If The Fantastic Four: First Steps were the first Fantastic Four movie, it might look a lot different. As it stands, though, it’s actually the fourth movie based on Marvel’s first family, and according to its filmmakers, that made a big impact.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in a very extensive piece, the film’s director Matt Shakman spoke about how the decision to make the main villain Galactus (played by Ralph Ineson in a suit) was, in part, a result of the previous films not doing that. “Doom’s a great character, but he takes up a lot of air,” Shakman said. “Other film adaptations have done both an origin story and Doom. We’re doing neither, and that allows us to look at them from a fresh perspective.”
That instinct to go against the grain extends beyond just Galactus, though. While the previous films were largely modern-day takes, this one is set in the 1960s, an homage to the comic book origins of the characters. It also extends to certain characters. Johnny Storm, for example, previously played by Chris Evans and Michael B. Jordan, is often seen as something of a smooth-talking womanizer. Joseph Quinn, who plays the role this time, didn’t want to copy that.
“Myself and [Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] were speaking about previous iterations of him and where we are culturally,” Quinn said. “He was branded as this womanizing, devil-may-care guy, but is that sexy these days? I don’t think so. This version of Johnny is less callous with other people’s feelings, and hopefully there’s a self-awareness about what’s driving that attention-seeking behavior.”
Then, of course, there’s also the fact that this Fantastic Four is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which will see the characters carry over their story into at least one more movie, Avengers: Doomsday. There they will, almost certainly, show down with Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr. So, it’s not like Marvel Studios is totally ignoring the classic iterations of the Fantastic Four. It’s just looking at them in a new way.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens July 18. Head over to EW for much more, including new images.
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