Summary
Marvel Studioshas done a very good job of keeping the most pertinent details ofThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsunder wraps. However… With a project that big, something is bound to slip. And it looks like something almost did.
The Fantastic Four: First Stepsis one of three Marvel films coming out next year, the others beingThunderbolts*andCaptain America: Brave New World. It is arguably the most anticipated of the bunch, although fans generally seem to have more confident in the MCU’s next phase than in the last few years. Maybe audiences are finally getting over their ‘superhero fatigue’. However, we know a whole lot more about the other two impending releases, as nearly all the major details aboutTheFantastic Four: First Stepsare being kept tightly under wraps. Marvel is clearly taking it more seriously than previous movies, asfew set photos have escapedeither. The most notable are a photo of Joseph Quinn’s Johnny Storm and a video showing us what Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s ‘The Thing’ will look like. They seem to have learned from their (very few) mistakes, though.
Just before the latest Fantastic Four movie wrapped last weekend,a video was posted to Xshowing a crew member running with an unidentifiable member of the cast and making sure they were covered. The person seems to be a man wearing everyday clothes, but nothing else can really be discerned. Naturally, the internet has gone crazy since. Fans have been throwing out theories left and right, some of them seeming more plausible than others. Many have guessed that it’s Robert Downey Jr., making his return to the MCU asVictor von Doom (AKA Dr. Doom). Others have tossed Loki’s name into the mix, citing the fact that actor Tom Hiddleston was recently in Spain– where the production finished the last bit of filming– and outfit similarities. A surprising number of people also seem to think it’s Chris Evans, who got his start in the Marvel universe as Johnny Storm back in 2005. This one feels unlikely, considering Evans’s cameo as the Human Torch inDeadpool and Wolverinejust this year. However, we can’t really rule anything out. This is Marvel, after all.
Adding to the mystery, on the day filming officially endeda photo of Pedro Pascal surfaced on X. It seems to be from the wrap party, which usually wouldn’t be too significant as actors often post pictures celebrating the end of filming after a long shoot. However, the covered face of the second person– and the crown on their head– in the photo further hints at an exciting cameo we’re not supposed to know about yet. It’s not certain as of now if the two things are related, even if it definitely feels like they are. There could be a simple explanation people are overlooking. For instance, it’s entirely possible that it was the costume they wanted to keep secret and not the person, as some have already pointed out. But for now, people will only have their theories.And there are plenty!
It’s admirable that Marvel has been able to hold all this stuff so close to the vest for so long.Leakers seem to be a growing population, and they are a savvy bunch. One thing that wasn’t able to stay hidden for long was the teaser they showed fans at this year’s San Diego Comic Con, which was leaked online soon after. But all in all, they’ve done a solid job of keeping their secrets to themselves for now. Unless something major happens between now and next year, fans will likely have to wait until July to know who Marvel is working so hard to keep as a surprise.
