Bang on! The Marvel Cinematic Universe is here with yet another news that has put it into the spotlight. Marvel’s decision to put Sue Storm as a leader of The Fantastic Four: First Steps has disrupted its established dynamic, where Reed Richards is the team’s intellectual leader.
This has sparked a debate online on whether Marvel is following Star Wars’ footsteps, especially with The Acolyte, where heavy promotion and radical principles led to its backlash. The question here isn’t feminism, but the marketing strategy and respect for the set story structure.
When promotion overrode the plot in The Fantastic Four: First Steps
In the comics and the previous films, Reed Richards was positioned as the lead, or rather, an intellectual pillar of the Fantastic Four team. Bringing in Sue Storm as the lead is a progressive shift, but also disrupts the traditional nuance of what has been followed. The debate isn’t just concerned about the leadership of Sue Storm, but by how the marketing can change the dynamic for the MCU.
One of the angles is that by putting Sue Storm as the central figure, this approach, though broad-minded, can put fans apart who have been habituated to Richard Reed’s leadership and his aura. While a female-led superhero film isn’t a problem, marketing a dynamic that is new and has never been explored before can feel a bit shaky to the studio’s established storylines.
Sue Storm is the leader of the team in ‘THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS’
“If you do go back through the comics, you realize that Sue Storm is arguably the leader of the Fantastic Four, because without Sue Storm, everything falls apart,” says executive producer Grant Curtis.… pic.twitter.com/T5i5U4GY1R
— Cosmic Marvel (@cosmic_marvel) June 7, 2025
Similarly, Star Wars: The Acolyte faced the issue of its marketing emphasis on the LGBTQ+ themes and different principal points. Critics argued that this positioning leaned on corporate ideology more than letting the story breathe naturally.
The Acolyte fallout: A cautionary tale
The Acolyte premiered with high production value and creative ambition. But, even before its first episode dropped, the audience perceived its marketing as a pure promotional stunt rather than character-building. The film was well-produced, well-acted, and respected canon in surprising ways. But the real misstep? Letting the marketing narrative, rather than the story, drive audience expectations and define the way.
The audience back then had mixed reactions to Star Wars: The Acolyte, and the same seems to happen here with The Fantastic Four: First Steps. When promotion highlights non-traditional roles or canon changes, it’s often misinterpreted as a “woke” agenda, sparking debates. Hence, the problem isn’t the characters themselves, but how their evolving roles are presented.
I always thought Sue and Reed co-led the team.
— x – William Wilson (@Squwil91) June 8, 2025
Pedro does seem like the type to be led.
— SWFBeachBum (@ChefChrisEllis) June 7, 2025
She’s the heart not the leader, there’s a difference
— Primm_Slim (@Primm_Slim6969) June 8, 2025
With multiplicity in the reactions, it can be observed that though the idea is progressive and a few reactions are positive towards it, it can be a case wherein the Star Wars strategy may backfire on the studio. Therefore, the key is to focus on organic storytelling and character development that fits the universe’s language. A strong female lead or diverse cast should add to the narrative, not be marketed as a bold statement.
How Marvel can avoid a Star Wars-style backlash by letting Fantastic Four speak first
Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s marketing push around Sue Storm mirrors Disney’s miscalculated campaign for Star Wars: The Acolyte, where both prioritized thematic framing and identity signals before even letting the stories speak for themselves.
Fans reacted defensively, though not against representation, but against marketing that reconstructs beloved franchises prematurely. The lesson for Marvel to learn here is that the bold storytelling works, but when marketing rewrites established canon or leads with an agenda, even progressive narratives can spark backlash.
Although this hate is unfair to the countless female-led superhero movies that want to make a difference in the world, it seems that sometimes, tactfulness is the best way forward. Hence, letting the story lead forward and not the campaign is the best bet that can meet the audience’s expectations and make them happy with the upcoming film.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set to release on 25th July, 2025, in theaters (USA).
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
