Marvel’s First Family face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his herald, Silver Surfer.

At long last, and after excruciating anticipation, Marvel Studios presents the first official teaser for The Fantastic 4: First Steps.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world. The film follows Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.

The Fantastic 4 is one of the most iconic titles in the history of comicbooks. The first issue of the Marvel Comics title was cover-dated November 1961. It was the result of the combined creative efforts of Jack Kirby, who was the artist for the book, and Stan Lee, who was the title’s editor and co-scripter. It was through this title that the “Marvel method” of collaboration between artist and writer came to prominence.

The four main characters are:

• Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mister Fantastic, played by Pedro Pascal
• Susan “Sue” Storm-Richards, a.k.a. The Invisible Woman, played by Vanessa Kirby
• Johnny Storm, a.k.a. The Human Torch, played by Joseph Quinn
• Benn Grimm, a.k.a. The Thing, played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach

This isn’t quite the Fantastic Four we remember, though.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach, for example, is not quite as big in the suit as we expected, and as an acting choice, he has dispensed with the over-the-top gravelly voice brought to the role by one of his predecessors, Michael Chiklis.

The Herald of Galactus, the Silver Surfer, in this case is a woman, Shalla Bal. It’s an off-beat story choice, but this is canon. The original Surfer was Norrin Rad, of the planet Zenn-La. Shalla-Bal, in the comics, was the immortal Empress of Zenn-La and Norrin Rad’s lover, and for a while carried the mantle of Herald of Galactus in Norrin Rad’s place.

Then there’s Herbie the Robot, an inclusion in the 1980’s animated Fantastic Four because The Human Torch had been optioned out separately for a solo film that was never actually produced. This decision was made fun of in the add-on materials for The Incredibles, who added a rabbit to the cheaply made animated adventures of The Incredibles within their universe.

Beyond this, the story is set in the 1960’s in the era when the original book was released, so that moment in time becomes the backdrop for the events of the film.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps also stars Ralph Ineson as Galactus, the World Eater. The film is directed for Marvel Studios by Matt Shakman, from a script by Peter Cameron, Joseph Friedman and Jeff Kaplan. Kevin Feige serves as producer, and the motion picture score is being provided by Michael Gicacchino. It releases in Norway, France and Sweden on July 23, 2025, in Germany, Mexico, Singapore and Australia on July 24, and the rest of the world (including the United States) on July 25.