Everyone in the world of First Steps knows the tale of how Reed (Pedro Pascal), his wife Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), her younger brother Johnny (Joseph Quinn), and their friend Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) gained superpowers during a mission to space. But few people know how the Fantastic Four’s family is about to get a little bigger with the arrival of Reed and Sue’s first child.
In the new trailer, which highlights the FF’s status as global celebrities, hope and excitement for the future feels like the general vibe. But the mood comes crashing down as the sky is filled with storm clouds, and a metallic women on a surfboard (Julia Garner) announces that Earth has been chosen to be destroyed by an even more terrifying presence from beyond the stars.
While the team doesn’t seem to have any idea who the Silver Surfer is or what she heralds, the trailer suggests that Reed’s experiments stretching “the bounds of space” may be the cause of her sudden appearance. That feels like a beat that might wind up factoring into the Fantastic Four’s upcoming appearances in Marvel’s multiversal Avengers: Doomsday feature. But it, and the trailer’s shots of massive shadows and feet stomping through a city, are clearly hints about Galactus’ impending arrival.
The trailer also gives us our first proper look at how Reed’s stretching powers will look in the film. It’s… goofy, but still more impressive than what most of the Thunderbolts are capable of. And when Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25th, it could be the thing that saves the world from being devoured.