Kevin Feige Confirms MCU Reset as ‘Fantastic Four’ Box Office Drops

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is nearing its most evolutionary period, and the First Family is leading the charge.

The Fantastic Four Outperforms at the Box Office

After years of waiting to see Marvel’s First Family enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans finally got the beloved quartet earlier this month. From director Matt Shakman, The Fantastic Four: First Steps opened Marvel’s Phase Six, bringing Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/Thing) firmly into the MCU.

After a turbulent Phase Four and Five, with even the most recent movies–Captain America: Brave New World (2025) and Thunderbolts* (2025)–struggling to make a huge dent in the global box office, First Steps has proven that fans are still here. One of the big positives for Shakman’s movie is that fans were not required to have seen any previous MCU entries–something audiences became more frustrated with following the debut of shows and specials on Disney+.

Now, Marvel Studios has officially re-entered the superhero spotlight with a major box office triumph. The Fantastic Four: First Steps launched into theaters with a stellar $218 million global opening. That number includes a strong $118 million domestic haul in North America, paired with $100 million from 52 international markets, giving Disney and Marvel a much-needed summer win.

Initial industry forecasts projected the highly anticipated reboot–which also stars Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal and Ralph Ineson as Galactus–to land between $190 million and $210 million globally. Instead, the film exceeded expectations, edging closer to the high end and landing in the sweet spot for Marvel’s ambitious summer slate.

Comparisons to Warner Bros.’ Superman reboot were inevitable. Two weeks ago, the Man of Steel’s latest adventure opened to a reported $217 million worldwide before being revised to $220 million. That places First Steps in direct competition with its DC counterpart.

This is a big moment for Marvel Studios. Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World launched with $180 million globally, while Thunderbolts* (AKA The New Avengers) brought in a more modest $162 million when it hit screens in May. With The Fantastic Four outperforming both, the newly rebooted team is officially Marvel’s biggest superhero opener of 2025.

Whether this initial surge translates to long-term box office dominance remains to be seen, but with an impressive launch, strong word-of-mouth, and a robust social media presence, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is off to a great start, and it could cement Marvel’s vision of relaunching the MCU.

Kevin Feige Speaks Out on MCU Reset

While Marvel Studios chose to skip this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige spoke to select members of the press about the future of Disney’s billion-dollar franchise. From talking about the struggles of the streaming era to the decision to pivot from Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) to Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.), Feige also acknowledged the future of the 17-year-old franchise.

Hesitant to use the word reboot, Feige discussed how the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) movies will be a potential reset for the MCU ahead of the highly anticipated X-Men saga. “Reboot is a scary word,” he said, via Variety. “Reboot can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Reset, singular timeline–we’re thinking along those lines […] X-Men is where that will happen next.”

This echoes previous comments from the Avengers directing duo, the Russo Brothers. They spoke earlier this year about how Doomsday and Secret Wars will be a beginning for the MCU, unlike Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), which served as an ending for the decades-worth of content that had already been released.

With a new superpowered being–no spoilers here–in play, the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has never been more exciting. Ahead of Avengers: Doomsday, Tom Holland will return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026).

How do you feel about a potential reset of the MCU coming soon? Let us know in the comments down below!