Commentary: ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Is A Return Of Virtuous Heroes
by Frank Martin
Superheroes have come a long way in cinema. In the beginning, they were held up as paragons of virtue. Individuals who had powers that made them a class above regular humans, but they wielded this strength with righteousness. In recent years, superheroes have taken a dark turn. Films have begun exploring the nuanced ways in which these heroes could be flawed and use their abilities for unworthy means. Even the Marvel Cinematic Universe is not immune to toiling with the flawed nature of their heroes. The Fantastic Four: First Steps does something different, though. The title character are virtuous, which feels like a fresh and refreshing take for the Marvel Multiverse.
The film skims through the Fantastic Four’s origins. Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm(Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) gain their powers and immediately become sensations across New York City and the world. They are humanity’s champions and protectors, never questioned by political leaders or any other authority. It’s just assumed the Fantastic Four will protect Earth and do good without any sort of corruption. Galactus (Ralph Ineson) challenges this position by demanding Sue and Reed hand over their son. When questioned about this, Reed decides to tell the people of Earth that Galactus’s price was too high rather than lie to them.
It would have been very easy for Reed to come up with some other excuse for Galactus’s demands or just ignore the question all together. The fact that he didn’t demonstrates that he’s an honest hero willing to put his own public image on the line rather than deceive those who put so much faith in him. Throughout the entire film, the Fantastic Four strive to protect Earth while doing what’s good rather than taking the easy way out. After seeing so many superhero stories that try to peel back characters like an onion, it’s great to see paragons of virtue up on the big screen again.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now in theaters.
