Fantastic Four Might Be Hollywood’s Strongest-Ever Pro-Life Movie

The Federalist ^ | July 25, 2025 | Kylee Griswold

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the most pro-life Hollywood blockbuster in a long time, and maybe ever.

The new Fantastic Four film is, in a word, fantastic.

Its 1950s futuristic aesthetic was charming, with a dash of campiness, courtesy of characters like Mole Man and his underground haven, “Subterranea.” The score was fitting, the characters well-developed, the plot easy to follow, and the dialogue believable. The jokes landed for not trying too hard, with relatable dynamics between spouses, best friends, siblings, and colleagues. If you can get past Pedro Pascal’s off-screen antics, his portrayal of the quirky Mr. Fantastic lives up to the name.

But more than all these other factors, easily the most outstanding aspect of the film is its overtly pro-life message. It’s the entire point of the plot.

(Warning: spoilers!)

In the opening moments of the film, astronauts-turned-superheroes Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) and her husband Reed Richards (Pascal) — imbued with extrahuman powers after encountering cosmic rays in outer space that leave their DNA radically altered — react with glee to a positive pregnancy test. After having written off the possibility following two years of unsuccessful attempts to conceive, they welcome the news that their lives are about to be turned upside down by the new life growing inside her womb — despite the many unknowns.

And they have more of those than most people. Will the child of two mutated parents be deformed? Will he be a monster? A superhero? An ordinary child in a family of extraordinaries?

Yet Sue’s brother, Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and family friend and soon-to-be surrogate uncle Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) respond with as much delight. Despite the fears and questions, everybody is thrilled at the news, and Reed and his robot assistant, H.E.R.B.I.E.,...

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TOPICS: TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: movie; prolife

[Tell It Right]

This sounds like they made the movie to try to be much as possible, attitude-wise at least, like the FF stories in the classic comic books. Maybe Disney is finally hearing the masses.

[FatherofFive]

Thanks for the report. Sounds great.

[BBQToadRibs2]

Is it possible I’m not holding my breath, but my fingers are still crossed?

[Dr. Sivana]

I was never a FF fan (grew up on DC), but may give this a watch. I liked the idea of placing them in a retro world (though the FF started in early ‘60s, NOT 50s), as that allows us to avoid anachronisms stemming from heroes created in a different era. Also, it helps plotting a story if you don’t have to constantly deal with the boring presence of smartphones and cameras (unless it is a dystopia where that is the focus of the story).

[iamgalt]

If you can get past Pedro Pascal’s off-screen antics”

That’s the thing l cannot. Usually l can but not with “pedro”.

[mikey_hates_everything]

I always liked the Venture Bros parodies of superheroes way better, particularly the one for the FF, “The Impossible Family”.

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

The Venture Bros were incredible

[lee martell]

I was not expecting to hear this. Good if it is so.
I had planned to stay away from it, mostly b/c actor Pedro Pascal is starring in it. Pedro is big on allowing Trans surgeries for kids. Maybe the movie itself still has merit, separate from any grandstander.

[NurdlyPeon]

I just can’t get past the casting. Mr. Fantastic does not have a beard. The chick is ugly. Johnnie looks like some kind of fag, and Ben; he just doesn’t work for me. Sorry, but that’s my take.

[BradyLS]

I remember the old cartoon fondly. Never read any comics nor saw any of the movies. Ben Grimm is the first character to occur to me when thinking about them.

Anyhoo, it just struck me that the four heroes are based _loosely_ on the four classical elements: Earth and Fire are easy to figure out. Invisible Woman is Air. Mr. Fantastic is Water…sort of. (If you accept that the he can “flow” like water to create his fantastic shapes…)

[TonyM]

Sorry but I can’t get past the F4 suits. They look like four overgrown children in super hero pajamas.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I had planned to stay away from it, mostly b/c actor Pedro Pascal is starring in it...

Me too. I used to like him, but he should have kept his opinions to himself.

Not to mention his hands.

[freepertoo]

FF was my addiction when I was 11 years old in mid-6Os Reed was supposed to be like a WW2 marine type. I miss that interpretation of the character.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

[Puppage]

My favorite comic book series ever.

[Gay State Conservative]

later

[Verginius Rufus]

Wasn’t there a thread a few hours ago about how Disney snuck a pro-gay message into the movie?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Wasn’t there a thread a few hours ago about how Disney snuck a pro-gay message into the movie?

You're the one who saw it. Post a link to it.

[Verginius Rufus]

I don't know how to post links and I have zero interest in anything Disney puts out--never heard of this "Fantastic Four" before the earlier post.

I went back and found it--it was posted 7/24/2025 at 6:52:51 A.M. by Marlon Rando under the title "Fantastic Four vs. Super Apes--Opening Fight Scene (Video)." There is a comment Disney slipping in something gay but I'm not sure who the author of that comment was.