First look at Galactus in Fantastic Four: First Steps unveiled

Are you ready for take-off? On July 25, Marvel's first family will make their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut courtesy of Fantastic Four: First Steps. The highly anticipated movie will take audiences on an adventure in a retro-futuristic world where Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm are the only heroes needed to stop any earthly threat. However, citizens of this parallel reality are about to learn that sometimes the worst dangers come from outer space.

For years now, audiences have been asking to see Galactus appear in the MCU. However, with Thanos' search for the Infinity Stones, Kang's debut, and Doctor Doom's upcoming reign, there has been little space left to see the world-eater on the big screen. Fortunately, that's soon to change in Fantastic Four: First Steps.

We've seen little glimpses of Galactus (and his shadow) in the movie's promotional trailers released so far. That being said, a full reveal had yet to come... until now. A new art finally showcases the iconic cosmic entity in its full glory... even though there's just a little bit of resolution missing.

Fantastic Four: First Steps promotional art reveals first look at Galactus

A Japanese ad highlighting MCU merch has been recently making rounds online. While there's a lot to dissect in the images (including some amazing Daredevil: Born Again t-shirts), the biggest reveal comes thanks to the design of Marvel's next big threat.

A promotional card for Fantastic Four: First Steps puts H.E.R.B.I.E., Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, The Thing, and the Human Torch on the forefront, while a giant Galactus is looming in the background right next to the Baxter Building. Now, I know what you're thinking: A couple thousand pixels are certainly missing from the picture (which makes you wonder if this was intended to be how audiences got their first look at the supervillain). But even then, it's enough to unveil that audiences are in for a comic-book accurate look.

Back in 2007, Fox released Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, the only live-action movie so far to feature Galactus. Unfortunately, the supervillain was reimagined as a big cloud as opposed to a giant "humanoid" — a decision that didn't sit well with long-time fans. Fortunately, First Steps is looking to undo some of that damage as all the character's iconic traits are there. It has a purple helmet and gloves, along with glowing blue eyes, and what appears to be a blue chest piece. The only question remaining is how well this design will translate to the big screen.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman revealed that he created a practical costume for Galactus, who's set to be portrayed by Ralph Ineson:

"I didn't want to just use motion-capture for Galactus. I wanted to actually have someone there embodying the part. So we've built an entire costume for him, and we've done a lot of photography testing to figure out, How do you make sure that the scale is correct? How do you film Mount Rushmore?"

During the latest Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer, audiences are treated to a shot of Galactus walking along the streets of New York City. While it hasn't been confirmed, the general consensus is that a miniature set was used for filming that specific sequence. So if many shots featuring the supervillain were done practically, then the character has a chance of feeling real and tangible, even when it is a giant cosmic deity who feasts on entire planets to survive.

There's been a lot of speculation that the Fantastic Four will fail to stop Galactus and its herald, the Silver Surfer, which will lead to the destruction of their entire homeworld. Desperate to find a new place to raise his son, Reed Richards could potentially create an escape tunnel that leads directly to the MCU. With that in mind, there's a chance that we could see the supervillain win in Marvel's upcoming movie. Fortunately, it won't be long before we figure out if there's any truth behind these theories.

Fantastic Four: First Steps will be released on July 25, 2025.