After Decades Of Stan Lee Tributes, Marvel's Fantastic Four Finally Gave One Of Its Other Pioneers His Due

The cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps exiting a car and looking up at the sky

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains some minor spoilers for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. If you have yet to watch the new Marvel movie, please exercise caution.

Over the years, there have been countless tributes to the late Stan Lee, the man responsible for most of our favorite Marvel superheroes. From dozens of cameos to various other callbacks to the iconic comic book figure, spotting these little Easter eggs became a cherished task for moviegoers. However, the same can’t be said for other Marvel pioneers, who are not as well known as Lee.

Well, that changed with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which features an incredible tribute to comic book legend Jack Kirby. After checking out the new superhero movie on the 2025 release schedule, I have to admit that how director Matt Shakman and company honored Kirby is outstanding.

Thing driving the Fantasti-Car and Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman sitting in the back seats — (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Jack Kirby Created The Fantastic Four (And Other Marvel Characters) Alongside Stan Lee

Before we get into the tremendous way in which The Fantastic Four: First Steps honors Jack Kirby, let’s go over a little background first. If you look at Kirby’s creator page on Marvel’s official website, you’ll see that he co-created not only The Fantastic Four but also other iconic Marvel heroes like Hulk, Thor, and the X-Men, to name a few. From his days at Timely Comics (which later became Marvel) to being known as one of the premier artists in the comic world, Kirby did a little bit of everything.

H.E.R.B.I.E. looking confused in the Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer — (Image credit: Marvel)

How The Fantastic Four: First Steps Honors Jack Kirby

While there have been tributes to Jack Kirby over the years, with everything from the Thor: Ragnarok logo being in honor of him or Ant-Man featuring a cool reference to him, The Fantastic Four: First Steps took things to the next level when celebrating the late Marvel artist.

Unlike the vast majority of the best Marvel movies, the latest feature film takes place in a different universe, Earth 828, which looks vastly different than anything else on the MCU timeline. However, the 828 universe name isn’t just some random number; instead, it’s a tribute to Jack Kirby, whose birthday was August 28, 1917. How is this revealed, you may ask? Well, in a quote from the man himself in the end credits:

If you look at my characters, you will find me. No matter what kind of character you create or assume, a little of yourself must remain there.

Following the quote is Kirby’s birthdate, which fades into 828, the location of the movie. When it comes to unique and really neat ways to honor someone, this is in a league of its own.

Fantastic four team shot — (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

After Countless Stan Lee Tributes Over The Years, It Was Incredible Seeing Jack Kirby Honored

There is something so powerful about Jack Kirby being honored in this way. Not only does the movie have a little Easter egg paying homage to him and his legacy, but The Fantastic Four: First Steps literally takes place in a universe paying tribute to him. That’s huge! After years of Stan Lee tributes, which are great, this just hit really hard.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is currently showing in theaters, where this tribute and all sorts of other Easter eggs can be spotted.

Philip grew up in Louisiana (not New Orleans) before moving to St. Louis after graduating from Louisiana State University-Shreveport. When he's not writing about movies or television, Philip can be found being chased by his three kids, telling his dogs to stop barking at the mailman, or chatting about professional wrestling to his wife. Writing gigs with school newspapers, multiple daily newspapers, and other varied job experiences led him to this point where he actually gets to write about movies, shows, wrestling, and documentaries (which is a huge win in his eyes). If the stars properly align, he will talk about For Love Of The Game being the best baseball movie of all time.

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