Meet the Characters of Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps

By Cassandra Pinkney

We hope you’re wearing your Sunday best because it’s time to meet Marvel’s first family! The Fantastic Four are a tight-knit group of space explorers turned world-famous Super Heroes who work together as a family to save the world from a threat unlike any their world has ever seen. Before you get invited to your first family dinner, come meet the characters of Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps, only in theaters July 25.

Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal)

It’s not a stretch to say that Reed Richards sets a high bar for the rest of the Fantastic Four. Reed’s budding intellect was clear from an early age and his childhood aspirations of building a starship propelled the genius to even greater heights as he grew up. His intelligence makes him a leader in many fields, a well-respected figure at home and in the scientific community. The infamous test flight of his starship changed the lives of him and the other astronauts onboard—his friend, Ben Grimm, his wife, Sue Storm, and her brother, Johnny Storm—and created the family we now know as the Fantastic Four. Reed returned from his trip to space as Mister Fantastic, able to stretch and contract his body when he joins his family in the fight to protect the people of Earth.

Sue Storm / Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby)

Sue Storm’s piercing gaze makes it feel like she can see right through you, even if you can’t see her. Sue can render herself and other objects wholly or partially invisible thanks to her ability to mentally bend wavelengths of light to conceal herself. Reflected cosmic rays are invisible to the average eye, but not to Sue Storm, who picks up on the same minute rays which gave the Fantastic Four their powers in the first place. Not only can she manipulate light to make herself invisible, but she can also project invisible forcefields to protect herself and her family. It’s clear to see that her powers and protectiveness toward her family make her both an excellent mother and crucial member of the Fantastic Four.

Johnny Storm / Human Torch (Joseph Quinn)

With an outgoing personality and brazen attitude, Johnny Storm was a hothead even before his fateful trip to space. Now, with a newfound ability to ignite plasma all over his body, the Human Torch wears his heart on his sleeve. He has a level of control over the flames on his body, projecting them outward toward enemies and using them to launch himself into flight by making himself lighter than air. Johnny joined the Fantastic Four family by way of Sue, his older sister. And like any good brother-in-law, he makes sure to flame Reed Richards any time the opportunity presents itself.

Ben Grimm / The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach)

While the other members of the Fantastic Four got more discrete superpowers, Ben Grimm’s life as a Super Hero has been a little rocky. Ben was an ace pilot who had joined an astronaut training program before reconnecting with his old friend, Reed Richards, and taking him and the Storm siblings on a journey in Reed’s spacecraft. Just as Reed is revered for his brains, The Thing’s brawn is nothing to take for granite. The Thing can lift objects that weigh several tons, has practically unpierceable rock-like skin, and has been known to weather intense bombardments with ease. His outward appearance may be a bit rough around the edges, but his natural leadership abilities make him a real gem.

H.E.R.B.I.E.

The Fantastic Four are, well, fantastic. But like all modern families, they need a helping hand from time to time. Between discovering scientific breakthroughs and saving the world, where is a Super Hero supposed to find the time to keep house? Enter H.E.R.B.I.E., short for Humanoid Experimental Robot B-Type Integrated Electronics (try saying that three times fast!) Built by Mister Fantastic himself, this special helper is an integral member of the Fantastic Four family. If you can name it, H.E.R.B.I.E. can do it—cooking, cleaning, laundry, and so much more! And most importantly for Reed Richards and Sue Storm, H.E.R.B.I.E. is excellent at babyproofing their swanky mid-century modern home in the Baxter Building in preparation for the family’s precious new addition.

Shalla-Bal / Silver Surfer (Julia Garner)

“I herald his beginning. I herald your end. I herald…Galactus.” Shalla-Bal hails from the planet of Zenn-La, a near utopic society of long-lived people. When Galactus intends to consume her home world, she agrees to become his herald and seek out new worlds for him to devour in exchange for the safety of Zenn-La. Galactus began to change as she worked as his herald, shedding her inherent desire to protect people in order to satiate his hunger. Her gradual moral decay shows in her melancholic demeanor as she leads Galactus to Earth and heralds the end of the world.

Galactus (Ralph Ineson)

Galactus was present before the beginning, the sole survivor of the universe that existed before the Big Bang that created our own. This cosmic being of raw energy has quite the appetite, devouring entire worlds to satisfy his ever-growing hunger. He has enlisted the services of a number of heralds to locate new worlds for him to consume throughout his cosmically long life. His most recent herald, the Silver Surfer, has set Galactus’ sights on Earth. Now, the fate of the world is in the hands of the Fantastic Four.

Watch Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps, only in theaters July 25.