Despite the anticipation surrounding upcoming blockbusters like Marvel Studios' Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the year 2025 proved to be challenging for the cinematic powerhouse. Marvel released three movies, each of which faced commercial underperformance and failed to resonate strongly even with dedicated fans. The slate for the year included Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and concluded with the underwhelming theatrical run of The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps, despite being designed to surpass the box office success of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, fell short of expectations, grossing just over $520 million globally against a reported budget exceeding $200 million. This figure placed it below the earnings of films like Ant-Man and the Wasp, Thor: The Dark World, and even the original Iron Man from 2008. However, it did manage to outgross its 2025 predecessors; Thunderbolts* couldn't break the $400 million mark worldwide, and Captain America: Brave New World tapped out at just over $410 million globally.

While its theatrical run in July wasn't the breakout hit Marvel needed, The Fantastic Four: First Steps has found a new life on the Disney+ streaming service. Upon its recent release, the film instantly claimed the number one spot on the platform, both domestically and worldwide, displacing previous hits like The Book of Life and Zootopia.

Critically, The Fantastic Four: First Steps garnered positive reviews, holding a "certified fresh" 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics' consensus praised the film for "Benefitting from rock-solid cast chemistry and clad in appealingly retro 1960s design, this crack at The Fantastic Four does Marvel's First Family justice." The movie, directed by Matt Shakman (known for WandaVision), had a runtime of 115 minutes and was released on July 25, 2025, falling into the Science Fiction, Adventure, and Action genres. The writing credits included Jeff Kaplan, Josh Friedman, Ian Springer, Eric Pearson, Kat Wood, Jack Kirby, and Stan Lee, with Kevin Feige producing.

The film featured a notable cast, including Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm / Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Julia Garner, and Ralph Ineson. This iteration of The Fantastic Four, a key part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is set to return. The cast members will reprise their roles in the highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday, which is currently in production with the Russo Brothers at the helm. With the return of the Russos and even Robert Downey Jr., Avengers: Doomsday is seen as a crucial effort to restore Marvel's past glory.