One of the most unforeseen and emotional MCU plot developments in several years has just been unveiled with its retro-futuristic style, and yet it is not another superhero brawl. The highlight of the family, the acting of Vanessa Kirby, which a lot of people are already calling unforgettable, and the Fantastic Four: First Steps of Marvel have mingled to be a really great and warm, heartfelt movie of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The aesthetic is like a love letter to the 1960s, but with a twist. It’s like The Jetsons colliding with Tomorrowland—neat, colorful, and refined, but never venturing into parody.
Have you ever felt that only you should be responsible for your health, life-changing events, or emotional burden? At such times, what you need are support groups. They are sometimes face-to-face and sometimes online, both being safe spaces for people with similar illnesses or situations to meet. Such meetings are people forums where each person shares experiences, asks questions, and, most importantly, gives support to each other. You can be a person with a chronic disease, addiction to drugs, the death of someone you love, or a caregiver. In such a case, support groups are there to let you know that you are not the only one, and you don’t have to go through it alone.
It is quite easy to confuse support groups with therapy groups, even though they are two entirely different things. Usually, people who have undergone the same experience run support groups. Meanwhile, therapy groups are led by qualified professionals, are treatment-focused, and have very structured sessions. Support groups, however, are centered around the concept of peer connection. They are less focused on treatment and more on giving, exchanging, and learning from the coping mechanisms of others. Therapy is mostly clinician-driven, whereas support groups may have some peer or professional resource content but are still largely dependent on the shared human experience.
The stakes are never higher. When Galactus comes after Earth itself, Reed and Sue are forced to make an impossible choice: kill their unborn child to save the world, or gamble everything for the sake of family. The movie never blunts the pain of this moment. It’s not a movie about flashy action—it’s about humanity, sacrifice, and the belief that one life can contain infinite worth.
One of the things that makes First Steps new and different is the way the creators handle Sue’s pregnancy. No Marvel story has ever centered around a pregnant superhero. Instead of showing her pregnancy as a limitation, the movie utilizes it to her advantage. Kirby has mentioned that displaying Sue at this point in her life was mirroring her personal experience with motherhood. Sue is not stereotyped—she’s complex, exposed, fierce, and inspiring, a reminder that heroism and motherhood are not only possible, but enhanced when combined.
The Fantastic Four themselves are representative in a way that is completely natural. They’re misfits, each unique in their own way, but as a group, they demonstrate that those differences are what make them great. The movie is a reminder that there’s no one mold for a hero.
In addition to family soap and action, First Steps is not afraid to grapple with grand concepts. It touches on science, ethics, and the future—and poses questions regarding progress, responsibility, and what humanity must hold most dearly.
With Kirby’s Sue Storm at its heart, the franchise has discovered a new form of heroism—one based on love, self-sacrifice, and the messy, lovely reality of what it is to be a family.