Pedro Pascal’s ‘Fantastic Four’ Proves Marvel Can Still Learn From Its Past Mistakes

Marvel’s first family returns for a new adventure, and this time they will bring a new perspective. Fantastic Four: Getting Started hopes to breathe new life into a franchise that has not been well received in its previous film adaptations.

The Fantastic Four’s journey into cinema has been quite a bumpy one. The superhero group first appeared in 2005 with a sequel in 2007 and then a reboot in 2015, which has had more problems than the first two installments. But Marvel Studios is ready to give it another chance.

Fantastic Four: Getting Started Promises to explore the true family

The Fantastic Four aren’t just a team of superheroes, they’re also a family. The previous films failed to hit the mark in this crucial aspect and tried to focus more on the superpowers and superheroic aspects of the film rather than the complex relationships that are at the core of the story.

The tone of the previous films was generally humorous and sometimes overshadowed the emotional stakes of the characters’ relationships. Some individual characters also seemed underdeveloped, making their internal conflicts seem shallow. Aside from Reed and Sue’s romance, the other characters were not given the screen time necessary to build a proper emotional connection.

The 2015 version attempted to change the tone of the film by making it grittier. However, the characters’ origins were significantly changed in this film, which did not sit well with the audience. Also, studio interference and production issues played a role in the film’s failure. However, First steps Director Matt Shakman is determined to change that.

Shakman doesn’t shy away from the good and bad that comes with the family dynamics of Pedro Pascal’s superhero team. In an interview with Entertainment Weeklyhe said,

This is a married couple. These are siblings. These are best old friends. This is all the messiness that comes with a real family.

Fans are very hopeful about this new approach that Shakman is taking. Netizens applauded his vision and expressed their anticipation for the film online.

A dysfunctional family of superheroes.

It’s going to be gold, we all know it.

— Thorndyke (@thorndyk3_nft) July 28, 2024

Even the cast is equally excited about this new direction. Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who will play Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, was revealed at the Entertainment Weekly interview that has not seen the previous films and the team is trying to make their “one’s own and specific thing”.

In addition to the family dynamic, the film is set in a retro-futuristic 1960s era and will draw inspiration from the era of the space race. Shakman imagines the Fantastic Four team instead of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin exploring space.

The villains of Fantastic Four: Getting Started

Although there will be family drama, Fantastic Four: Getting Started There’s no skimping on the action. Ralph Ineson will appear in the film as Galactus, the fan-favorite planet-devouring cosmic entity.

Unlike the cloud-like entity of 2007, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver SurferIneson’s version will look more faithful to the comics. Fans already saw a sneak peek at Comic-Con that Galactus resembles the Celestials from Eternal.

But the biggest surprise came with the announcement of Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom. While it’s still unclear whether he’ll appear in Fantastic Four: Getting StartedHe’s being positioned in Kang’s (Jonathan Majors) place as the next big villain. Avengers: Judgement Day and Secret Wars.

In an interview with ColliderShakman revealed that he had known about Downey’s return for a while and couldn’t contain his excitement.

I’m a huge fan of Robert Downey Jr., of course, and there’s no one bigger than him. And I’ve heard about him for a while, and I had to keep it a secret for a while. But it’s really exciting! I kept it a secret.

Following comments from the cast and director, it seems that… Fantastic Four: Getting Started It will give a fresh take on Marvel’s first family, and fans are hoping that it will learn from past mistakes and focus on what makes these characters special in the first place.

Fantastic Four: Getting Started It is scheduled to be released on July 25, 2025.