There’s nothing more endearing than Marvel’s First Family! Paul Walter Hauser speaks on his debut in the MCU, and how fans will react to The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
There’s quite a bit riding on The Fantastic Four: First Steps. It’s the beginning of the end for Marvel’s multiverse saga, but it’s also the last first impression the superhero team will likely ever get. The iconic First Family has been plagued with lackluster to downright bad attempts at being brought to the silver screen, and their introduction to the MCU may be one final gasp for the group to get any relevance in the broader pop culture landscape.
From what fans have seen, there’s been a lot of good stuff, but there’s also been stuff that has worried fans. For every HERBIE and spot-on casting decision, there’s a fear that Marvel’s post-production window for the film will leave Reed Richards’ powers looking spotty. While most of those critiques won’t be able to be fully analyzed until release, it seems as though Paul Walter Hauser is happy with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, teasing it as a fun addition to the MCU.
“I don’t think I’m speaking out of school,” Hauser explained on the Sam Roberts Show. “And I think, from what I’ve seen, and obviously I can’t say much about it, but I will say the short time I was on set, dude, they’re making a cool movie, man. This is a smart, chic Marvel movie that really focuses on family as part of the theme. And you really kind of fall in love with those characters, I think.”
Paul Walter Hauser Speaks On The Current State Of Marvel & The MCU
In addition to giving his thoughts on The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Paul Walter Hauser also spoke about the recent reception of Marvel’s slate of projects. While the actor didn’t expressly say that the MCU has had a decline in quality, he did suggest that the film’s focus on making people care about what the characters is something that the studio is “getting back to”.
“And that’s what’s missing is sometimes if you don’t fall in love with these characters, and you keep putting them in peril, we don’t really care. You know, you got to make us care first. And I think Marvel’s hopefully getting back to some of that.”
It’s true that the most important part about any movie, within or outside of the MCU, is getting people to care. Audiences can overlook a lot of bad things if they care about the characters on screen (take the Star Wars prequel fandom as an example). It’s a relief that The Fantastic Four: First Steps is seeming to take this idea to heart, if not for Marvel’s sake, than for the sake of fans of the team.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens on July 25, 2025. Stay tuned for all the latest news regarding the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
