Fantastic Four: First Steps Just Ends — And That’s Exactly What Marvel Needs
No MCU, multiverses, or tie-ins with Thunderbolts necessary.
With every new Marvel movie comes the demand for an “ending explained” to catch the viewer up on the dense lore and multiversal shenanigans the MCU is setting up for its next big crossover event, Avengers: Doomsday.
But, surprisingly, The Fantastic Four: First Steps sidesteps any need for a traditional Marvel ending explainer. That’s because, for once, an MCU movie just ends, which is exactly the kind of self-contained storytelling that Marvel has needed for a long time.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Fantastic Four: First Steps!
Fantastic Four: First Steps Ending Explained
Sue Storm uses her force field.
In case you need some guidance on what did happen at the end of Fantastic Four, here’s a little rundown. After attempting to negotiate with the planet-devouring cosmic entity Galactus to spare the Earth, the Fantastic Four are faced with an impossible choice: hand over Reed (Pedro Pascal) and Sue’s (Vanessa Kirby) baby Franklin to Galactus, or let the planet perish. Though Reed has run dozens of tests to make sure that Franklin doesn’t share the same DNA mutations as them, Galactus reveals Franklin’s true nature: “a being of infinite power” with the ability to absorb Galactus’ curse of eternal hunger and become his successor.
Horrified at the prospect of handing over their child, the Fantastic Four work to come up with an alternative plan. However, Reed inadvertently reveals Galactus’ terms to the public, who panic and demand that Sue give up her child so the Earth can be saved. But after Sue makes a rousing speech to a panicked mob outside the Baxter Building, Reed is struck with an idea: if Galactus is coming to Earth, they’ll move the Earth.
Johnny Storm mans the bridge device in Manhattan.
Working in tandem with nations across the globe, the Fantastic Four manage to get dozens of “bridges” — teleportation devices based on technology that Reed recently perfected — built across the world. But just when they’re about to power the bridges up, the Silver Surfer, Shalla-Bal (Julia Garner), arrives and destroys nearly half of them. Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) manages to appeal to Shalla-Bal’s guilt over the planets she’s helped annihilate and drive her away, but as Galactus inches closer to Earth, the Fantastic Four are out of options. That’s when Reed comes up with the riskiest solution of all: use Franklin as bait to draw Galactus into Manhattan, where they’ll use one of their remaining bridges to teleport Galactus to the other side of the universe.
It works, but at a cost. Galactus nearly escapes the portal, forcing Johnny to nobly attempt to sacrifice himself, before Shalla-Bal steps in to push Galactus through at the last minute. But pushing Galactus into the portal drained all of Sue’s power, and she dies. As Reed, Johnny, and Ben (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) mourn her, Reed places a crying Franklin on her chest. Suddenly, she comes back to life, having been revived by her baby.
A Fantastic Ending
Sue comes back to life, thanks to Franklin’s powers.
As Fantastic Four: First Steps wraps up its adventure in a cheery montage played on the Ted Gilbert Show, I found myself holding my breath for the inevitable plot twist that would send the Fantastic Four hurtling away from Earth-828 and into the MCU proper. I had seen Thunderbolts, after all, and knew that was the eventual fate for the Fantastic Four (or at least, for their ship). I thought for sure that Reed’s plan would be to teleport Earth into another dimension, not just across the universe. But that twist never came. Instead, I was rewarded with a sweet, hokey ending that tied up every thread.
The end sees the Fantastic Four, with Franklin in tow, set to make their TV debut as The Fantastic Five, only to be called away on some unknown mission — but not before they run into trouble with Franklin’s car seat. It’s a wholesome ending that fits the film’s corny retrofuturistic vibe. And better yet, it just ends.
Not since perhaps 2008’s Iron Man have we seen a Marvel movie so confident with just letting its story stand alone. And yes, outside of this ending, we know that a post-credits scene exists, and that we’ll see the Fantastic Four again in Avengers: Doomsday, but it was refreshing to have a movie not feel the need to lead into anything or make it feel like it’s “all connected.” For now, we just have this fun, slightly silly ending... until the credits roll.
