Ep. #109 - 2025 SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER BATTLE: Superman v. The Fantastic Four: First Steps

As promised, this week on episode #109 of "Fabulous Film & Friends we’re going to weigh in on the two big ticket super hero extravaganzas from the Summer of 2025:  James Gunn’s Superman starring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Skyler Gisando, Wendell Pierce, Edi Gathegi, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Sara Sampaio and Nicholas Hoult up against The Fantastic Four: First Steps directed by Matt Shakman and starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Julia Garner and Ralph Ineson.

Returning for yet another daringly detailed deep dive into the world of fantastical four colored fantasies is nephew to a comic bookstore Kingpin, author, teacher and hypnotherapist, Joe Field.

Before we blast off into the Ultra-Negative Zone, the synopses:

In 2025’s Superman, it is 3 years into his mission and Earth’s Champion, The Man of Steel has met his match in Lex Luthor who causes a distraction with a giant monster and breaks into Superman’s secret Fortress of Solitude where he translates a message from Superman’s parents in which they instruct their son Kal El –Superman’s Kryptonian name-- to take over earth and spread his seed. Using this jarringly awkward info to turn public opinion against our hero, Luthor has also made a clone of Superman called Ultraman who continually batters and beats the Man of Steel into submission. On top of that, Luthor has a Pocket Universe where he jails his enemies including his ex-girlfriends. And Lex has Ultraman place Superman in a cage with another a super powered being named Metamorpho who can weaken Superman by turning his hands into Kryptonite. Ultimately, Luthor’s cruelty overwhelms Metamorpho who helps Superman escape the pocket universe but it in doing so, the unstable dimensional rift threatens to swallow Earth. It is only with the help of scrappy reporter Lois Lane and a team of heroes called The Justice Gang that Superman that is able to beat Ultraman, Luthor and close the rift. There’s also some political stuff going on with two made up countries going to War because of Luthor’s manipulations.

In The Fantastic Four: First Steps it has been four years since Reed Richards, Sue Storm, her brother Johnny and Ben Grimm were transformed by cosmic rays into the world’s protectors, super stretchy genius Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch and the rock man known as The Thing who are biggest celebrities on the planet. The exciting news that team leaders Reed Richards and Sue Storm are expecting their first child is put on the back burner by the arrival of the Silver Surfer the herald of the planet eating Celestial known as Galactus. Galactus tells the Fantastic Four that he will spare Earth in exchange for their yet unborn child, but that his too high a price to pay. With the public opinion against them, and world watching nervously, the team springs into action and devises a incredible plan to teleport planet earth into the far reaches of space. But then the Surfer and Galactus arrive and put the kabosh on the plan so the FF amends the plan to send Galactus himself into the far reaches of space, which seemed like the better strategy to begin with. 

So which movie was dumber and more suitable for booger eating six year olds? 

Find out!

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