10 Essential Shows To Watch if You Love ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’

The Fantastic Four: First Steps has become a highlight of the 2025 summer movie season. The movie introduces The Fantastic Four into the MCU, and gives Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) new leases on life. This is just the most recent project to adapt this comic book family, as they’ve appeared in several movies and TV series over the years.

For those who love the movie, there are several TV shows that either feature these characters, these actors, or explore similar stories. Some of these series are earlier versions of The Fantastic Four, and highlight how these characters have evolved over time within the Marvel universe. The best series like The Fantastic Four: First Steps reinforce what an important superhero project this movie is, and how each member of the team is perfectly cast in the movie.

10

‘The Fantastic Four’ (1967)

Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera

The first Fantastic Four series, The Fantastic Four, is a campy good time and a fun animated series worth checking out. The series follows the members of The Fantastic Four as they face their sometimes unintentionally hilarious nemesis, including Mole Man and Doctor Doom. While the series doesn’t explore stories from the comics as in-depth as creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it has its charm as it highlights how these characters have always been a family.

One of the strengths of The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the fact that it’s not afraid to be a comic book movie. Similarly, The Fantastic Four feels like a comic book brought to life. While the series is limited based on the technology of the time, fans of The Fantastic Four: First Steps will find some similar tones. The Fantastic Four may not take itself as seriously as The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but both stories show how charming these characters have been from their earliest days.

9

‘Fantastic Four’ (1994–1996)

Created by Avi Arad, Stan Lee, and Rick Ungar

The 1990s cartoon series Fantastic Four was part of an entire generation of animated superhero series. In this version of the story, The Fantastic Four get the chance to interact with other characters from the Marvel universe, including Black Panther, Hulk, Ghost Rider, and, of course, Silver Surfer. The series leans into how funny these characters are, and showcases how funny the superhero genre can be when different characters can riff off of one another.

While The Fantastic Four: First Steps stands alone as a movie, it’s still part of the MCU. For those who are curious about how this Fantastic Four could interact with some of Marvel’s most well-known and beloved characters, Fantastic Four provides a road map. Fantastic Four and The Fantastic Four: First Steps are also both stories that show just how well these four work together, and how much they support each other while figuring out their powers.

8

‘Legion’ (2017–2019)

Created by Noah Hawley

Legion is a unique superhero series set in the X-Men universe that introduces David Haller (Dan Stevens), a man with schizophrenia who has unique powers. He tries his best to control these powers while trying to evade evil forces trying to use them for their own purposes. David has to confront his true nature while trying to make sense of what’s real and what isn’t. Legion blurs the line between what’s real and what isn’t.

For those who appreciate The Fantastic Four: First Step‘s retro-futuristic aesthetic, Legion offers a similar feel. Both series use their unique look and feel to add depth to their characters. Additionally, although David doesn’t have to join forces with others with similar abilities to fight a Galactus-level threat, he does still have to contend with the fact that his powers give him responsibilities that others don’t have.

7

‘Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes’ (2006–2010)

Created by Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost

Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes stands on its own as an animated series about this team. Unlike previous series, Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes doesn’t connect to any previous versions of these characters, and tells original stories of these characters interacting with others in the Marvel universe. This series gives The Fantastic Four a whole new look, and features them fighting some of their most important battles.

Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes and The Fantastic Four: First Steps both jump right into the universe these characters exist in, and skip creating an origin story for them. For those who appreciate the fact that The Fantastic Four: First Steps simply gets into a new story with these characters, rather than showing Ben hating himself or Sue Storm having to be without clothes when going invisible, may find a lot to love in this series. Both of these stories manage to be original while staying true to these comic book heroes.

6

‘The Last of Us’ (2023–)

Created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann

The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic thriller series that follows the aftermath of a world-ending fungal pandemic. The series introduces Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal), a man who loses his daughter at the beginning of the apocalypse. Years later, Joel is tasked with escorting Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a teen who’s immune to the fungus. Through their travels, the two become a family and rely on each other as they navigate the violence of the end of the world.

For those who can’t get enough of Pedro Pascal in their lives, The Last of Us features some of his most profound work. Much like Pascal brings a humanity and relatability to Reed Richards in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, in The Last of Us, Pascal paints Joel as a deeply flawed man who ultimately only ever wanted to do right by his family. Ultimately, for those who appreciate Pascal’s ability to bring humanity to his characters, both The Fantastic Four: First Steps and The Last of Us are worth checking out.

5

‘Stranger Things’ (2016–)

Created by Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer

Stranger Things is a sci-fi horror that’s set in the 1980s and begins with the disappearance of a young boy named Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) and the appearance of a mysterious girl with supernatural abilities known only as Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). Will’s friends search for him, and uncover a secret government lab conducting dangerous experiments that have opened a portal to an alternate dimension called the Upside Down. Joseph Quinn plays Eddie Munson, an eccentric high school student during Season 4.

Stranger Things and The Fantastic Four: First Steps spotlight the fact that Joseph Quinn is able to create lovable, charming, and quirky characters. In both stories, Quinn shows how he can create characters who could be obnoxious in lesser hands. Stranger Things and The Fantastic Four: First Steps show how talented Quinn is at making himself an essential part of any ensemble, even if he isn’t the only central character.

4

‘The Bear’ (2022–)

Created by Christopher Storer

The Bear introduces Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a professionally trained chef who returns to Chicago to run his deceased brother Mikey’s (Jon Bernthal) sandwich shop. Carmy immediately finds the sandwich shop in chaos, and has to sell the staff on his vision for a new restaurant. Ebon Moss-Bachrach plays Richie Jerimovich, who was close friends with Mikey, and is someone the staff look up to.

The Bear is perfect for anyone who was charmed by Moss-Bachrach’s performance in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Although he plays a significantly more abrasive character in The Bear, Moss-Bachrach brings a similar energy to his version of The Thing. Both The Thing and Richie are characters with outwardly tough exteriors who actually have the capacity to feel deeply. These characters are also both prone to using humor to process emotional turmoil.

3

‘Ozark’ (2017–2022)

Created by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams

Ozark is a dark crime drama that follows financial advisor Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) as he relocates his family from Chicago to the rural Ozarks after a money-laundering scheme for a Mexican drug cartel goes wrong. He promises to launder millions of dollars to save his life, and makes his family part of his new criminal life. Julia Garner plays Ruth Langmore, a woman who’s part of a local family of petty criminals.

Ozark and The Fantastic Four: First Steps highlight Garner’s ability to play morally complex characters who are ultimately easy to relate to. Garner’s Silver Surfer has a tragic backstory, and still clearly wants to do the right thing even though she has served Galactus for so long. Like Silver Surfer, Ruth Langmore is complicated. In these stories, Garner is able to highlight how well she’s able to add depth to characters who could be one-dimensional in lesser hands.

2

‘The Crown’ (2016–2023)

Created by Peter Morgan

The Crown is a historical drama that fictionalizes the story of the British royal family. It begins in 1947, shortly before Queen Elizabeth II‘s (Claire Foy) marriage to Prince Phillip (Matt Smith). In The Crown‘s first two seasons, Vanessa Kirby plays Princess Margaret. In the first two seasons, Margaret was grieving the death of her father, trying to carve out an identity for herself apart from her sister the Queen, and coming to terms with the fact that she couldn’t marry the man she loved.

While The Crown and The Fantastic Four: First Steps may at first seem completely different, Kirby shows just how well she’s able to bring nuanced and lovable characters to life. As characters, Sue Storm and Princess Margaret have to navigate doing what’s right for their families while maintaining their own identity. The Crown and The Fantastic Four: First Steps show how well Kirby is able to hone in on what motivates her characters emotionally.

1

‘WandaVision’ (2021)

Created by Jac Schaeffer

WandaVision is the first MCU series, and follows Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) as they live their lives in a strange suburban utopian world. The series begins as a kind of period piece, before becoming a mystery. In the series, after the events of Avengers: Endgame, Wanda and Vision find themselves living in an idyllic New Jersey town. However, it quickly becomes clear that something isn’t right as time moves differently and some things just seem out of place.

Both WandaVision and The Fantastic Four: First Steps are unique projects within the MCU directed by Matt Shakman. They are both projects that stand on their own, while connecting to the larger universe. These two stories ultimately center on the importance of family, which is what Marvel is about when it’s at its best. Additionally, both series stand out among Marvel projects visually, since they make full use of the retro-futuristic aesthetic to tell stories that are fun while being unsettling at times.

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