FANTASTIC FOUR: THE FIRST STEPS brings the team to us in a new and refreshing way. Matt Shakman's vision of their NYC is gorgeous and intoxicating and Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are perfect. It's about family!!!! 💙 pic.twitter.com/ISdfduL6Su

Title: The Fantastic Four: First Steps Director: Matt Shakman Screenwriters: Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer Cast: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Paul Walter Hauser, Julia Garner, Ralph Ineson Distributor: Walt Disney Running time: 1 hr 55 mins

It’s box office clobberin’ time — or so Marvel hopes. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” the 37th installment in Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe and third to release in 2025, is aiming for $100 million to $110 million in its opening weekend.

Bachrach, Joseph Quinn and Julia Garner also star in Matt Shakman’s superhero adventure, in which the team must save Earth from a “Devourer of Worlds.”

But it was a little odd to hear that Marvel also planned to make the Fantastic Four a major part of the MCU’s future. Even though the Fantastic Four have always been prominent in Marvel’s comics, the characters — created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee — had never translated well to the big screen.

First Steps does an admirable job of introducing Marvel's first superhero team into the MCU along with two of its best villains.

First Steps are absolutely fantastic. Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps releases in United States theaters this weekend. Directed by Matt Shakman, the MCU flick stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards,