Let me start off by saying that I loved The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Really, this isn’t a surprise, because I’ve liked all of the Fantastic Four movies, and yes, that includes both the Chris Evans Fantastic Four movies, as well as the Michael B. Jordan one that nobody likes. That said, the new one is far and away the best FF movie ever made, and for a number of reasons.
However, one reason that I really haven’t heard people talking about is just how much of a female empowerment movie this is. I’ve heard people call it “woke,” but a lot of people use that word for any movie they don’t like. So, why is this movie all about girl power? Well, you’re about to find out.
First Off, Sue Storm, Not Mister Fantastic, Is The One Who Was Sent To Speak For The Future Foundation Summit
When people first learned that Pedro Pascal was playing Reed Richards, it left a bad taste in some people’s mouths. However, now that we’ve seen how good he was, I think he deserves an apology, because he was, er, fantastic!
That said, so many people were focused on Mister Fantastic and The Thing’s voice that they didn’t really put much focus on Sue Storm, a.k.a. The Invisible Woman. Vanessa Kirby’s casting was kind of just shrugged off, with the only comments I heard online being that they would “wait and see” if she could fill Jessica Alba‘s invisible shoes.
The answer to that is a resounding “yes!” and I would argue that Kirby is the best Sue we’ve ever gotten. I think a lot of that is due to what a prominent role she plays in the film. For example, in a lot of ways, she’s the leader of the team, not Reed.
Why else would she be the one who speaks at The Future Foundation Summit? In the comics, Mister Fantastic forms the organization, but in this film, we see Sue speaking, which might be because she (not Reed) is the voice of reason, which I’ll get into next.
She’s Also The One Who Gets The Earth On Their Side Once People Turn Against The Fantastic Four
In a lot of ways, Reed is actually portrayed as a bumbling genius in First Steps. A lot of fans of the character might not like that the smartest man in the world is portrayed as having difficulty communicating to anybody outside of his family. But, I love that he needs to rely on the other three to get his ideas across to the public.
When the team returns from an unsuccessful discussion with Galactus, Reed stupidly informs the public that the giant said he would spare the earth if they gave him their baby, which immediately makes them public enemies number one (or rather, one through four) since the world views them as selfish for endangering the whole planet for one person.
Who ends up doing damage control? Well, none other than Sue. Showing immense bravery, she takes their child out in public and gives a rousing speech about how she won’t give up her baby for the earth, but also won’t give up on the earth for their baby.
This is the speech that actually gets people on their side, and if not for Sue, then the eventual plan to save their world likely never would have gotten off the ground. As I said before, she is the true leader of the team, which is refreshing to say the very least.
And Probably, Most Importantly, She Beats Galactus, Making Her The Most Powerful Member Of The Team
When we first got a glimpse of Galactus, it pretty much gave us nightmares for days. Unlike in Rise of the Silver Surfer where Galactus was a giant cloud, we actually saw him in all of his glory in First Steps, and he really did need to be seen to be believed.
I honestly had no clue how the team was going to beat such a monster, but in no way did I ever envision that Sue would essentially defeat him all by herself.
I mean, yes, she got help from the other three, as they created a diversion while Sue did her, er, thing, but that was Sue pushing Galactus toward the trap that initially failed against him. That was Sue using her powers, which were literally moving A PLANET SWALLOWER toward his doom, all by herself.
Actually, there are a lot of powerful women in the MCU (which is another reason why I’d love to see something A-Force related). However, even though people like to debate whether Captain Marvel or The Scarlet Witch is stronger, I’m now under the impression that Sue Storm is the most powerful woman in the MCU, as she beat freaking Galactus! Incredible!
Shalla-Bal Also Gives The Ultimate Sacrifice To Do The Right Thing
Okay, now I know one of the reasons that people called this movie “woke” is because of the gender-swapped Silver Surfer. However, that just shows people’s ignorance because this version is NOT gender-swapped at all, as it is not meant to be Norrin Radd, who is the original Silver Surfer.
No, Julia Garner is actually playing Shalla-Bal, who is another character in the comics. She was in the very first Silver Surfer comic, and she is the empress of her planet, Zenn-La. Yes, Radd is the one who offers himself up as Herald in the comics, but this is the multiverse, and in this world, Shalla-Bal is the Herald.
Anyway, all throughout the film, Bal feels guilty for what she has to do in order to save her own planet, and Johnny Storm ends up convincing her to help them fight Galactus, to which she initially thinks there’s no hope.
That said, in the last moments, when Johnny heroically decides that he wants to sacrifice himself in order to give that final push to Galactus, it is Shalla-Bal who pushes him out of the way and slams into Galactus. In the end, it was two women who ultimately sacrificed themselves to save the earth. Did I mention that this movie is all about female empowerment?
Lastly, Most Marvel Movies Don’t Make An Inherently Female Topic Like Motherhood So Central
Finally, can I just close on how this movie is both fantastic AND also about being fecund. What I mean is, having and protecting babies is a major theme throughout this film. In fact, this film has many themes about parenting that don’t often get explored in Marvel films, which I think is pretty cool.
The whole basis for why Galactus is coming to earth is not to eat it, but to take Sue’s and Richard’s child, and Sue is NOT having it. I mean, Reed isn’t, either, but Sue is the one who will sacrifice everything to save him. A lot of the film is also about Reed’s fear of raising a child, and Sue’s calm acceptance of motherhood.
This is a seismic leap from the days of Wanda being the angry, scorned mother of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In First Steps (I mean, the baby allusion is right in the title!), Sue is also an angry mother, but one who will not allow her child to be taken from her, unlike Wanda, who unfortunately couldn’t prevent it.
In this way, it was really refreshing to see a positive movie about motherhood, and I’d wish we’d see more of them in the MCU. What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts.