First Steps" and DC's "Superman" hit theaters within two weeks of each other. So which had the bigger opening weekend?

This iteration of the Fantastic Four has a standalone adventure without all the burden of the MCU's history and cast of characters.

This week, Marvel Studios is releasing the highly anticipated The Fantastic Four: First Steps on July 25th. The upcoming Marvel movie marks the long-awaited induction of the first superhero family into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the third cinematic iteration of the iconic comic book characters overall… or, is it?

In addition to setting up Galactus and the Silver Surfer, Fantastic Four: First Steps finds time to tease another major villain.

Ryan Meinerding is having a full-circle moment. When he was in high school, one of his favorite characters was The Thing - so he sketched him. That artwork is featured in “Marvel Studios: The Art of Ryan Meinerding.

First Steps is the second cinematic reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise, and there’s a lot riding on this film. While cinema-goers have responded enthusiastically to many of the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe,

“Fantastic Four” has a “distinct retro-futuristic aesthetic and family-focused themes,” according to Rotten Tomatoes. With a “certified fresh” critics score of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, reactions to “Fantastic Four” seem largely positive — even if they sometimes come with qualifications.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Everett Collection SATURDAY AM: The Fantastic Four: First Steps at $120M-$125M is one of the sixth best openings for a Marvel Cinematic Universe title post Covid and that’s a great thing.

Fantastic Four: First Steps is helping Marvel to "get its mojo back", according to most early reviews of the new superhero reboot. The 37th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is "Marvel's best film in a decade", the Telegraph said, while the Guardian declared the studio had "regained its buoyancy".