Latest news with #FutureFoundation
Perth Now
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Vanessa Kirby admits to being a Sue Storm 'nerd'
Vanessa Kirby is a Sue Storm "nerd". The 37-year-old actress plays Sue in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and she's admitted to being obsessed with the character. Vanessa - who stars in the new Marvel movie alongside Pedro Pascal, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn - told Variety: "I'm such a Sue nerd. "There was something so allegorical about her. She was called Invisible Girl. Then Psycho-Man comes and disrupts everything, and she has a meeting with her own dark side in Malice. She comes back, and she renames herself Invisible Woman. So she transforms from a girl to a woman. "There's something about meeting the hardest parts of yourself in Malice that felt extremely poignant to me. I'm really hopeful I might be allowed to be Malice at some point for her." Vanessa is particularly keen to explore Sue's Malice incarnation. The actress shared: "I'm dying to do Malice. "She's come from a really tough background. She lost her mother in a car crash. Her dad tried to save her mother. He couldn't. He then spiralled, became an alcoholic, got locked up in prison for murdering a loan shark, and then died. Sue had to become a mother to Johnny. They were orphans. They had to fight for themselves. "What I loved about her was that she chose a path that was inherently a positive one. She chose to keep her heart open and to stay warm. The Future Foundation, for me, wasn't a noble political act, but it seemed to me that it's Sue's nature." Vanessa previously admitted that she likes to take on "challenging" roles. The movie star told TheTalks: "I really like pushing past my limits in that way — I love it. "When I read something and go, 'Uh, I don't know how I am going to do this,' then I know I should do it. I don't think it feels as challenging when you read a script and go, 'I know exactly how I am going to do this.'" Vanessa has enjoyed success on stage and screen, and she previously explained where her passion for stage acting came from. The London-born actress shared: "I always knew I wanted to act, but I had no idea how I was to go about it. "It was quite daunting feeling to know how passionate you feel about something without knowing whether you can achieve it … But my parents love theatre and my dad loves Shakespeare, so I grew up with a lot of Shakespeare stories and plays. And the love for theatre helped me in realising the power of standing up in front of people and telling stories as a group. "The audience is as important as the people on stage, so it always felt like a shared experience. With that experience I felt most connected and most alive."
Euronews
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Film of the Week: 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps'
For cinema lovers, Marvel's modern reign began with Iron Man, but for comic book lovers, it was always The Fantastic Four. When released in 1961, Jack Kirby and Stan Lee's series about a family of cosmic-powered astronauts marked the beginning of a bold new vision; one in which superheroes weren't just god-like figures, but relatable, flawed human beings. Sure, Reed Richards can stretch like gum and Johnny Storm burst into flames, but they also bickered, bonded, and grappled with insecurities like real people. As writer Stan Lee summarised: 'Marvel has always been and always will be a reflection of the world right outside our window.' Yet over the decades, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) took over and swelled to Galactus-sized proportions, any real-world reflections have crumbled into CGI rubble: tangled lore, superficial spectacle and a lack of emotional stakes, reflecting little more than growing audience fatigue. Enter Fantastic Four: First Steps, the return of Marvel's first family that sheds all the clutter in favour of a self-contained alternate universe made up of mid-century dreaminess - a cosy cartoon vision that embraces its goofy origins. Four years after a cosmic storm transformed Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Susan Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), the family has become celebrated leaders and scientific pioneers, running the Future Foundation think tank in aid of global issues. When Reed isn't hosting his Bill Nye-inspired TV show 'Fantastic Science with Mr. Fantastic', he's busy teleporting eggs or staring intensely at chalkboards covered in complex algorithms (like the Math Lady meme). But beneath his cool demeanour is a gnawing anxiety that rears after Sue informs him she's pregnant. What if the baby is cosmically-compromised? What if it becomes an all-powerful space god?! 'It's my job to think terrible things so terrible things don't happen', Reed says, as their robot assistant H.E.R.B.I.E. manically baby-proofs the Baxter Building. They say the things you worry about are never the things that end up happening - and indeed, something much worse is on the horizon: the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), to be exact. Descending from flaming storm clouds, the infamous anti-hero warns that Earth-828 - the alternate universe in which they reside - 'is now marked for death'. Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a gigantic helmet-headed villain with a taste for planets, is on his way - and he's hungry. While Johnny (played with surprisingly low-key rizz here) is distracted by his newfound crush on their metallic messenger, the rest of the gang decide negotiations are their only option - but this big boy cannot be reasoned with. Staring up at Galactus's towering face, floating in an abyss of nothingness, they're given a terrible choice: Give up their baby or watch their planet be eaten slowly. It's no deal, obviously, and back to the drawing board (and egg teleportation device) for the heroes as they scramble to find alternative world-saving plans. Like Superman, director Matt Shakman (WandaVision) doesn't bother with convoluted introductions. Any fragments of the main characters' backstories are shared through brief montages of newspaper cuttings and televised announcements. He trusts in his characters' established chemistry, caught in their tender looks and quips of endearment, to create a feeling of cosy familiarity - like tuning into The Jetsons on a Saturday morning. It's the domestic scenes at the HQ where the film really thrives, with Johnny and Ben fussing over seasoning spaghetti or Ben attempting to chisel his rocky beard. It feels like we're hanging out with friends and cocooned in a pop culture-contorted kind of nostalgia. This is testament to the remarkable production design, inspired by sci-fi pulp, space-age design and analogue tech (H.E.R.B.I.E.'s head is fitted with a cassette tape, while interstellar transcriptions are played on vinyl). Even the movie's marketing, which includes a vintage-inspired poster of Susan Storm selling 'Mirage gloves' would make Don Draper smile with approval. And as an aside, please can we bring back conversation pits in living rooms? At the heart of this vivid retro-futurism there's also the quiet unease of uncertainty; the pendulum swing between hopeful optimism and looming annihilation that defined the comics in the 60s. This manifests in the Richards' worry for their newborn baby's future, which hints at an emotional truthfulness often lost in Marvel movies; Galactus' cosmic eyes an eerie mirror of the blinking doom on our phone screens. Reminiscing on the group's origins, Reed says: 'Back then, the unknown meant mystery and discovery. Back then we were dreamers. What we learned was that the unknown also meant fear.' It's a shame, then, that First Steps never fully embraces those unknowns, instead playing it safe with an overly simplified plot that topples into traditional Marvel territory of the trampled city finale (at least this time the Mole Man helps bunker citizens in his subterranean headquarters). It's a superhero movie, I know. There's always going to be CGI action sequences and a big baddie to take down. But these battles would be so much more thrilling if they were grounded in deeper character work and more inventive action. Watching Johnny pummel Galactus's helmet is about as boring as repeatedly watching a gasping lighter. What made the original Fantastic Four stand out wasn't just their powers - it was their dynamics. The film gestures at this, but aside from Reed and Sue's baby anxieties subplot, those emotional layers remain frustratingly underdeveloped. For example, Natasha Lyonne, whose budding romance with Ben offers a promising diversion, is barely used. Still, in a genre struggling to find its footing in a world it no longer reflects, First Steps is a welcome stylistic pivot that embraces its origins. Alongside the surprisingly solid Thunderbolts*, it suggests Marvel might finally be inching back toward stories with something real to say. It's no leap - but it's a first step in the right direction. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is out in cinemas now.
Geek Tyrant
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Concept Art Offers a First Look at the Baxter Building in the MCU — GeekTyrant
Marvel Studios just shared a cool piece of concept art that gives us our clearest look yet at the MCU's take on the iconic Baxter Building. The image gives off a sleek, futuristic vibe, anchoring the building not just as a superhero HQ, but as a beacon of innovation. The caption reads: "The Baxter Building, home to the Future Foundation and the Fantastic Four. The initial proposal for the headquarters included this rendering of Baxter Building Plaza, foreseeing a place where charities and world leaders could come together to uplift humanity." The Baxter Building originally debuted in Fantastic Four #1 back in March 1962, located at the corner of 42nd Street and Madison Avenue in New York City. It was 35 stories tall, and the Fantastic Four occupied the top five. That modest scale felt right for the early days of Marvel comics, but things changed in 1985 when John Byrne leveled the place in Fantastic Four #278. As Byrne put it: "The FF's HQ building had long been established as 35 stories in height. Quite impressive in 1962, but not so much in 1980, when I came to the book. It didn't seem like I could just start referring to the building as taller than all those previous stories had made it, so I decided on something a wee bit more dramatic." It looks like the upcoming film is borrowing a page from Byrne's playbook. The Fantastic Four: First Steps stars Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Vanessa Kirby, and Pedro Pascal, and it hits theaters on July 25, 2025.
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
All new skins in Marvel Rivals Season 3
Image via NetEase Games Marvel Rivals Season 2 - 'The Abyss Awakens' is fast approaching towards us as it will be released on July 11, 2025. The recently launched trailer has already unveiled the upcoming two new heroes, Phoenix (Jean Grey) and Blade. Along with it, this season will bring new hero balance changes, new team-up abilities, a highly requested feature like mix and match skin MVP animation. However, there is no doubt that the fans are more excited to know about the upcoming skins in Season 3. Every new skin in Marvel Rivals Season 3 Just like any other season of Marvel Rivals, Season 3 is also going to introduce a plethora of brand new paid and free skins in the game. As the theme of the Season 3 battle pass of the skin is going to be based on the home of symbiotes, Kynter and the king of symbiotes, Knull, it's quite evident that we will get many symbiote-styled skins in this season. Two new skins in the form of Captain Kynter for Captain America and Future Foundation for Spider-Man have already been revealed and are going to be released today, way before the launch of Season 3. Along with it , there will be Symbiote-themed collection skins for Hela, Rocket Raccoon, Jeff the Land Shark, and many more as confirmed by the recent Dev Vision video. Season 3 The Abyss Awakens | Dev Vision Vol. 07 | Marvel Rivals That's not all. These were all paid skins, but there will be free skins as well which can be redeemed as well from themed events, one example is the Symbiote Storm skin of Storm. As Jean Grey aka Phoenix is going to be a new playable character in the upcoming season, we will see Phoenix Force variant skins for Emma Frost, Magik, and many more. Here are all the confirmed skins in Marvel Rivals Season 3: Pre‑Season Captain America – Captain Klyntar (Symbiote-themed bundle) Spider‑Man – Future Foundation (white & black suit bundle) Symbiote (Knull) Skins These are part of the season's War on Symbiotes collection: Hela – Queen in Black (Legendary store/bundle) Rocket Raccoon – Venomized (Battle Pass) Jeff the Land Shark – Venomized (Battle Pass) Squirrel Girl – Venomized (Battle Pass) Storm – Symbiote Storm (free Event skin) Phoenix Force Skins Introduced alongside the new Phoenix hero: Emma Frost – Phoenix Force (Battle Pass) Magik – Phoenix Force (key art teased) Wolverine – Phoenix Force (key art teased) Mid‑Season Release Blade – Knull Essence (Symbiote-infused vampiric skin, expected to arrive on Aug 8) More skins are expected to be revealed as we progress further into Season 3. Read More: All hero balance adjustments in Marvel Rivals Season 3 For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here . Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Marvel Rivals season 3 patch notes: Skins, fixes, and more coming in the new update
Marvel Rivals has dropped a new update ahead of its biggest seasonal refresh yet. The July 3 patch isn't massive, but it brings meaningful upgrades. Players can unlock two new superhero skins, experience smoother gameplay thanks to key bug fixes, and get ready for Season 3, which launches on July 11. The competitive shooter has kept fans busy with weekly updates, and this patch follows up on the June 26 changes that adjusted how surrendering works. That update also gave players a new Punisher skin from Daredevil: Born Again and a Thor outfit based on his look in X-Men: Hellfire Gala. Now, the focus shifts to symbiotes, venom suits, and what lies ahead. What's new in the July 3 Marvel Rivals update SEASON 3 BATTLE PASS "POWER OF THE PHOENIX" Emma Frost "Phoenix Force"Venomized skins for Rocket Raccoon, Jeff, and Squirrel Girl The biggest additions in this update are two new skin bundles: Captain America wears the "Captain Klyntar" look, where Steve Rogers suits up in a venom-inspired design from the 2017 Edge of Venomverse comic. Spider-Man joins the Future Foundation with his clean white costume, originally worn in comics during his time with Reed Richards' team. Both bundles come with extras like MVP intros, emotes, sprays, and nameplates. The update also brings fixes to issues affecting multiple characters: Thor's abilities were misfiring due to high latency, especially when using Thorforce. That problem is now resolved. Magneto and Psylocke's illusions were incorrectly triggering kill-related effects tied to other characters, like Loki or Thor. This bug has been removed, so only real opponents will activate such effects. These small but helpful tweaks should make matches smoother and more balanced for all players. This patch may be short, but it leads into something much bigger. Marvel Rivals has confirmed that Season 3 will start on July 11, bringing new heroes like Blade and Jean Grey to the game. Fans can also expect a new map based on Klyntar, home of the symbiotes, and more skins, including one for Jeff the Land Shark. Marvel Rivals continues to expand with each update. From deep lore to fun cosmetics and a growing hero lineup, it is building toward a strong third season.
