4 Things I Learned On The Set Of Fantastic Four: First Steps

Once more, Marvel’s Fantastic Four are about to hit the big screen. After three previous adaptations, Fantastic Four: First Steps (out July 25) aims to tell a new, ambitious tale about the comic book superheroes — an approach that was clearly evident as I stepped onto the set last September.

England’s Pinewood Studios was transformed into a futuristic version of 1960s New York City for director Matt Shakman and his buzzy, talented cast — Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach — to play in. With its retrofuturistic look, First Steps is looking to infuse more light and hope into the superhero genre. “The comics were created in the ’60s, and they’re very much informed by the Space Race and that JFK sense of optimism,” Shakman tells me between takes. “You see it not just in the Fantastic Four, but you see it in Star Trek, which is another project that is all about family, optimism, and believing that the right head and the right heart in combination can solve any problem.”

Family is a major theme for the new Fantastic Four, which will explore the group’s dynamics more deeply than before. The team — known as Marvel’s “First Family” — is led by a married couple: Reed Richards (Pascal), an astrophysics professor with a super-stretchy body, and Sue Storm (Kirby), a brilliant scientist who can turn invisible. Alongside them are Sue’s brother, Johnny (Quinn), who can fly and control fire, and Ben Grimm (Moss-Bachrach), an astronaut who transformed into a rocklike being after being exposed to the same cosmic radiation that gave the rest of the team their abilities.

“Unlike the Avengers or X-Men, which is a found family, this is a true family. This is a husband and a wife. This is about a brother and a sister. This is about old friends, an honorary uncle, and eventually, about children,” Shakman says. “That makes them different in the comic book world, that’s what makes them special and what we’re trying to bring to life here.”

The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will offer fans, both new and old, something visually interesting and emotionally thrilling. Below, four takeaways from my visit to the Fantastic Four: First Steps set.

A Retrofuturistic Dream

The set for the Baxter Building, the Fantastic Four’s home and headquarters, was a midcentury modern dream with geometric patterns, clean lines, and vibrant, warm colors aplenty. Set decorator Kasra Farahani explains that the design is mostly period accurate and inspired by West Coast aesthetics. “It was about trying to capture that feeling of coziness that you see in that midcentury architecture, where there’s natural materials like the flagstone and the wood and the greenery of the ferns brought indoors. It’s like a return to nature,” he says.

While the interiors were beautiful and intimate, the real showstopper was the movie’s recreation of 1960s Times Square. Old-fashioned TV boxes and light bulbs were surrounded by retro signage for restaurants and theaters — and at the center sat a landing pad (presumably for the Fantastic Four’s spaceship, Excelsior). The set piece was one of Quinn’s favorite places to film. “It’s pretty extraordinary to watch the collaborative combination of everyone’s efforts to get something like this made,” the actor says.

A Practical Approach

Rather than relying entirely on CGI, some sets and props were designed for practical effects. Reed Richards’ lab, for instance, was an expansive, 2001-inspired space with control panels, flashing lights, and other little nobs and gadgets.

Another case in point: H.E.R.B.I.E, the foursome’s robot sidekick, was built and operated remotely by several crew members. “H.E.R.B.I.E. is the right hand to the family in whatever way that they possibly need him. He is their nanny, their cook, their cleaner, their scientific adviser,” Shakman says. “He’s everything. He’s overworked. He’s stressed out. He has a lot on his plate, but he is a rich character and a big part of our domestic world.”

A New Kind Of Superheroine

Just because she’s the Invisible Woman doesn’t mean you won’t see Sue Storm’s sensitive side. First Steps will see her try to navigate life as a famous superhero and a new mother. “Vulnerability is a superpower to me, but it’s also really hard and painful sometimes. I just had a baby, and I’m not getting on [with] my husband right now,” Kirby says of her character.

It was also crucial for Kirby that Sue wasn’t just “a bad boss b*tch,” as she wanted to bring a “genuine feminine soulfulness” to her character. “It’s the reality of embracing being pregnant and then carrying a baby throughout without trying to fall into tropes [or] archetypes,” she says. “Being girly to be cute or sexy, none of those things I’m interested in. Even when it came to costumes, don’t give me any dolly skirts. Give me leather.”

A Real Partnership

With family as the central theme of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, viewers will not only see Reed and Sue expand their family with a new baby, but also witness the close bond they share. It’s a rarity, as few Marvel projects have taken the time to explore romance or relationship dynamics, save for WandaVision (which Shakman also directed).

Behind the scenes, Kirby and Pascal’s chemistry was palpable. The two hugged each other between takes and chatted through their scenes, working in sync to bring their famous duo to life. “I’ve never had a male actor as a counterpart who’s been so utterly equal and supportive of the relationship, but also the female character,” Kirby says. “Pedro is so generous.”

Pascal, for his part, didn’t think it was about generosity. “I'm only inspired by powerful women. So to have the opportunity to stand by one, to learn from one, it’s a partnership,” he says, standing beside Kirby after they’d wrapped for the day. “It isn’t male and female. It’s just a transcendent partnership in the work and characters.”