Fantastic Four: First Steps Set to Break MCU Records with 140-Minute Runtime!

by

This summer, Marvel’s Iconic Family, the Fantastic Four, is expected to make their debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If the latest reports hold true, the anticipated runtime of this film could surpass that of several recent MCU movies. As per a new listing on the UK theater chain Odeon’s website, the introduction of The Fantastic Four might establish a new record for the superhero team and become the longest Marvel movie since 2023’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3.

Release durations for films are frequently announced multiple months before they premiere, but may alter as temporary placeholders get swapped out with confirmed running times. If the listing on Odeon is accurate, then the movie Fantastic Four: First Steps will run for 140 minutes, making it the tenth longest Marvel Cinematic Universe film after Avengers: Age of Ultron, which clocked in at 141 minutes.

Lately, Marvel films have been focusing on keeping their durations around two hours. Even movies that traverse multiple universes like Deadpool and Wolverine appear to restrict their running time. Typically, the Avengers films run longer than most, but movies such as Eternals and Spider-Man: No Way Home have reached nearly 2.5 hours. Given its extended length, it appears that Fantastic Four: First Steps may contain a substantial amount of narrative content to share.

The Longest Fantastic Four Movie Could Be the Best

Length doesn’t automatically guarantee quality in a film. Some movies attempt to extend their runtime, but often, they could convey the same narrative more succinctly by removing unnecessary parts. Interestingly, the longest Fantastic Four movie so far has been the 2005 original, which ran for 106 minutes. The sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer, was shorter at 92 minutes, while the 2015 reboot was 100 minutes long. However, First Steps might surpass all previous Fantastic Four movies in length, as it’s rumored to be over 30 minutes longer – a surprising fact given that this film won’t be an origin story.

The lack of repetition about the origin of the superhero group in First Steps implies that the movie won’t start with a prolonged introduction where Reed Richards and his team are ordinary humans experimenting with computers before embarking on a mission that transforms them into superheroes. Instead, it seems the film will jump right into the action, focusing on a grand superhero adventure for most of its duration.

The specifics of how the story unfolds remain unknown, but there’s plenty of chatter suggesting that the film will depict the Fantastic Four being transported from their own universe into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Additionally, it’s been rumored that Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom might make a brief appearance in the movie. Given that by the time the film First Steps premieres, we will be just a year away from Avengers: Doomsday, this theory seems quite plausible.

Marvel Studios kicked off their 2025 slate with a decent showing from “Captain America: New World Order”, and with “Thunderbolts” promising another grounded, politically-minded MCU film, fans will be eager for something more fantastical when “Fantastic Four: First Footsteps” hits theaters on July 25.

Read More

2025-02-28 03:04