This summer, millions of Americans escaped the July heat by crowding their local theaters to view two feature films vying for the title of 2025’s summer blockbuster: James Gunn’s “Superman” July 11, and Matt Shakman’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” July 27. Now, with their theatrical runs over, the question remains: which film truly gave moviegoers a better time?
FANTASTIC FOUR
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (2025) is Marvel’s fourth attempt to introduce this squad to the big screen since 1994. Rather than staging the Four (Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach) in the modern day, taking place in an alternate version of 1960’s Manhattan under the threat of annihilation by Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). Shakman’s direction is receiving well-deserved praise for taking the megafranchise back to its pre-“Endgame” roots.
First Steps thrived as the most virtually and emotionally expressive Fantastic Four adaptation yet- thanks to its retro style and original storytelling. The film captured the heart of the MCU’s “First” Family, balancing cosmic-scale adventure with love, sacrifice, and risk. Its world not only acknowledges the comics’ roots, but also gave a fresh take on characters that audiences thought they already knew.
Pascal’s cerebral performance truly gives the spotlight to Mr. Fantastic’s 267 IQ, While Kirby’s character has a captivating personal struggle while the world is on her shoulders. Even in the background, Johnny Storm has quite the situationship with Silver Surfer, and The Thing’s exhausting search for connection strikes a remarkable chord. While “First Steps” only has 115 minutes to cover all four of these bases, it does this incredibly
Fantastic Four: First Steps may not reinvent the wheel, but it gives the group the human interest that they long deserved, laying the groundwork for a future that is both thrilling and powerful. Ultimately, it stands as favorable for the team’s evolving role in the MCU, especially with Avengers: Doomsday coming soon.
SUPERMAN
In “Superman” (2025), Director James Gunn was tasked with portraying perhaps the biggest character in American fiction in an all-new way. His Superman (David Corenswet) begins the film by falling in battle, facing a Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) with the world wrapped around his finger. Not unlike the state of his very franchise, Clark Kent had a lot to prove for his film to become the U.S.’s third-highest-grossing of the year.
Inspired by Grant Morrison’s “All-Star Superman” comic (2005-2008), Corenswet’s Superman is certainly more playful than before; He dons his bright-red external underwear with pride, all because viewing the character as friendly comes before respecting him this time around. Yearning to be a normal person, Gunn’s lead is defined not by action, but by exposition.
Even the comic relief characters like Lex Luthor’s seemingly-clueless girlfriend (Sara Sampaio) give deep performances with just enough nuance to rectify their importance with their impishness. The fight scenes are not only well-choreographed, but staged in breathtaking parts of Superman’s world. The film truly delivers engaging stunt work without asking the viewer to “turn their brain off.”
It’s clear that when making the new “Superman,” Gunn heeded his audience and closely examined everything that caused DC’s feature films to struggle during the “DCEU” era. This shrewd understanding of his medium is what truly allowed Gunn’s creativity and the cast’s engaging portrayals to show us what has made Superman such an appealing character for the past 85 years and counting.
