“For a long time, the baby was born at the beginning of the movie,” director Matt Shakman tells EW.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps director explains ending and reveals alternate version of the movie

"For a long time, the baby was born at the beginning of the movie," director Matt Shakman tells EW.

By Sydney Bucksbaum

Sydney Bucksbaum

Sydney Bucksbaum is a writer at covering all things pop culture – but TV is her one true love. She currently lives in Los Angeles but grew up in Chicago so please don't make fun of her accent when it slips out.

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Published on July 25, 2025 07:30AM EDT

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Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby in 'Fantastic Four: First Steps'. Credit:

20th Century Studios/Marvel

**This article contains spoilers about *The Fantastic Four: First Steps. ***

The true power of *The Fantastic Four: First Steps* is the love between a mother and her child.

While all four members of Marvel's First Family do their fair share to save their world from the giant, world-eating space god Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his shiny herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), the real heroes of the hour are Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby) and her newborn child, Franklin Richards. And director Matt Shakman tells ** that the entire movie changed all because of Franklin.

The latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film turns back the clock to the 1960s in an alternate universe — dubbed Earth 828 — to debut a new version of the Fantastic Four: Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), his wife Sue, her brother Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and their close friend Ben Grimm/the Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach).

Reed and Sue's newborn son, Franklin, doesn't appear until later, but he plays a major role even before his birth. In the film, when the Fantastic Four confront Galactus on his spaceship, he initially offers to spare their world, saying that he won't devour their Earth if Sue and Reed give him their unborn son, who, he tells them, possesses the Power Cosmic. While the movie never explains what this means exactly, in the comics, the Power Cosmic is an unlimited source of energy that only godlike beings such as Galactus can utilize. Believing that Franklin is strong enough to wield this power, Galactus plans to make the child his successor in the world-eating business.

The Fantastic Four, of course, refuse to give up their unborn son, who is finally welcomed to the world as his family makes their frantic escape from Galactus and the Silver Surfer. Back on Earth, the general public is not pleased with the Fantastic Four for refusing Galactus's offer. But Reed comes up with an alternative plan: teleport the entire planet to another solar system where Galactus would never be able to find them. Soon, all of humanity comes together to build giant teleportation towers all around the world.

Vanessa Kirby in 'Fantastic Four: First Steps'.

Courtesy of Marvel Studios

But just as Reed flips the switch to teleport the planet, the Silver Surfer arrives and destroys every tower but the one in New York City. So, the Fantastic Four pivot to a new plan: use Franklin to lure Galactus into the one remaining portal, and send him to a place that would take millions of years for him to return. Sue then convinces previous Fantastic Four foe, Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser), to let everyone in the city evacuate into his Subterranea underground society.

Galactus initially takes the baby bait, but as he gets closer to the portal, destroying whole buildings in his wake, he realizes that the Four have switched Franklin's bassinet, leaving behind a decoy at the base of the portal. Galactus quickly pinpoints the real Franklin at the Baxter Building and makes his way over there. So, the Fantastic Four work together to herd Galactus back towards the portal, but it's Sue who delivers the final push, using all her power to shove him into the void. But as Galactus claws his way back out, all seems lost...until the Silver Surfer swoops in to give a final shove, sending Galactus — and herself — through the portal.

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Why would Galactus' herald sacrifice herself to save this world? Earlier in the movie, she shares a moment of connection with Johnny. When she first arrives on Earth-828 to herald her boss's arrival, Johnny chases after her, grabbing hold of her board as she flies into space. She looks at him curiously and says something unthreatening to him in her own language. Later, when the Fantastic Four arrive on Galactus's ship to beg him to spare their world, Johnny and the Surfer see each other again. He asks her what she had said, and she tells him it was a prayer meaning "die with your own." Later, he uses that short translation to decipher her home language, which allows him to finally translate other mysterious space transmissions he'd been collecting.

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Through these messages, he learns that the Silver Surfer is Shalla-Bal, a scientist from another world who saved her planet from Galactus by offering her services as his herald. She's been finding planets for him to devour ever since. But her people never gave up on her, and had been sending signals into space to find her again and thank her for her sacrifice. Johnny also found transmissions from the planets she served up to Galactus filled with the screams of their doomed populations.

When the Silver Surfer arrives in New York to destroy the final teleportation tower, Johnny plays those traumatic recordings over speakers in Earth-828's version of Times Square, hoping to appeal to her empathy. It works, and Shalla-Bal flees the city before she's able to disable the tower. The next time we see her is when she sacrifices herself to defeat Galactus.

Pedro Pascal in 'Fantastic Four: First Steps'.

Courtesy of Marvel Studios

But the victory is bittersweet. After using all of her strength to push Galactus, Sue dies on the battlefield. The Fantastic Four gather around to grieve, and Reed places Franklin on her chest to say goodbye. But then, Franklin somehow performs a miracle and brings his mom back to life.

While not totally clear in the movie, director Matt Shakman confirms to EW that Franklin does indeed bring Sue back from the dead with his Power Cosmic.

Still, trouble is never far off for the Fantastic Four. A post-credits scene brings us back to the Baxter Building four years later, revealing that Doctor Doom also has an interest in Franklin. In this brief glimpse into the future, Doom is shown from behind, bending down, as if introducing himself to the toddler. While it's unclear whether he was behind the cowl in this scene, Robert Downey Jr. will eventually play the villain in *Avengers: Doomsday*.

While the movie was always going to revolve around baby Franklin, director Shakman reveals that the original script was very different.

Joseph Quinn in 'Fantastic Four: First Steps'.

Jay Maidment/20th Century Studios/Marvel

"For a long time, the baby was born at the beginning of the movie," Shakman tells EW. "And then we realized it would be wonderful to see the baby-proofing and the preparation and to see them get ready for the child. So moving Franklin's birth to the midpoint was something that we decided to do, which also then allowed me to combine it with some of these other moments."

The director adds that "Franklin was always born in space [but] he used to be born at a space station rescue at the opening of the movie. So having him born in space while being chased by the Silver Surfer while slingshotting around a neutron star, it just felt like taking the already stressful birth idea and just magnified it by a thousand — a very Fantastic Four thing to do, but also it felt like a nod little bit to 2001 too, this idea of a space baby, he's got the Power Cosmic, he's born in space. He has a destiny."

*The Fantastic Four: First Steps* is now playing in theaters.**

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Movies”