While there are other prospective angles this story could take, building a connection between the film’s heroes and antagonist would make a lot of sense in terms of giving the grander stakes of the story a more personal tie. Seeing Reed Richards’ emotional reaction to the ramifications of his no doubt well-intentioned scientific endeavors would help audiences empathize with him and underline a human side to the genius much in the same way Ultron did for Tony Stark, and having the family be further motivated by their role in bringing Galactus to their Earth would also add further tension.

With Iron Man gone, it makes sense to have another character explore similar story ground in this sense too, particularly since the MCU’s most successful releases almost always explore heroes dealing with the challenges of their role, and with the mistakes they may have made on the way. Mister Fantastic’s vast intelligence is one of his greatest abilities, and balancing the immense usefulness of his intellect with a reminder of the potential downfalls and risks his scientific acumen presents can similarly help the character to feel three-dimensional in a way that will surely benefit the wider franchise.

Whether Galactus is successful in destroying this Earth or not, this approach could ensure the Fantastic Four are all the more interesting in Avengers: Doomsday as well. The angle would further encourage the team to be willing to stop at nothing to defend their universe if it’s still intact, or could otherwise see them serve as examples of how even powerful heroes can’t necessarily ensure the safety of their Earth or universe if one or both end up taking serious damage. Whatever the case, it’s a fascinating plot concept for The Fantastic Four: First Steps to explore in its story.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

  Release Date

  
  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday

  Release Date

  
  May 1, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

  Release Date

  
  July 31, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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