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Marvel is hiding something in the Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer - Reed Richards' terrifying stretching powers
Marvel's First Family can't protect you from the body horror imagery of Mr. Fantastic's iconic powers
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The first trailer for Marvel Studios’ take on the Fantastic Four is here and it shows what Marvel’s First Family has always been about. The celebrity and grandeur. The tragedy of Ben Grimm’s rocky transformation. The importance of family. But one thing seems to be missing from the first trailer for Fantastic Four: First Steps and that is Mr. Fantastic’s iconic stretching powers.
The absence of seeing Pedro Pascal stretch his body in ways that defy logic is particularly jarring because everyone else’s powers are present and accounted for. Ben Grimm is already The Thing, complete with his rocky exterior and trench coat. We see Sue Storm creating her invisible forcefields. There is a great shot of Johnny Storm flaming on as he takes to the skies. So why don’t we see Reed Richards stretch his limbs to, dare we say, fantastic proportions?
If we are being generous, we can say it is because they want to leave us wanting more for the inevitable second and third trailers ahead of the Fantastic Four: First Steps release date in July. However, the most likely reason is that, as we found with Netflix’s One Piece series, stretching powers are terrifying in live-action. It is incredibly difficult to do it believably and without making everyone feel uncomfortable. The last thing that Marvel wants is another M.O.D.O.K in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantimania to haunt viewers’ nightmares.
Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps (presumably with Mr. Fantastic’s stretching powers) lands in cinemas on July 25, 2025.
Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:
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