First Steps Trailer Holds Back On The Action, And I Think That’s A Good Thing

February 6, 20255 Mins Read

Summary

The trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps took an unconventional approach, lacking action scenes.
Marvel focused on setting the tone of the film, portraying it as a period piece with unique character highlights.
Marvel’s decision not to showcase fight scenes in the trailer shows confidence in the Fantastic Four brand and the film’s quality.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer has got Marvel Cinematic Universe fans talking. The short clips serve to capture people’s attention. The film will be released on July 25, 2025, and now people have a clear look at what it will feel like and how the main characters will appear in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

However, there were decisions made with The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer that few people expected, with the main one being a lack of action. It was a unique decision for Marvel Studios to make for a superhero movie where fight scenes are expected to be the high point. However, that decision was a positive one and a risk worth taking.

The Fantastic Four_ First Steps has a villain problem

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Could Already Have A Villain Problem

The first trailer for Matt Shakman’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps teases a ton of new characters, but it could already have too many villains.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Trailer Was Unconventional

Everything about the release strategy of The Fantastic Four: First Steps was unconventional, including the clips used. Marvel decided to have an hour-long countdown at 7 a.m. ET before giving people the trailer, which was something that people weren’t prepared for. However, it built up the anticipation even further for the trailer to release, which ended up being a favorable situation. However, few people expected not to see any clips of the Fantastic Four fighting with an enemy.

In fact, Marvel continued to take an interesting route with the trailer and opted not to show Mister Fantastic’s powers, with his flexibility never being highlighted. On top of that, Galactus was only showcased briefly and not in full, while the Silver Surfer didn’t appear. Taking all those choices seems like a significant risk on paper as it didn’t give away much plot information or showcase the type of action people can expect, but the trailer managed to achieve so much that people didn’t care.

The Focus Was On Setting The Tone

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will evidently be very different from other MCU movies that have already been created, and the trailer makes it feel like a period piece in many ways. It’s clearly a throwback in terms of the date the movie will exist, and Marvel Studios did a terrific job highlighting that from the televisions, clothing, and vehicles used. The characters were also given enough time to give glimpses of their personality, and some of the powers were highlighted, which was the big talking point coming away from the trailer.

Because Marvel is doing something totally different with The Fantastic Four than has been done in previous live-action movies, they wanted that to be the highlight. This isn’t set in modern times that people will be familiar with and that in itself should be the talking point and the draw that brings people into the movie. How does this timeline fit in with the MCU, and what will the characters be like because of that? Those are the questions people were left with, and it meant that the focus wasn’t on any potential fight scenes. The trailer focused simply on setting the tone, and that’s something that it did perfectly. Audiences left the trailer knowing exactly what the film will feel like, and further trailers will sprinkle more details into that.

Marvel Proved The Fantastic Four Brand Is Strong Enough Without Action

The decision not to showcase any significant fight scenes involving the Fantastic Four was undoubtedly a bold one from Marvel Studios, and it could easily have backfired as the trailer could have been seen as boring or dull. However, that showcases Marvel’s faith in Fantastic Four as a brand, which is a positive sign within itself. People have hyped this movie up a lot in recent months, and if Marvel Studios is confident enough to drop a trailer like this, then it’s clear it should live up to that. The action scenes will come in future trailers, and the fact Marvel is holding things back highlights that they’re confident in what they have and the quality that exists in this film.

Overall, the trailer was a bold move for Marvel which is something that they had stopped doing in recent years. This film feels like a breath of fresh air for the MCU, and after a difficult couple of years, that’s precisely what needs to happen. The goal of a trailer is to get people talking about the film in a positive light, to have them interested in the setting and want to see more from the characters, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer ticked all of those boxes and more. That is all anyone can ask for in a trailer. Getting people invested in these characters is the most important aspect right now, as the MCU needs its next Iron Man. The action sequences are reliable with Marvel; they’re a proven commodity in that sense. But the fact The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer was so exciting and engaging without it is a positive.