As another of Marvel's resident comic supergeniuses, it already appears that Mister Fantastic's own story will mirror Iron Man's in some senses, even if the closest it seems we'll get to having the two on-screen is Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards meeting Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom. That said, it's one other story parallel that is perhaps the most interesting when it comes to comparing Iron Man and the Fantastic Four's own impending arcs, with their MCU movie debut looking to use one plotline that ended abruptly for the MCU's Tony Stark.
Iron Man's Avengers: Endgame Death Cut One Of His Most Interesting MCU Storylines Short
Throughout the 11-year-long period between 2008's original Iron Man movie and Tony Stark's dramatic sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame, it's safe to say the MCU hero had his fair share of storylines in the franchise's film roster - to the point that the MCU even saw criticism for giving Stark as focal a role in Spider-Man's own story and appearances, with some feeling he took the spotlight way from the web-slinger. However, some of Iron Man's storylines were ultimately cut short in the MCU timeline due to his ing in Avengers: Endgame, which naturally drastically changed his overarching arc and legacy.
One of the most crucial of these is that of Iron Man's newfound parenthood, with Avengers: Endgame also being the movie where we're introduced to his daughter, Morgan Stark, whose existence both further explains why Tony decides to sacrifice himself to deal with Thanos and protect his family and their homeworld, and makes Iron Man's death all the more tragic. While Tony is shown basically in retirement living with Pepper and Morgan when the narrative returns to him, he's also still working on Iron Man tech, building the Rescue suit as an anniversary gift for his wife.
Seeing Iron Man have to deal with balancing the responsibilities he feels as a father and husband with the responsibilities he feels as a superhero who is one of the few that can hope to help undo the countless lives lost in the Snap and defeat Thanos is one of the most interesting parts of his personal arc, and the concept of Stark working on finding a way to make this balance work did raise the possibilities of him surviving the film and continuing down this path. However, this isn't what came to , with Iron Man's death instead leaving audiences wondering about what could have been.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Gives The MCU Another Chance To Fully Explore This Kind Of Story
The MCU's Fantastic Four story and arc appears to flip this aspect of Iron Man's own on its head - as The Fantastic Four: First Steps debuts the team and introduces Sue Storm and Reed Richards' child in this same film, which looks to be set to go quite differently to introducing a hero's child in the same chapter said protagonist's own death comes in, as was the case with Iron Man's story. In the same way Iron Man has to balance being a father and a hero, both Sue and Reed are set to have to balance the demands of these two parts of their lives, too.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be debuting 6 years after Iron Man's death in Avengers: Endgame.
Indeed, The Fantastic Four: First Steps looks set to be able to focus on this aspect of its story far more than the MCU was able to with Avengers: Endgame. Since First Steps doesn't have to balance quite the same number of characters, and since the narrative is naturally focused more on the team and their story as a family - which a newborn is sure to drastically change - there's plenty more room to focus in directly on this familial story, and what it means for every character involved in it.
While it's not totally clear how much we'll get to see of Reed and Sue's child yet - or whether the baby is definitely Omega-level mutant Franklin Richards - the fact that the baby's birth happening in the movie was hidden until the newest trailer suggests said child could play a key role in the story. With the Fantastic Four's Earth being placed in peril by the threat of Galactus in this movie story, seeing the team decide how to go forward while also factoring in this new part of the family should prove fascinating, and provide a complicated scenario for them to face up against too.
Either way, future releases featuring the Fantastic Four are sure to be more interesting with the added context that Marvel's First Family also has its newest member to think about. In fact, the complications of balancing parenthood and heroics are all the more interesting given the fact that all the family are heroes, as it puts more pressure on them to make sure they all come out unscathed, and creates a unique scenario wherein they may be forced to bring their child into scenarios they otherwise wouldn't - though if said child is indeed Franklin Richards, he should be pretty safe whatever happens thanks to his powers.
The Fantastic Four Getting A Long-Term MCU Story Opens Up Plenty Of Unique Story Paths
The prospect of Franklin Richards debuting in the MCU is a naturally huge one, as the young hero's ability to change the nature of reality could prove to be integral to the story of the last chapters of the Multiverse Saga. The premise of a family who already have relatively powerful abilities themselves having to work out how to handle not only raising a superpowered child, but a child with powers that are wildly more powerful than their own is a fascinating story concept, and one that the MCU could use for both its characteristic comedy and some dramatic moments.
This also opens the door for Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman's second child, Valeria - if the MCU doesn't decide to use her time-traveling comic story to swap the order her and Franklin appear in the movie timeline to begin with - which would be especially well-timed while her comic "uncle", Doctor Doom, is also playing a prominent role in the franchise. Altogether, the unusual family setup that the Fantastic Four has provides a lot of different directions that their story could be taken in, and all of them look as though they could be promising for the MCU to explore in and after The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
- July 25, 2025
- Runtime
- 130 Minutes
- Director
- Matt Shakman
- Writers
- Jeff Kaplan, Josh Friedman, Ian Springer, Eric Pearson, Stan Lee
- Producers
- Jamie Christopher, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Tim Lewis
Cast
Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic
Vanessa KirbySue Storm / The Invisible Woman
Johnny Storm / Human Torch
Ebon Moss-BachrachBen Grimm / The Thing
- Franchise(s)
- Marvel Cinematic Universe
