Fantastic Four's MCU Movie Release Date Continues A 20-Year-Old Marvel Movie Tradition

The MCU's Fantastic Four's release date follows a franchise trend that goes back 20 years. Since the MCU started in 2008, audiences have waited for Marvel's First Family to join this universe. The story of The Fantastic Four: First Steps will bring the four iconic teammates to the MCU timeline, raising hopes that Marvel can finally give this team the great move they deserve. Three movies have been made featuring The Fantastic Four, and while they have their moments, they have been largely underwhelming.

2005's Fantastic Four had a stellar cast, but it was overly goofy and didn't deliver a story worthy of the team. The same can be said for the 2007 sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer. The 2015 reboot fared even worse than the prior two films, as even the director acknowledged the movie didn't meet his expectations. Hopefully, the third time's the charm, and the MCU can adapt these characters correctly. However, it's interesting to note that the MCU is already following a franchise trend with its Fantastic Four.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Completes A Tradition Of Releasing An F4 Movie Every 10 Years

Marvel has a busy 2025 with three upcoming MCU movies: Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Fantastic Four premieres on July 25, 2025, and follows a notable franchise trend with its release date, as the first Fantastic Four premiered in 2005, and the reboot was released in 2015. First Steps' release date means the Fantastic Four franchise has been rebooted every 10 years. It's a complicated tradition, as it shows this series has never experienced lasting success thus far.

However, there is reason for optimism for First Steps, as it features an excellent cast and a proven director in Matt Shakman. It also includes Galactus, one of Marvel's most legendary villains, who deserves redemption after Rise of the Silver Surfer botched his first adaptation. The MCU also has a much better track record than Fox with adapting its heroes, even if the franchise has hit some recent lows. Hopefully, the MCU can break this streak and there won't be another Fantastic Four reboot in 2035.

Why The Fantastic Four Has Been Rebooted Twice In The Last 20 Years

The Fantastic Four franchise has experienced several reboots due to Fox's poor execution, leading to bad box office results. The most success this series has experienced so far was with the first set of films, but they weren't hits with critics and audiences. However, the releases also weren't box office disasters, grossing over $600 million combined worldwide. The 2015 reboot was a colossal flop, earning $168 million on a $120 million production budget.

The other reason for multiple reboots is that Fox was required to make Fantastic Four movies every ten years to keep the rights. As such, 2015's reboot may have been made more out of necessity than demand because Fox wanted to keep Marvel's First Family. Now that Disney has bought Fox, Marvel owns The Fantastic Four and isn't required to make films to keep the rights. Marvel has more freedom with this property, and Fantastic Four: First Steps could be the first of a successful series of films before any reboot is necessary.