The Fantastic Four: First Steps is making big strides at the box office as the latest MCU entry on the 2025 movie schedule (the last one for the year), and while I wouldn’t call it my favorite, it does get closer to something I’ve been clamoring for: smaller stories.

"I'm sorry she didn't get a chance to see the finished movie," director Matt Shakman tells EW of the dedication to his late mother, Inez Shakman.

First Steps brings one of the comics' most powerful creations to the big screen. No, we're not talking about Mole Man.