Director Matt Shakman’s upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps faces the same pressure that James Gunn’s Superman did in course-correcting DC’s performance on the big screen, but can the MCU truly be saved by Marvel’s First Family? Lately, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been floundering, which includes disappointing 2025 box office returns from Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*. Plus, several F4 film adaptations featuring Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm have failed miserably in the past. However, a brand-new video (below) teases that help is on the way thanks to the arrival of the super-powered Baby Franklin.
The MCU’s Fantastic Four is going to feature one of the most powerful beings ever born, Franklin Richards, and a new clip has dropped online teasing Baby Franklin possibly possessing superpowers in First Steps, which the fandom is excitedly sounding off about in the comments. In the footage, a news anchor poses “The question on everybody’s mind: ‘Will the baby be born with superpowers?'” @DanielSalas-f9o reacts by writing (below):
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“Oh… He IS gonna [be] born with superpowers 😅😅😅”
@milkiassamuel780 adds:
“Oh, you have no idea 🤯👀”
The new Fantastic Four: First Steps teaser begins with the same old footage that fans have seen before of The Thing, a.k.a. Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), in which he deduces that his friend Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby) is pregnant as Marvel’s First Family sits down for dinner. However, fans can now catch a glimpse of Sue kissing Baby Franklin at the end of the clip after the aforementioned newscaster has posed his life-changing question about the boy’s possible superpowers. In the comic books, Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) and Sue’s son is one of the most powerful heroes ever born, and the fandom couldn’t be more excited to see what Baby Franklin is going to do in First Steps.
@ScruffAnimations writes:
“Powers is a HUGE UNDERSTATEMENT!”
@sktanbir6250 responds by writing:
“Bro can create [a] multiverse 💀”
Baby Franklin’s Arrival Will Change the MCU
The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ early reactions have been promising, which isn’t a surprise given that Baby Franklin is finally being introduced along with Marvel’s First Family in the MCU. So, just how powerful is the young son of Reed Richards (Pascal) and Sue Storm (Kirby)? Well, his cosmic-level powers are off the charts, and the child has the ability to create pocket universes. In fact, Franklin Richards’ arrival opens the doors for some insanely cool possibilities to be pulled off on-screen, which the fans are theorizing about in the new video’s comments, too. @Zimmer2814 writes:
“Perhaps Baby Franklin’s powers are what transports them to the sacred timeline. If you look up the characters’ powers in the comics, it makes sense.”
@chaoticcaptain177 adds:
“Definitely not foreshadowing at all…”
The most likely possibility for Baby Franklin’s arrival is to draw the attention of Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. In the comic books, despite Franklin just being a child, his cosmic-level psionic powers attract Marvel supervillains from all corners of the multiverse to the young son of Mr. Fantastic and The Invisible Woman — and the fans couldn’t be more stoked.
@Anmolrajputfitness3470 suggests Victor von Doom’s reaction to Franklin’s debut by writing:
“Doom: ‘I’m Coming To Get You Kid 💀🔥'”
Thunderbolts* has already teased Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and the rest of The New Avengers observing The Fantastic Four’s ship flying through space. However, is the entire family on the craft, or have Reed and Sue sent Franklin off on his own — à la Superman escaping Krypton’s destruction — to keep the baby out of the hands of Doctor Doom? Fans will likely find out the answer when The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25. The story will then continue in Avengers: Doomsday, which lands in cinemas on Dec. 18, 2026.
Source: @Marvel (YouTube)
