That might sound like no big deal, but after 2023’s “The Marvels,” this spring’s fourth “Captain America” movie and “Thunderbolts*” all underperformed by Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) standards, the new “Fantastic Four” may offer broader audience appeal by not pulling from other franchises.

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

It’s been a long time coming, but the Fantastic Four finally have a good movie to their name. The Fantastic Four: First Steps may not be perfect, as IGN’s Clint Gage said in his 7/10 review, but it gets the fundamentals right: the Four themselves are well cast,