00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're looking at easter eggs, references and other things
00:10you might have missed in the Fantastic Four first steps.
00:13It's SPOILERIN TIME!
00:1410.
00:15A NEW MARVEL LOGO Since 2016, it's become a tradition for
00:27MCU movies to open with the Marvel Studios logo, encompassing familiar heroes and shots
00:31from past films, set to Michael Giacchino's fanfare.
00:41Giacchino returned to score Fantastic Four first steps, although the Marvel logo has undergone
00:46some significant changes.
00:48Not only is the music different, but there are no other heroes to be found in the retro
00:53credits.
00:54As we're seeing an MCU movie, the logo tells us upfront that this entry doesn't require
00:58prior knowledge of Marvel films.
01:01It's a standalone story that doesn't connect to the larger MCU, until the mid-credits when
01:06Doctor Doom shows up.
01:08This scene is paired with a music cue entitled Doom by Alan Silvestri, who's also composing
01:13Avengers Doomsday.
01:159.
01:16A BACK TO THE FUTURE NOD As the Hulk tells Ant-Man in Avengers
01:24Endgame, time travel doesn't work like it does in BACK TO THE FUTURE.
01:28Doc Brown might have been more accurate than Bruce Banner gave him credit, however.
01:45Trying to throw the Silver Surfer off their trail, the Fantastic Four required their ship
01:49to hit .88 the speed of light.
01:51This caused to mine Doc Brown's DeLorean, which must reach 88 miles per hour to travel
01:56through time.
01:58It might not be time travel, but the four are still using speed to leap from one point to
02:12another in a movie that defies physics.
02:14As far as we're concerned, BACK TO THE FUTURE isn't BS.
02:18Hopefully Reed Richards will explain this to Dr. Banner in the future.
02:218.
02:26MOLEMAN AND OTHER VILLAINS John Malkovich sadly didn't make the theatrical
02:34cut, although Red Ghost does get a shout out along with his super apes.
02:37Red Ghost is still technically in the movie, albeit in animation.
02:48The Fantastic Four cartoon in the post-credits scene also includes the Mad Thinker, Puppet
02:53Master and Moe Man, the latter of whom Paul Walter Hauser plays in live action.
02:56All of these characters made their debuts in Fantastic Four comics, although Moe Man goes
03:05back the furthest.
03:06He was a main adversary of the Fantastic Four number one from November 1961.
03:11No, Mr. Elder, we've met Galactus, he'll eat the underpart first.
03:15Well, regardless, why don't you butter me up?
03:22Spread it on.
03:23Moe Man wasn't alone.
03:24As the four also went up against the Deviant Mutate Giganto, the green monster was prominently
03:29featured on the first issue's cover, which is lovingly recreated in First Steps.
03:34First Steps sets itself in a world that's cutting-edge yet retro, almost like how people
03:41from the 60s envisions the 2020s.
03:43When the Mad Thinker tried to sabotage New York City, the Fantastic Four came to our rescue.
03:54As eye-popping as the production design is, it's easy to overlook several easter eggs.
03:59In this universe's Times Square, the cineplex screens a movie entitled Attack of the Fungus,
04:04alluding to Pedro Pascal's role in The Last of Us.
04:07You think he came down after he was infected?
04:10Maybe down here is where he was infected.
04:13Next door is Westview Application Television, a reference to WandaVision, which Matt Shackman
04:18also directed.
04:19Speaking of TVs, one has a tag reading Kaplan's, most likely named after the film's co-writer
04:25Jeff Kaplan.
04:26Another shop window is a poster that says Oog lives again.
04:29Created by Jack Kirby, this alien first appeared in Tales of Suspense number 27, the main story
04:34being Oog lives again.
04:366.
04:37Bigger Than The Beatles
04:38In the 60s, there wasn't a bigger foursome than the Beatles.
04:42We're not sure if the Fab Four exist in this film's alternate universe, but if they do,
04:46the Fantastic Four stole their thunder.
04:49On more than one occasion, our heroes are featured on The Ted Gilbert Show.
04:52Four brave astronauts head up into space, encounter a bit of cosmic turbulence and come back forever
04:58changed, not just the molecules of their bodies, but also their place in our hearts.
05:03Wait a minute, Gilbert?
05:04As in Gilbert and Sullivan?
05:06Sullivan?
05:07As in Ed Sullivan?
05:08As in The Ed Sullivan Show?
05:12Which introduced the Beatles to US TV viewers?
05:15Okay, we might be starting to sound like Jeff Goldblum in Independence Day.
05:19This is ridiculous.
05:21But look at the set for The Ted Gilbert Show.
05:23It's almost identical to the one that the Beatles performed on in 1964 when they dropped
05:28by Ed Sullivan's variety show.
05:30I'd like to have a fine hand for these guys.
05:335.
05:34Shala Ball's Backstory
05:36Although Shala Ball wasn't mentioned by name in Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer,
05:40she was alluded to when Noren Raz said he serves Galactus to protect his world and the
05:45one he loves.
05:46My service spares my world and the one I love.
05:51In the comics, Rad becomes the Silver Surfer.
05:54In exchange, Galactus spares his planet, Xenla.
05:57Rad also saves Shala Ball, the world's empress, and his lover.
06:00First Steps essentially merges Rad's origin story with Shala Ball's.
06:04In this iteration, it's Shala Ball who offers her services to Galactus, ensuring her daughter's safety.
06:09He turned you into this.
06:13Shala Ball.
06:16Shala Ball becoming the Silver Surfer isn't unprecedented.
06:22In the Earth X limited series, Shala Ball and Noren Rad are dual Silver Surfers, serving Franklin
06:28Richards who has become the new Galactus.
06:30What remains unclear is whether Rad exists in the First Steps universe.
06:34Noren Rad exists no more.
06:394.
06:40The Significance of Yancey Street
06:42Ben Grimm makes a couple of trips to his old stomping ground, Yancey Street.
06:46The comics often saw the thing clash with the Yancey Street gang.
06:49Ben gets more respect in the film's continuity, being viewed as a hero of the block.
07:07Although Yancey Street is fictional, creator Jack Kirby based it on his neighborhood growing up.
07:12His parents were Austrian Jewish, immigrating to New York where Kirby was born.
07:16Kirby saw much of himself in the thing, both sharing a Jewish heritage.
07:19Stan Lee, who created the Fantastic Four with Kirby, came from a similar background.
07:35His parents being Romanian Jewish immigrants who settled in New York.
07:38The film's version of Yancey Street works in an Excelsior Easter egg with a business called Stanley Service Center.
07:443.
07:54Timely Tributes
07:56At one point, the Silver Surfer passes by Timely Comics, which was founded in 1939.
08:01In 1951, Timely was rebranded as Atlas Comics, a name that was ultimately short-lived.
08:07By 1961, though, it had adopted another name, Marvel Comics.
08:12In the movie, you can spot a couple of comic book artists who look an awful lot like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
08:18Would you look at that?
08:23The universe's name is a tribute to Kirby.
08:25It's dubbed Earth 828, mirroring Kirby's birthday, August 28, 1917.
08:30This revelation is accompanied by a quote from Kirby,
08:33If you look at my characters, you will find me.
08:36Do you come for spiritual guidance?
08:38Oh, no.
08:39I just can't miss you.
08:42Some might argue that Kirby didn't get enough mainstream credit during his lifetime, especially
08:46compared to Lee.
08:47Yet Kirby's influence remains evident in these characters.
08:50Let's hear it for Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben.
08:572. Thank You Fantastic 1994
09:021994. Although there aren't any surprise appearances from other MCU heroes, the film
09:06works in a few blink and you'll miss it cameos. The little girl the Human Torch saves is Massey
09:11Shackman, the director's daughter. The film also salutes four actors who previously played
09:22the Fantastic Four. Not them, not them either. Bingo. Perhaps you've heard of the ill-fated
09:37Fantastic Four movie that Roger Corman tried to produce in 1994. It starred Alex Hyde White
09:42as Reed, Rebecca Stabb as Sue, Jay Underwood as Johnny, and Michael Bailey Smith as Bing.
09:47While bootlegs exist, the film was never officially released. The four actors finally got to appear
09:53in a theatrical Fantastic Four movie playing civilians who think are heroes.
10:06Unfortunately, they forget Car Ciafaglio who wore the Thing's rubber suit.
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10:27Number 1. Latveria. While Dr. Doom doesn't show his face,
10:31he does appear in the mid-credits, looking over young Franklin.
10:35This isn't the film's only reference to Doom, however. When the UN gathers to recognize the
10:46Future Foundation, representatives from virtually every country show up. There's one notable empty
10:51seat, however. Latveria, the European country that Victor Von Doom rules with an iron fist.
10:56All participating countries agree to dismantle their armed forces.
11:01In many iterations, Latveria is also Doom's birthplace. As of now, we don't know if the
11:06Fantastic Four have previously encountered Doom in this continuity. Based on Latveria's presence,
11:11though, it's safe to say that Doom has already acquired a small piece of the world that he seeks
11:16to dominate. Of course, even the world might not be enough.
11:28Did you catch any fantastic Easter eggs? Let us know in the comments down below.
11:32And don't forget to like and subscribe for more WatchMojo videos.
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