The debut trailer for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” has stirred up conversations about the possibility of Sue Storm (played by Vanessa Kirby) being pregnant with Franklin Richards during the super team’s initial journey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Instead of keeping fans in suspense regarding this storyline, the “Fantastic Four” promotional strategy is openly embracing the inclusion of Franklin in the film. Before Franklin appears as an infant in the MCU, he was known as one of the most potent Marvel characters ever. Be sure to watch our Franklin Richards explainer video featured above to get acquainted with him before “First Steps” makes its way to theaters on July 25.

Franklin is not just the son of Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm; he is an extraordinary child. His remarkable abilities, such as telepathy and telekinesis, manifest early on, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. He possesses the astonishing power to alter reality at will, allowing him to create life forms, new worlds, and even entire universes. In the comic realm, Franklin is notably one of the few who have defeated Galactus (played by Ralph Ineson), which hints at the possibility that “First Steps” may see him playing a critical part in the team’s mission to save Earth from this formidable villain. However, this is purely speculative, as the extent of Franklin’s role in the movie remains to be revealed.

Aside from his cinematic introduction, there is also curiosity about how Franklin might fit into upcoming films like “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Avengers: Secret Wars,” if he appears at all. For now, let’s stay focused on the current MCU timeline and unravel its stories step by step.

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” takes place in an alternate reality from the one where most of the MCU saga has taken place so far. On this Earth, the Fantastic Four — consisting of Reed Richards as Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm as Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) as Human Torch, and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as The Thing — are beloved heroes. But one day, they receive a message from the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) that the planet has been marked for death by Galactus, who’s on his way to devour everything they know.

“First Steps” is looking like it’ll perform fantastically at the box office, with projections currently estimating the film will bring in between $125 and $155 million domestically in its opening frame. “Fantastic Four” needs to be a hit, as the other 2025 MCU films have underperformed. “Captain America: Brave New World” brought in $415 million worldwide, while “Thunderbolts*” made even less with $381 million. The Fantastic Four is definitely more of a household name compared to the Thunderbolts, so it’s possible more people will be willing to turn out for them. Regardless of how much money the film makes, the Fantastic Four are here to stay, as the “Thunderbolts*” post-credits scene already showed the team’s ship entering the main MCU universe.

Did the Fantastic Four jump realities because Galactus succeeded in consuming their world? Are they aware that Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) is on the way and are looking for assistance in defeating him? The only way to know is to see “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” when it hits theaters on July 25.