This iteration of the Fantastic Four has a standalone adventure without all the burden of the MCU's history and cast of characters.

During an early montage that fills in the backstory of the four years the Fantastic Four have been protecting the world, we see the team appear on various magazine covers heralding their exploits. One such cover is for a publication named Now Politics, with Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) pictured as a respected diplomat in the world of Earth-828.

The best thing about First Steps is the aesthetic. It’s far and away my favorite part of this film, and that’s a problem because as much as I do enjoy a solid retrofuturistic aesthetic, it’s not enough to make a mediocre movie worth watching. This is all style over substance.