A Manhattan with a retrofuturist sensibility is among the intriguing visual aspects of the film. We talk with its designers to get the details.

First Steps marks the fourth attempt to translate the original comic book characters of Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ben Grimm/The Thing to the silver screen. This time, the action will take place in an alternate history/parallel universe set in the ’60s.

First Steps is making big strides at the box office as the latest MCU entry on the 2025 movie schedule (the last one for the year), and while I wouldn’t call it my favorite, it does get closer to something I’ve been clamoring for: smaller stories.