After years on the sidelines, the Fantastic Four are finally taking their first steps into Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. It’s an exciting time for fans of Marvel’s First Family, though that anticipation has been muddled by speculation. The Fantastic Four: First Steps won’t be an origin story for the super-squad, nor will it make any attempt to fold the characters into Marvel’s main timeline. Instead, the Fantastic Four will begin their adventures in a parallel universe, and eventually make their way to Earth-616 in time for a big team-up in Avengers: Doomsday. That premise has left fans busy with theories about how Fantastic Four will bridge the gap to Doomsday, but it’s getting even harder to parse out the timeline with other mysteries in the mix.
Back when Marvel first unveiled the film’s title, many assumed “First Steps” was a reference to space travel. But as we got more info about Fantastic Four, speculation swirled about Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) and whether she could be pregnant. Marvel has since answered that theory in the affirmative: the “first steps” in question will likely be Franklin Richards’, and Sue’s first child with Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) may be much more important than anyone could have guessed.
The latest Fantastic Four trailer gives us our first look at young Franklin, confirming theories that Sue will give birth. It also aligns with a scene that Marvel screened at CCXP in Mexico City, which depicted the Fantastic Four fleeing a planet that might have been consumed by Galactus (Ralph Ineson), the planet-destroying entity who will have his sights set on Earth. They’re chased by Galactus’ herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), all while Sue goes into labor. It’s a far cry from previous teases — Marvel is no longer hiding Sue’s pregnancy or her child, but the introduction of both inevitably makes us question the timeline.
Fantastic Four is shaping up to tell a story much different from the one fans were expecting. Multiple trailers have given us glimpses of Sue at different stages of her pregnancy, from the moment she and Reed tell the team they’re having a baby to her delivery and beyond. Sue is pregnant when the Fantastic Four first encounter Shalla-Bal, but by the time Galactus arrives on Earth, she’s already given birth. That implies Fantastic Four will cover a generous stretch of time. Events that at first seemed like the film’s climax will likely take place much earlier, while Franklin and his reality-bending powers might play a bigger role in the story. At this stage, it’s hard to know what to expect, but at least Marvel is keeping us on our toes.
