THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Teaser Trailer Confirms Galactus' Evil Plan
The Fantastic Four: First Steps will introduce Marvel’s First Family into the MCU’s main timeline. It also brings in the cosmic heavyweight Galactus to the party! But the big question on everyone's mind is, why this version of Earth? Why now?
Well, a new teaser just revealed the reason, and it confirms a rumor that has been making the round. it turns out Galactus set his sights on Earth not because it’s ripe for destruction, but because of Reed Richards and Sue Storm’s child, Franklin Richards.
In the teaser, the team is brought before Galactus by the Silver Surfer. It goes on to reveal the villain's massive frame, but he’s hidden in shadow for most of this scene before he arrives on Earth and fully steps out of the shadows.
The footage also shows Reed Richards telling the press that in exchange for the Earth, Galactus asked for their son Franklin. Mr. Fantastic told them that is too high a price, something the planet's citizens understandably feel differently about.
If you’re unfamiliar with Franklin Richards, he’s absurdly powerful. He was Introduced in Fantastic Four Annual #6 in 1968, and is a reality-warping, universe-spawning, omega-level mutant who, at full potential, could rival cosmic beings like Eternity.
Galactus obviously sees Franklin as a potential never-ending food source. Franklin’s ability to create pocket universes and new worlds essentially makes him Galactus’ version of a personal chef. And Galactus is hungry.
Before Galactus was Galactus, he was Galan, a survivor of the universe that existed before the current one. After merging with the Sentience of the Universe, he reemerged post-Big Bang as a being of insatiable hunger, one who requires the energy of entire planets to survive.
In the comics, he’s not evil, he’s elemental and necessary, and when he sends his heralds like Silver Surfer or Shalla-Bal to scout planets, it’s not personal. It’s survival.
The MCU’s Fantastic Four is shaping up to be a story about parenthood, power, and survival on a galactic scale. It’ll be interesting to see how Galactus’ story arc ends up playing out and if he actually ends wiping out this 1960s-inspired Earth, causing the Fantastic Four to jump realities into Earth-616 setting up Avengers: Doomsday in 2026.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters July 25, 2025.