This summer, Marvel’s iconic First Family makes their debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” Our comprehensive recap video linked above will prepare you perfectly for this release. The film, marking the beginning of Phase 6 in the MCU, represents a fresh start for the franchise after a series of challenges.

The year 2025 has been tough for Marvel films. “Captain America: Brave New World” struggled financially, grossing only $414 million globally, and was poorly received by critics, earning a mere 47% on Rotten Tomatoes, tying for the second-lowest-rated MCU film. Although Phase 5’s concluding film “Thunderbolts*,” which formed the New Avengers led by Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), received positive reviews, it also failed to impress financially, with just $382 million worldwide. This prompted Variety to question, “Where does Marvel go next?”

The answer lies, intriguingly, in the 1960s — sort of. Marvel Studios’ chief Kevin Feige has confirmed that “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” will be set in a vintage, retro-futuristic version of that era. While there’s considerable excitement surrounding the film, historical performance suggests its chances of being a blockbuster are slim. Despite the Fantastic Four’s popularity in comics, their films have historically underperformed at the box office.

Unlike 2005’s “Fantastic Four” and the derided 2015 reboot, the titular team are already a unit in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” We enter the action after Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Sue’s charismatic brother Johnny (Joseph Quinn), and the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) have formed a crimefighting team. Sue and Reed are already married, and Sue is pregnant with Franklin Richards as the movie opens (here’s the only Franklin Richards explainer you need before seeing “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”). Much like the MCU did with “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” the film skips past the origin story, safe in the knowledge that pretty much everyone knows it at this point.

What people might not know is the plot of this particular “Fantastic Four” entry, in which something huge disrupts the lives of Marvel’s First Family. That huge thing would be Galactus (Ralph Ineson), whose only goal in life is to consume as many planets as possible to harness their energy. Galactus is accompanied by Shalla-Bal, otherwise known as Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), who acts as his herald. The Fantastic Four must battle Galactus to save Earth. The movie — which drops on July 25, 2025 — also features Natasha Lyonne and John Malkovich in undisclosed roles. For the full lowdown on everything you need to know going into the film, make sure to check out our “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” recap video.