Fantastic Four: First Steps Features Four Cameos Only Hardcore Marvel Fans Noticed

This article contains discussions of "Fantastic Four: First Steps." 

Matt Shakman's new film "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" marks the fifth time that the title characters have been brought to the big screen in live action. The previous iteration in 2015, directed by Josh Trank, was widely disliked by both critics and audiences, as its tone was unnecessarily dour, and its storytelling was borderline incompetent. Its drastic alterations from the original "Fantastic Four" lore aren't as grievous a sin as its general lack of quality. Before that, Tim Story directed a pair of "Fantastic Four" movies in 2005 and 2007, and those were disarmingly corny, but also a little drab; there wasn't a lot of superhero fantasy action that the FF's fans longed for. 

The first version of the Fantastic Four that made its way to film was never officially released to the public. Back in 1994, director Oley Sassone and executive producer Roger Corman had the film rights to the characters, and quickly banged out a very, very cheap film, called simply "The Fantastic Four," merely to legally retain them. The film starred Alex Hyde-White as Reed Richards, Rebecca Staab as Sue Storm, Michael Bailey Smith as the Thing, and Jay Underwood as Johnny Storm.

Fans of Marvel Comics knew about the film, as there had been a few scant press releases, but for many years, no one was able to see it. New Concorde, Corman's company, never actually gave the film a release date, and it stayed on the shelves. Thanks to resourceful bootleggers, however, the film began to proliferate nonetheless. Marvel fans were too curious to let the film stay hidden, and illegal cassettes started making the rounds. After numerous decades, "The Fantastic Four" has been widely seen by millions and may be considered an official part of FF history. 

As such, the makers of "First Steps" decided to pay homage to Sassone's unreleased film by including its cast. If you look closely, Hyde-White, Staab, Smith, and Underwood all have cameos.

For the record, the 1994 "Fantastic Four" movie is perfectly decent. It captures the tone and the attitude of the FF perfectly, nailing their demonstrative language and corny, sitcom-ready family dynamics. Sassone's film is only undone by its incredibly low budget; the SFX are laughably bad, and the sets are made of plywood. It only had a budget of about $1 million. The tale of its making can be seen in the 2015 documentary film "Doomed!: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's Fantastic Four." The cast and the crew talk at length about their experience making the movie, and their reaction to its non-release. 

Because the film is so well-known, it was only fair that Matt Shakman include references in his own, legitimately released 2025 film. And sharp-eyed Marvel fanatics will spot them. For instance, there is a scene where Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) addresses the press to tell them about an oncoming cosmic threat from space. Two of the reporters at the press event were played by Hyde-White and Staab. They're easy to spot, as Shakman puts them directly in the frame. 

Meanwhile, Underwood and Smith can be seen in an early montage in "First Steps." There is a newsreel depicting the Fantastic Four enacting various acts of heroism, and Johnny Storm (Jonathan Quinn) is seen saving a few factory workers from an imperiled power plant. Underwood will be recognized as one of the rescuees, although Smith may be a harder spot; in Sassone's "Fantastic Four," he was mostly inside an articulated rubber suit.

Hyde-White, Staab, Underwood, and Smith were all in attendance at the "First Steps" premiere in Hollywood as well. Marvel seemed to recognize that Corman's film was well-known by the public at large and that its stars never had a real chance to shine. "First Steps" gave them a marvelous gift. It was a gift we, the audience, were able to enjoy as well.