Can We Talk About That Intense Fantastic Four: First Steps Scene With Sue Storm That Took Me Off Guard?

Warning: SPOILERS for The Fantastic Four: First Steps are ahead!

Of the three Marvel Cinematic Universe movies that were released in 2025, The Fantastic Four: First Steps was my favorite. From its ‘60s retrofuturisic setting to finally delivering a faithful adaptation of Galactus, First Steps was a breath of fresh air for this superhero franchise has me more excited to see this take on Marvel’s First Family in Avengers: Doomsday and other upcoming Marvel movies. Now that the latest, and I consider the greatest, Fantastic Four movie can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription, I also want to talk about one of its more intense scenes, specifically one involving Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm.

Needless to say Sue, Reed Richards, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm’s first encounter with Galactus didn’t go well, with the team quickly fleeing upon learning that the World Eater would only spare Earth in exchange for Franklin, Reed and Sue’s soon-to-be-born child. Galactus even induced Sue into labor on the spot, and Franklin was born mere moments after they successfully escaped the pursing Silver Surfer out in space. But before that happened, Sue, in the midst of having her contractions, demanded her little brother shoot down Galactus’ herald, saying:

When I first saw this in the theater, I’ll admit that I was taken off guard. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those people who that no superheroes should kill ever. That would take away some of the appeal from characters like The Punisher and Wolverine, for example. But to hear a Fantastic Four member calling for someone to be killed was a little jarring. Obviously this team isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, and they’ve had to make some difficult choices in the comics when battling evildoers. Still, I tend to think of the Fantastic Four as characters who avoid killing or at least try to find a different solution first.

However, the more I thought about this scene in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, I realized it was a good idea to include it. Even ignoring all the physical stress that Sue Storm is going through in that moment, she was about to give birth to her child. A mother’s love knows no limits, and while Sue might normally be against killing someone, in that moment she wasn’t going to let anyone take her child away from her.

Given The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ ominous mid-credits scene, which showed Doctor Doom unexpectedly appearing to interact with Franklin four years after Galactus was defeated, it makes me wonder how she’ll react if Robert Downey Jr.’s new MCU character kidnaps her son. Actually, I don’t need to wonder: there’ll be red in her eyes and she’ll go to the ends of the multiverse to get Franklin back. We’ll know for sure when Avengers: Doomsday is released December 18 on the 2026 movies schedule.