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The Fantastic Four: First Steps Movie Review: Marvel rediscovers what makes a hero fantastic

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Movie Review: Marvel rediscovers what makes a hero fantastic

The very foundation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe lies in its superheroes. But what are heroes without the nemeses who challenge their power and question their authority? Back in 2008, when the MCU kicked off with Iron Man and marked the beginning of Phase One, villains like Obadiah Stane, Abomination, Whiplash, and Red Skull came and went, only for the Avengers to eventually unite and take on Loki's thirst for power, wielding the Tesseract. As the origin stories and their formulaic villains began to wear thin, Marvel upped the ante with the nearly indestructible Ultron. Then came Dormammu, Ego, and Killmonger, each armed with distinct strengths that tested the very definition of what made our heroes 'super.' These antagonists paved the way for our saviours to earn their victories and their pride again and again. After Thanos, the multiverse cracked wide open, raising the stakes higher than ever. In a way, the MCU owes as much to its villains as it does to its heroes. Without them, what exactly are the Avengers avenging? The most recent names in this growing list are Void from Thunderbolts* and Mephisto from Ironheart, the latter already sparking debate as perhaps the deadliest of them all. So many movies, so many villains, and yet, Marvel still manages to shake things up. With The Fantastic Four: First Steps, they've unleashed Galactus, a marketing goldmine they didn't even have to flaunt. And maybe that's all the bait they ever needed.
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