“An inspiration from the mind of Jack Kirby”: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Julia Garner, Ralph Ineson, Matt Shakman and Kevin Feige on The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Bringing together its all-star cast MCU’s creatives to talk about the most important premiere for Marvel in 2025, the global press conference for The Fantastic Four: First Steps featured various insights from lead actors Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Julia Garner, Ralph Ineson, alongside director Matt Shakman, and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.
It is Pascal’s first entry as a leading hero based on the comic books, although not his first appearance in a superhero movie (he starred in the second instalment of Wonder Woman, playing one of the main foes). When asked about understanding his character, Reed Richards, Pascal said he is “a person who is so brilliant and so comfortable with science equations”, but still struggles to comprehend “how the world and beyond functions without really knowing how to understand the much more complex equation of relationships”.
As we pointed out in our review, Kirby becomes the heart and the core of the story about unity, family, reunions and sacrifices. She said that playing Sue was, in the end, “very daunting” due to her roles as both mother and a superhero. When choosing her favourite moment of the entire film, she said it’s the moment when Sue embraces being a mother, which feels like a landmark in the MCU.
The Bear star, Moss-Bachrach, mentioned that the cast has “hit it off from the very beginning”. It was also his first time trying to act through the use of CGI, which he found refreshing. Meanwhile, Quinn believes that “there is something quite aspirational about this Johnny”. “He’s a bit of a searcher, and he is looking for answers. All of these four characters are kind of sentenced to this idea of responsibility.”
Director Shakman spoke about his connection to the entire project. As he points out, “I have been their huge fan since I was a kid, so it was an honour to get to bring these characters to the MCU.” His approach and energy were similar to those he put into WandaVision. Yet, instead of focusing on sitcom realities, Shakman and his crew worked on creating “this incredibly authentic 1960s retro-future world that was a combination of Jack Kirby and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001”.
The Fantastic Four is also about its antagonists. Gardner said she wanted to respect fans while still going with the Silver Surfer’s new interpretation. Later, Ineson, who joins MCU as Galactus, a powerful destroyer of worlds, spoke about finding “the right voice” for his antagonist. He even described this process by saying, “It’s all about getting a growl and taking the words from the growl rather than forming the words in your mouth.”
Feige summed up Marvel’s one of the most ambitious projects as “an inspiration from the mind and imagination of Jack Kirby”, a man responsible for creating the beloved group. “Marvel wouldn’t exist without him, and this movie certainly wouldn’t exist [either]. [Fantastic Four] itself is all about the love and respect for Kirby, but there are also moments in this movie that are directly from his hand and tributes to him.”
Jan Tracz
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is released nationwide on 24th July 2025.
Watch the trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps here:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube
RSS