Oscars 2026: In Defense Of ‘The Fantastic Four’

Relax. I don’t think Disney / Marvel Studio’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps should be nominated for Best Picture.

Although, to be honest, maybe I do think it should. I entered Summer 2026 with the film as my most anticipated of the season. Right up there with Weapons. After several failed attempts at capturing the magic of the comic, the new take seemed to have everything going for it. A game and talented cast (Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s gravelly voice fit Ben Grimm / The Thing flawlessly). An energetic and engaging score by the ridiculously talented Michael Giacchino. A retro-futuristic production design that absolutely felt like a comic book come to life. All signs pointed to this film as something special. Something beyond the standard Marvel Studios fare.

Clearly, my expectations were sky-high. To say that The Fantastic Four: First Steps met and, at times, exceeded them is a wild understatement. My son and I watched the film with smiles on our faces that rarely faded.

To me, that should qualify the film for Best Picture. It’s a broadly accessible, well made entertainment — the kind of film that the Academy would be wise to continue embracing (as they did last year with A Complete Unknown, Wicked, or Dune: Part Two).

But they will not come close to embracing a Marvel Studios film again. The massive amounts of schadenfreude that materialized online after the second weekend box office results for The Fantastic Four made sure of that.

A middling-to-disastrous “Phase 5” films and television series largely killed any good will non-Marvel devotees felt for their properties. The faithful turned out, but the faithful can only get you so far in box office. Granted, the film nearly grossed $200 million in the US after only 10 days and will likely hit just under $300 million by the end of its run. International results could double that. So, the idea that The Fantastic Four is some massive flop is a typical online-constructed false narrative. The kind of narrative that comes from those who insist on pitting something like Fantastic against Superman. Mine is better than yours, etc. Trades don’t help either with their click-bait headlines. The entire box office and competitive narrative around film feels incredibly reductive and pointless, but Marvel’s best offering in years will suffer reputationally because of it.

That’s hugely disappointing considering the film is one of their very best. At its core, it is a film focused on family and community. It boasts a welcome message of warmth and positivity. In one sequence, nations across the globe come together to unite for a common cause — as unlikely today as a man turning into a creature made of stone. No wonder the film takes place on Earth-828.

Again, that’s something a Best Picture nominee should be celebrating, but I digress.

So, where will The Fantastic Four fall, if at all, on Oscar nomination morning?

One of the best bets for Oscar attention has to be for Kasra Farahani’s (Loki) outstanding production design. Inspired by the look of the comic book, their world seems to have no hard edges. All surfaces appear carefully rounded with circular lighting and oval-shaped desks. It’s a gorgeous world that, in cinema, feels entirely unique — one in which I’d love to live. The much-maligned visual effects of the early trailers (how many tweets did you see idiotically proclaiming Julia Garner’s Shalla-Bal to be worse than 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer) actually ended up being quite… well… fantastic. Shalla-Bal emerges as a beautiful creation: emotionally expressive while reflecting the colors of the world around her. Our heroes’ special abilities are realistically and convincingly rendered, particularly Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richard and his elasticity which, in lesser hands, could come across as cartoonish. In less likely scenarios, Giacchino’s score, particularly the main theme, had me enthralled from its first note, and Alexandra Byrne’s vivid costume design effectively recreates very specific imagery from the comics.

No, The Fantastic Four isn’t a perfect film. It’s at times too gimmicky in the way it references comic-leaning lore, and its theme of “family first” doesn’t really offer anything new. And my son and I did slightly wince at a late-breaking character action.

But these minor flaws as well as its box office performance shouldn’t write the entire narrative of the film’s success. The Fantastic Four boasts an enormous heart and a wonderful sense of humor. We should celebrate the rare occasions when Marvel Studios truly takes creative risks. Sometimes (Eternals), they don’t pay off, but when they do, we should embrace the sense of fresh air and the simple joy of a good time at the movies.