THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Hid a Heartfelt Tribute to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby You Probably Missed
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is packed with all the superhero spectacle and cosmic chaos fans could hope for, but nestled within all the intergalactic drama and action is a touching tribute to the two legends who started it all: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
The film takes place in Earth 828, a stylish, retro-futuristic world modeled after the swinging 1960s and it’s inspired by Kirby’s birthday, August 28. In this alternate reality, The Fantastic Four are cultural icons.
Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) are plastered on everything from cereal boxes to a Saturday morning cartoon and even star in their own officially sanctioned comic book, courtesy of the Future Foundation.
The tribute hits front and center during the film’s Silver Surfer moment. As Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) descends in a blaze of cosmic glory to warn of Galactus (Ralph Ineson), she arrives outside the fictional Timely Comics building in Times Square.
Watching in awe are two Timely employees, played by Martin Dickinson and Greg Haiste, who bear a striking resemblance to a young Kirby and a pre-mustache Lee, which is a fun nod to their early Marvel days.
Timely Comics was the precursor to Marvel, and it’s where Lee and Kirby first teamed up to unleash The Fantastic Four onto the world in 1961. That debut issue pitted the team against the monstrous Mole Man and his pet kaiju, Giganto, who even gets a show-stopping moment in First Steps during a montage that recreates the iconic comic cover.
Inside the Timely office, eagle-eyed fans will spot a treasure chest of Easter eggs. Kirby’s drawing board features artwork echoing Strange Tales #79, a 1960 monster comic co-written by Lee, penciled by Don Heck, and graced with a cover by Kirby featuring a creature called “The Thing.”
There's also an uncolored panel from Tales of Suspense #27, titled “Oog Lives Again!” and a finished page from Fantastic Four #13 showing the first appearance of Uatu the Watcher, from a segment titled “The Watcher Appears.”
Kirby and Lee have had some comic cameos, whether it was Doctor Doom visiting the Marvel Bullpen in Fantastic Four #10 or the duo being hilariously denied entry to Reed and Sue’s wedding in Fantastic Four Annual #3, their self-aware sense of fun lives on in this film.
“He’s a visionary,” director Matt Shakman told Marvel.com. “We would have no Marvel Studios today without Jack Kirby. He created so many of these amazing characters, and he built this world along with Stan Lee. So many of our heroes launched from his mind and his pen, and we wanted to honor that. We wanted to honor his distinctive style.”
The creative team described their visual inspiration as “When Kirby Meets Kubrick,” referencing the sci-fi visionary Stanley Kubrick. Kirby famously adapted 2001: A Space Odyssey into a Marvel Treasury Special in 1976, blending cosmic art with bold storytelling.
Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios president and producer, explained the significance further: “We wanted it to be more than just a passing tip of the hat. There are direct lines from his pencil that he drew with at his drawing board by himself, pouring his universe-spanning imagination on to the page.
“There are direct lines from there into this film.” He continued, “[We wanted] this movie to be an unabashed celebration of Mr. Kirby, who I think should be spoken in the same breath as Stan Lee at every moment.
“He was never as vocal or as at the forefront as Stan was. He also passed away long ago, and he didn’t get to see any of what his work would inspire.”
The film ends on a powerful note, not with a post-credit tease, but with a quote from Kirby himself:
“If you look at my characters, you will find me. No matter what kind of character you create or assume, a little of yourself must remain there.”
