The Fantastic Four: First Steps Has An Easter Egg Referencing The Director’s Other Beloved Marvel Project

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The second The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer includes a sneaky MCU easter egg that references Matt Shakman’s first Marvel project. The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ second trailer reveals a few key details about Phase 6’s first installment, including Franklin Richards’ introduction, Julia Garner’s comic-accurate Silver Surfer look, and Reed Richards’ super-stretching powers. The trailer also emphasizes the Fantastic Four’s popularity in their alternate timeline, which only raises the stakes for their encounter with Silver Surfer and Galactus.

There are no superheroes other than the titular team in The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ alternate universe. Therefore, references to characters and events from previous MCU installments are unlikely. Reed Richards and his family have no knowledge of Earth-616’s Avengers and vice versa. This doesn’t mean that The Fantastic Four: First Steps won’t have easter eggs, however. As the first chapter in the Multiverse Saga’s final phase and a love letter to one of Marvel’s most important properties, The Fantastic Four: First Steps will probably feature dozens of references to Marvel’s eighty-six year history.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Trailer Has A WandaVision Easter Egg

The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Second Trailer Drops A Nod To WandaVision

In a shot of The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ alternate-universe New York, a storefront sign for “Westview Appliances & Television” makes a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance in Times Square. This is a reference to WandaVision‘s Westview — the fictional New Jersey town Wanda Maximoff took over in WandaVision. WandaVision‘s nine episodes were directed by Matt Shakman, who’s now helming The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Why It Makes Sense The Fantastic Four Would Reference WandaVision

WandaVision And The Fantastic Four: First Steps Share More Than Just Their Director

The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ reference to WandaVision may only be a lighthearted nod to Matt Shakman’s WandaVision, as the MCU’s actual Westview and Scarlet Witch probably won’t appear in the Phase 6 movie. WandaVision‘s unique retro style certainly played a key role in Marvel Studios’ decision to hire Matt Shakman for The Fantastic Four: First Steps after the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy director Jon Watts abandoned the project. Matt Shakman’s skillful handling of WandaVision‘s vintage elements made him the perfect choice for The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ 1960s-inspired setting.

After the events of WandaVision, Wanda Maximoff became obsessed with the idea of recovering her children created in Westview. Wanda travels to Earth-838 in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and meets the MCU’s first Reed Richards variant, played by John Krasinski. Scarlet Witch kills Reed Richards and his Illuminati teammates in cold blood. Apart from being a reference to Matt Shakman’s WandaVision, The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ Westview easter egg also serves as a nod to Reed Richard’s brief history with Scarlet Witch.

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“}]] The Fantastic Four winks at Shakman’s MCU show.  Read More