Opinions are the author’s alone and not endorsed by 2 NEWS and/or Nexstar Media Group. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — The Fantastic Four have officially debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, opening the door to more cosmic adventures and a saga against Marvel Studios next big bad Dr.

First Steps had a solid hold on Monday with a fantastic $10.4 million haul, and that bodes well for the coming week. Matt Shakman, meanwhile, has weighed in on Thunderbolts*'s stinger.

First Steps is coming in lighter than projections in its first box office weekend with $117.6 million. Still records were broken.

Through news headlines, mug shots, and reels, we see flashes of classic Fantastic Four comic book villains like Red Ghost (John Malkovich) and his team of Super-Apes (who once played a larger role in the film before being cut for time), Mad Thinker, and Puppet Master.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios' THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL

After a number of false starts, the Fantastic Four have another feature adaptation in the retro-pastiche Fantastic Four: First Steps. This isn’t the first time Mr. Fantastic and co. have appeared onscreen; They were last seen in Josh Trank’s Fantastic 4 (stylized as Fant4stic) and Tim Story’s Fantastic Four films for Fox.

Given how much attention is on the Richards & Co, I thought I would revisit director Tim Story’s Fantastic Four for the first time since I was about 12 years old, and I can cert