Fantastic Four: First Steps Delivers A Cheeky Marvel Easter Egg For Truly Dedicated Comic Fans

Throughout the wonderful world Matt Shakman creates in "The Fantastic Four: First Steps," there are numerous nods to the well-established history of the first superhero team from Marvel Comics. The Earth they're fighting to protect is coincidentally in the same dimension (Earth-848) as the one that makes up Jack Kirby's birthday (August 28). There's also the inclusion of Giganto, the first monstrous villain the group faced in their debut issue back in 1961, who is seen fighting the Fantastic Four in the montage chronicling their many missions of saving the day. What might sit as a heartwarming homage to the history of the Fantastic Four, however, is that the film takes a brief moment to give some screen time to the minds behind these iconic heroes, who are hard at work creating the team's very own comic in this dimension.

In a typical blink-or-you-miss-it moment during the launch of the Excelsior rocket (aptly named after the word that's synonymous with Stan Lee), variants of the Fantastic Four creators are seen watching the ship take off from an office window. It's perhaps the closest thing to a cameo from Stan Lee we've had since "Avengers: Endgame" in 2019, which marked the legendary comic book writer's final appearance before his passing. What makes this brief appearance even more enjoyable, however, is that the artwork scattered around the room doesn't look too dissimilar from the original "Fantastic Four" comic and the movie's tie-in issue, released earlier this month.

There are plenty of Fantastic Four stories to read before the film, but this tie-in tale for the movie is also worth a glance. "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" comic is set before the events of the film and written by Matt Fraction, following the team's origin story and their initial missions for the greater good. Additionally, considerable attention is given to the dirt-loving frenemy of the film, Harvey Elder, also known as the Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser), which sheds more light on why he has such an issue with all but one of the team. It also provides further evidence that, in this iteration, Sue Storm is truly the embodiment of the team's spirit and best intentions.

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Throughout Shakman's film, Sue regularly speaks to the public, really the entire planet, about their plans to do the best they can and protect everyone from the intergalactic threat heading their way. She's the voice of the Fantastic Four that rings with a goodhearted honesty, which is also highlighted in this issue. With things ending on an amicable note in Fraction's story, it provides a clearer understanding of why the Invisible Woman so easily sways Elder to lend a helping hand for the arrival of Galactus (Ralph Ineson). It's a fun little read, and if anything, it does a great job of getting us excited to see not only more of the Invisible Woman when she heads into battle for "Avengers: Doomsday" but also Elder, whenever the Fantastic Four make it back to the big screen for their own sequel.