The time has come for comic-verse fanatics to rejoice. The prodigal son of the Marvel Universe, the Fantastic Four, is making its grand homecoming. Come July 2025, get ready to embark on a spectacular journey with The Fantastic Four: First Steps. And, no, the steps aren’t limited to a wistful family stroll but a full-blooded action flick.

The titular revelation occurred in San Diego’s comic fan paradise, the Comic-Con. Providing plot holiday confetti, Kevin Feige, and the creative team dropped an additional bombshell – Marvel is setting the movie in the vibrant 1960s in the Big Apple. So, fall in line, classic cinephiles, this one is a period piece.

Rocking the superhero movie stage, Director Matt Shakman confirmed the swinging sixties environment. Let’s fasten our seatbelts for a picture that’s less neon superhero and more Mad Men with mutant powers.

Before you start picturing ‘punching-in-the-name-of-love’ scenes, we have more significant headlines. Composer Michael Giacchino will be adding his musical charm to the superhero ensemble. Not a newbie to superhero soundtracks, the Emmy-worthy composer previously worked on the retro-vibing Incredibles (not to be mistaken, it’s Pixar hopping on the Fantastic Four bandwagon). But hey, no pressure Giacchino—only the Incredibles score to outdo.

Glimpses and Galactus

While capes and heroism seem fairly standard for a superhero flick, the SDCC fans were thrown a particularly galactic curveball—Galactus. Yes, you heard right, Marvel’s cosmic entity will be part of the movie, and attendees even got a sneak peek of him towering in glory. Let’s hope our city-destroying antagonist stays prevalent in the main movie and doesn’t go down the Silver Surfer route (blink and you’ll miss).

Before reminiscing about future threats, let’s glance at the past. There is nothing ‘fantastic’ about previous attempts to capture the quartet’s story. The Fantastic Four franchise has been a turbulent roller coaster ride consisting of three Fox flicks (more like mishaps), starting in 2005. The reboot in 2015, directed by Josh Trank, didn’t do any better (let’s be polite—disastrous results).

While this messy past might induce superhero PTSD, we at least have a stellar lineup to look forward to in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Mark your calendars, folks—for on July 25, 2025, we embark on a whole new Marvel-ous adventure.

Actors and Their Marvelous Missteps

While we await this new roster of superheroes, let’s take a leisurely stroll down memory lane. Some famous faces were given the golden opportunity to be immortalized in Marvel’s pantheon but declined the honor. Think about that the next time you’re agonizing over an extra slice of pizza or hitting the gym.