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Marvel Studios 2025 film The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be the first MCU film set primarily in an alternate dimension. According to director Matt Shakman, the story takes place in “kind of a retro-future ’60s” which the studio has been keen to show off since the earliest promotional material for the project was released online. The setting serves both to set it apart from prior iterations of Marvel Comics First Family that made their way to the big screen and as an homage to the Space Race era in which Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the Fantastic Four.

Footage screened for the audience in attendance at SDCC ’24 showed off that ’60s vibe and leaned heavily into the theme of space exploration which, according to Shakman, is in part where the film’s subtitle originated. “It’s a lot about the space race and about voyaging out there,” Shakman said in an interview with EW. “So First Steps is partly to do with that idea about exploration. I really wanted to take all of that great stuff from Apollo 11 and just imagine that instead of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, it was the Storms and Ben Grimm and Reed Richards heading off into space.“

Given how integral the team’s experiences in space are to the film, it wasn’t too surprising to learn that the site from which the team launched their first flight was set to appear in the film. An SDCC souvenir map of Manhattan indicated that the Excelsior Launch Pad, located just next to the team’s headquarters, the Baxter Building, was among many landmarks fans should expect to see on screen. Now, as production on The Fantastic Four: First Steps kicks off in the UK, photos and video from the set have revealed that construction is underway to bring the retro-futuristic ’60s Manhattan to life.

In a series of photos shared on X by UnBoxPHD, key locations such as the Baxter Building, the Excelsior Launch Pad and Yancy Street, all seen on the SDCC souvenir map, can be seen taking shape.

Yancy Street has always been an important location in the pages of Marvel Comics. The Lower East Side neighborhood is the home turf of Ben Grimm and analogous to the neighborhood in which Jack Kirby grew up.

In addition to the Baxter Building and Yancy Street, the crew is also building a replica of the real-life RKO Palace Theater which is located on Broadway in Midtown Manhattan and is part of Times Square.

Given that set construction is just getting underway, it will be worth following along over the next week or two to see not only what the completed sets look like but also what other buildings pop up and will be used in the film.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set to launch in theaters on July 25, 2025.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Twitter

As part of their Hall H presentation at SDCC ’24, Marvel Studios gave those in attendance a first look at The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Though production doesn’t begin in earnest until July 30th, enough test footage exists for the studio to put a sizzle reel or two together including the first look at the film’s primary antagonist, Galactus. Unsurprisingly, that footage has found its way online and is generating quite a bit of buzz; however, while the appearance of Galactus as something other than a cosmic fart cloud is something to celebrate, a piece of SDCC memorabilia handed out to fans in attendance includes some very interesting information about the 2025 film.

Screen Rant’s Rob Keyes shared several images of a map of Manhattan which fans in attendance in Hall H could get in exchange for their ticket. The official souvenir map highlights “Points of Interest” from the Manhattan of whatever alternate Earth the characters of The Fantastic Four: First Steps inhabit. The map has plenty of interesting points, to be sure, but a closer look confirms the existence of one of the Fantastic Four’s longest-standing villains who has long been rumored to appear in the film.

Just to the right of the Statue of Liberty, the map indicates that Subterranea exists in the world of this Fantastic Four. Furthermore, entrances to it can be found all across the map, including near the Baxter Building. The existence of the underground kingdom of Subterranea implies that its King, Harvey Elder, aka Mole Man, is set to appear in the film.

Since Paul Walter Hauser was added to the cast in May, buzz about the inclusion of Mole Man has grown. The casting of Hauser, along with several other actors whose roles remain unknown, pointed towards some of the Fantastic Four’s best-known villains being included in the film; given that Galactus and the Silver Surfer will take up the majority of the team’s attention, it’s been suggested that perhaps the other villains, including Mole Man, will be part of a montage of flashbacks. While the how isn’t confirmed quite yet, the inclusion of Subterranea on the map all but confirms an appearance by Mole Man.

Hints that Mole Man could appear in the film predate Hauser’s casting. On April 4th, Marvel launched a viral marketing campaign that led to a website created by the fictional Future Foundation. Included on that website were some comics that could be considered “essential reading” for the Marvel Studios film and among them was Fantastic Four #1, the first appearance of Mole Man in the pages of Marvel Comics. In it, Elder used Subterranea’s worldwide network of underground caverns to surface in Manhattan where he was met–and defeated by–the Fantastic Four in their first public appearance as a team of heroes. It seems likely that director Matt Shakman will pay homage to that appearance in the film and that Hauser’s Mole Man could make what amounts to an extended cameo.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is targeting a theatrical launch of July 25, 2025.

Source: Twitter

As part of Marvel Studios’ Hall H panel, the studio has revealed yet another new title for its Fantastic Four film.

Originally titled Fantastic Four, the film underwent a subtle title change earlier this year and became The Fantastic Four. With Matt Shakman on stage, the studio revealed an updated title: The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

The official release from Marvel also indicated that Marvel intends to hold onto the July 25, 2025 release date despite the fact that production has not yet begun.