Silver Surfer’s Debut and Vanessa Kirby’s Pregnant Superhero

(L-R): Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios' FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL. — MARVEL STUDIOS

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” at CinemaCon 2025

During the Marvel presentation to the annual convention in Las Vegas, division head Kevin Feige sent a video message from the set of “Avengers: Doomsday,” hyping up extended look at the market’s big introduction to the titular four.

Unfolding in retro-futuristic dimension of Earth, the story is led by Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach.

The Fantastic Four sees four astronauts remade into superheroes after exposure to cosmic rays in space.

Reed (Pascal) gains the ability to stretch his body to astonishing lengths. Reed’s main squeeze Sue (Kirby) has powers to become invisible and create force fields. Sue’s brother Johnny (Quinn) can turn his body into fire which gives him the ability to fly. And Ben (Moss-Bachrach), Reed’s best friend, has morphed into The Thing. That means giant, orange boulders for a body, giving him super strength and perpetually low self-esteem.

In the new trailer, we learn up top that Reed and Sue are expecting a baby, and get a nice shot of Kirby rocking a bump. This would mark the first time Marvel has featured a working mom superhero. In their timeline, the group of heroes are noted celebrities. They appear on talk shows and are subject to fawning thank you videos from children and firemen. It seems there’s nothing they can’t face, even the prospect of finding babysitters while saving the world.

“We will face this together,” Kirby reassures an anxious Pascal. “We will fight it together–as a family.”

Box office flops like “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “The Marvels” put the once infallible superhero machine into question.

This was particularly true in the case of the studio’s ability to weave humorous and emotional storytelling with action. The “slump” narrative is not without holes. “Guardians of the Galaxy 3,” released in 2023 performed well. Last summer’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” grossed $1.3 billion.

The studio’s television efforts like “Secret Invasion,” which serve as “bridge content” to keep interest in its films high, was not widely appreciated.

“Agatha All Along” and the two-season “Loki” series, however, were streaming hits and garnered awards attention.

Fantastic Four: First Steps–Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach

Silver Surfer’s Debut and Vanessa Kirby’s Pregnant Superhero

PROFESSOR / CRITIC / AUTHOR