This week, Marvel took a brief step back into the swinging '60s with its brand-new Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer. This upcoming installment of the MCU will finally introduce Marvel's First Family to this 17-year-long franchise, and while the preview divided some fans, there was still plenty to enjoy. Besides the appearance of Galactus in all his comic book-accurate glory, one big takeaway was the Fantastic Four giving the nod to The Fab Four, aka The Beatles, courtesy of some awe-inspiring set design.
After seeing the silhouette of the Devourer of Worlds and The Thing looking heartbroken about his rocky new look, one shot saw the titular team standing together on a TV show set with arrows from every direction pointed at them. This band of heroes wasn't the first to walk on such a stage, though, as it's a direct homage to The Beatles' appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show back in 1965, only four years after the Fantastic Four's comic book debut.
The Beatles X The Fantastic Four pic.twitter.com/ITSxoJ6zJFFebruary 4, 2025
It's a fitting wink to an equally iconic group who appeared in Marvel comics themselves. Besides getting their own comic book in 1978, The Beatles had plenty of run-ins with the Fantastic Four over the years. Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross' Marvels comic run saw Ben Grimm/The Thing and Johnny Storm/The Human Torch stop a robbery and cross paths with the band. Also, a group resembling The Beatles attended the wedding of Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman. Well, it might've been them, as it was also revealed in later years that The Beatles in Earth-616 were hijacked by Skrulls, who continued the band's career while concealing their alien identities. Imagine.
There is no confirmation on whether The Beatles will appear in the upcoming film because while it might look like a familiar era, it's potentially not the dimension we know. As already spotted in the trailer in a blink-or-you-'ll-miss-it moment, Pedro Pascal's Reed is hard at work on a portal system that could bridge the gap between this future retro-looking world and the one with angry red presidents and wall-crawling menaces. We'll see how he makes it over when Fantastic Four: First Steps storms into theatres on July 25. Before that, check out the 12 easter eggs we spotted in the latest preview here.
