Not since the summer of 2012 have Marvel and DC gone toe to toe like two comic book titans are right now. The battle for the big screen is currently being fought by DC’s “Superman” and Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” And, at least for me, the winner is clear.
There's no doubt, my more lukewarm reaction to “Superman” is something of a hot take. And if I didn’t already know that based on its 91% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, the myriad of less-than-impressed comments on my recent opinion piece certainly made that point clear.
However, having now seen Marvel’s tentpole blockbuster for 2025, in my eyes, there’s no denying that the MCU’s First Family soars higher than the Man of Tomorrow (and for what it’s worth, FF’s RT viewer score is 93%).
The margins are somewhat slim. Both movies have clear faults, falling into many of the predictable superhero tropes that have seen the genre grow stale over the past 15 years, but if you can only see one in theaters this summer, I’d recommend spending your money on Fantastic Four."
So, here are the five reasons I believe that “Fantastic Four: First Steps” beats “Superman.”
'Fantastic Four' vs 'Superman': Here's my winner
A family focus
“Fantastic Four’s” biggest strength is how it successfully balances its four main players, the eponymous quartet, ensuring that each is given their moment to shine, while also feeling part of a superhero team as well.
Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn are all well cast in their roles, and I really enjoyed how each brings something to the comic book collective. Which isn’t to say “Superman” isn’t also well cast and stuffed with acting talent, David Corenswet is a promising Clark Kent, and Rachel Brosnahan nearly steals the whole movie as Lois Lane.
However, “Superman’s” struggles to balance its roster of heroes, with some upstaging the titular cape-wielder (Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific is the focus of the flick’s best action scene), while others are relegated to barely background extras like Isabela Merced‘s Hawkgirl.
“Fantastic Four” juggles its heroes significantly better, ensuring that all of them feel developed and play a key part in the overall story, and of course, contributing to saving the universe.
The swinging ‘60s
Audiences have been treated to (or in recent years forced to endure) a lot of superhero movies since the MCU debuted in 2008 with “Iron Man.” With dozens upon dozens of big-budget flicks all mining similar source material, it’s increasingly hard to stand out in such a crowded field.
From a narrative, tone, and character perspective, “Fantastic Four” is largely more of the same. It sticks to the largely quippy vibe of the MCU without any real deviation. However, where it does stand out is in its 1960s aesthetic and its retro-futurism setting.
Inspired by the Golden Era of Comic Books, which birthed many of the heroes we love together, and the “Fantastic Four’s” own debut in 1961, “The First Steps” has a charming retro look which intentionally feels like a '60s-era idea of the far future. Yes, that does mean that “Fantastic Four” drive a hovercar at one point, and the Baxter Building TVs remain delightfully chunky.
This visual design helps elevate “Fantastic Four” and ensures that even when the narrative falls into predictable tropes, there’s a novel quality about the proceedings that kept me hooked. Plus, the cast’s supersuits are just the right amount of dorky for me to love them.
Galactus is the GOAT
I often find that modern-day superhero movies hinge on their villains. After all, a compelling superpowered protagonist needs an equally well-considered antagonist to defeat in the grand finale.
“Superman” offers up the mack daddy of comic book foes in Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, and while this take on the character has been met with much praise, it did little for me (through no fault of Hoult). His whiny tech bro persona grates, and the attempts to make him seem threatening feel manipulative. The less said about the army of trolling monkeys, the better.
In this third “Fantastic Four” reboot, the First Family faces off against an equally legendary villain: Galactus (Ralph Ineson). And oh boy, does this big purple boi feel intimidating.
The first scene where the four encounter Galactus in his hulking ship sent a shiver down my spine, and his cold-blooded approach to consuming whole planets feels befitting of an enemy that is supposed to strike fear into the hearts of even the most powerful heroes. That Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer is also thrown into the mix is a very appreciated bonus.
I do wish that Galactus wasn’t defeated quite so easily in the third act. However, this is a problem with superhero movies in general. The villain is hyped up to be a near undefeatable threat to the whole world, only to be snuffed out and dealt with inside a studio-demanded two-hour runtime.
The superior sidekick
If you didn’t already disagree with me on my point above, now I’m really going to put the cat among the pigeons. Or should that be dog, because Krypto was one of my least favorite parts of “Superman.”
As I noted in my previous “Superman” article, I find the modern blockbuster trend of including some form of “cute” animal/creature very tiresome. The cynic in me can’t see it as anything other than a calculated attempt to create a sidekick ripe for merchandising opportunities.
“Fantastic Four” doesn’t escape this trend either, with robot helper H.E.R.B.I.E. on hand to assist the family throughout. And, to the surprise of nobody, you can now buy a Pop Vinyl figure of the adorable android for the low price of just $15.
Still, at least director Matt Shakman shows a little restraint with H.E.R.B.I.E., and unlike Krypto the Super Dog, he’s not used as a “get out of jail free” card to save the heroes whenever they’re in a sticky situation (Krypto is used for those purposes twice in “Superman”).
Frankly, I could probably do without either sidekick, but if I’m picking between the two, at least H.E.R.B.I.E. fits within the ‘60s aesthetic and isn’t leaned on like a cheap crutch.
Softer on the sequel setup
Both “Superman” and “Fantastic Four” aren’t shy about winking nods to future comic book movies in the pipeline at their respective studios. But while “Superman” leans into sequel-baiting and universe setup pretty hard, “Fantastic Four” mostly saves it for the post-credits stinger.
“Superman” is so busy introducing us to the Justice Gang that it forgets this is the viewer's first chance to get acquainted with a character who is supposed to be the lynchpin of the new-look DC universe going forward. Marvel, who admittedly have the benefit of a well-established universe already humming, focuses first on establishing the “Fantastic Four.”
In the post-credits scene, we get our first glimpse of Robert Downey Jr’s return to the MCU as Doctor Doom, and this tease feels well handled. It’s a great preview for next year’s “Avengers: Doomsday,” but it also reminds us that the Fantastic Four are part of a larger world. It’s enough to get superfans speculating, but it doesn’t dominate the actual movie.
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