The Fantastic Four: First Steps ends with the titular team taking on Galactus as he stomps through New York – but where does he end up, and is he still a threat to the universe?
Ever since the first trailer for Fantastic Four, Marvel fans had a grim prediction: they would lose against Galactus (or possibly even Doctor Doom), and that’s why they end up crossing over from Earth-828 to Earth-616.
The end of Thunderbolts seemed to strengthen that theory; after all, why else would they journey to the mainline MCU?
Well, The Fantastic Four: First Steps doesn’t end like that at all. In fact, they win against Galactus – but they may pay for it down the line. SPOILERS ahead…
How does The Fantastic Four: First Steps end?
The Fantastic Four: First Steps ends with Galactus being teleported to the farthest reaches of the universe, with Silver Surfer turning against him to push him through the portal, sacrificing herself in the process.
After refusing to give up their son, Franklin Richards (who has god-like powers), to Galactus, Reed comes up with a plan to teleport the Earth (yes, the whole planet) to another solar system.
For a moment, it looks like it’s going to work, but the Silver Surfer arrives just in time to destroy all the teleportation infrastructure, stranding the planet in the path of a hungry Galactus.
Reed and co. come up with a back-up plan: by using Franklin as bait, they think they can get him close enough to the remaining teleporter to send Galactus billions of light-years away. He’s wise to their trick at first (“Clever little bugs,” he quips), but when he grabs Franklin, Sue uses all her might to push him towards the teleporter, and Reed grabs the baby before he’s sucked into the portal.
Alas, it’s not enough. Galactus manages to pull himself out, but as Johnny bids his family farewell and attempts to sacrifice himself to save the Earth, the Silver Surfer knocks him out of the way and flies straight into Galactus’ chest, teleporting them both just before the bridge closes.
With the world safe again, everything seems to be back to normal… until Sue collapses and dies. Using your powers to fight a cosmic force of nature takes it out of you, and for Sue, her heroic efforts are simply too much for her body to take.
As they stand around Sue’s body in tears, Reed places Franklin on her chest – and somehow, he brings her back to life.
In the closing scene of the movie, the team returns to The Ted Gilbert Show, where he tries to unveil them as the “Fantastic Five.” Reed and Sue don’t like that, but they’re alerted to a new threat before walking onstage, so they all hop in the Fantasticar together and fly away instead.
So, what happens to Galactus?
Well, Galactus is in a bit of a sticky situation. He’s been flung to the edge of the universe without his ship and no way to get back, so it’s unclear if he’ll die without the sustenance of chomping planets or be able to travel through space.
That said, there’s still very little we know about Galactus. The movie teased a bit of how he came to be; he told Reed he was once small like him, so it remains to be seen if the MCU will adapt his origins from the comics (in short, he was a space explorer who was sucked into the ‘big crunch’ and emerged in the new universe as a giant, planet-eating being).
Could he use the Power Cosmic (the energy from devouring planets, basically) to survive and find a way to a nearby planet, where he could replenish his strength and seek revenge on Earth and the Fantastic Four? Maybe.
“Hard to say,” Matt Shakman told Comic Book when asked if we’ll see him again. “Who knows? He’s a cosmic force. He could show up at any time, and he did and has over 60-plus years of comics history.”
Is Silver Surfer alive?
Going by reports and rumors, the Silver Surfer has a future in the MCU, so it’s safe to assume she’s alive – just really far away.
Her main problem will be escaping the clutches of Galactus on the other side of that portal. If she’s able to get away in time, she could simply fly through the universe until she makes it somewhere safe – and could perhaps even return to her home, which we saw in flashbacks in her scene with Johnny.
In an interview with GamesRadar+, Julia Garner was keen to return to the role. “You know, I had so much fun entering this universe. So [I’d be up for] anything. If they told me to come back in tomorrow, I would, so yeah, that would be lovely,” she said.
So, where could she appear again, and what sort of project will it be in? Well, The Cosmic Circus earlier reported that Marvel Studios was developing a solo Silver Surfer project. Garner has also teased the possibility of seeing Norrin Radd, the original Silver Surfer in the comics.
“Per our sources, the Silver Surfer Special Presentation will have a similar style to Werewolf by Night. The project will feature Norrin Radd as Galactus’ Herald out in the far corners of the cosmos. Radd will not be on Earth during his special presentation and will also not interact with any cosmic characters already established in the MCU,” the outlet claimed.
Take that with a grain of salt, as it was two years ago and the shape and state of the MCU has changed drastically. The franchise’s output has been pared back after lackluster commercial and critical performance, so a Silver Surfer project may no longer be in the works.
However, considering the impending success of the new movie (its box office is set to be bigger than James Gunn’s Superman), that could pave the way for Garner’s Surfer to return.
As for the post-credits scene and Doctor Doom’s first, brief appearance in the MCU, you can read our standalone guide.
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