Our Terms & Conditions | Our Privacy Policy
Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’.One of the best parts of The Fantastic Four: First Steps was how it felt like a comic book, with characters inhabiting a fully formed world that already contained so much history, yet it never felt like we were missing any information, thanks to the multiple montages at the beginning of the film. Simply put, Matt Shakman got so much right about this adaptation, but one of the best details was a subtle but significant aspect of Ben Grimm’s (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) backstory: his Jewish heritage. In most of the other versions of on-screen Grimms, we don’t see this specificity, yet it was key to First Steps‘ narrative. For both him and the team, there are multiple benefits to the personal aspects of Ben’s arcs, from helping him connect with a romantic interest to the team’s understanding of their status with the city and its population.
In the film, all members of the team go through separate arcs to the team’s main dilemma surrounding Galactus (Ralph Ineson), and it’s one of the strongest aspects of the film, as it keeps the momentum high constantly as each scene progresses each journey. For Ben Grimm himself, our first introduction to his personal life shows him walking down Yancy Street, the neighborhood he grew up in. There, he meets Natasha Lyonne’s character, Rachel Rozman, after teasing her school kids. While Ben is normally insightful and confident in conversations, he trips over his words in front of her. However, later on, when there is a community meeting at a synagogue, where the star of David stands proudly, he says the perfect thing.
Related
Every Movie & TV Show in Phase Four of the MCU, Ranked by Rewatchability
Where do they go after Endgame?
Rather than saying anything smooth like Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) or analytical like Reed (Pedro Pascal), he merely says he came there to see her. The mise-en-scène of a space that invites people to come together emphasizes the sincere nature of the scene and makes his emotional bond with Rachel feel far stronger. If it had simply been the same street as before or a café, the sense of how faith provides spheres where we can connect with others would be far less clear.
Of course, this story is from Jack Kirby’s Jewish background, the creator of The Fantastic Four and Stan Lee‘s long-time collaborator, with Yancy Street being named after his own neighborhood, Delancey Street, but it is more than an Easter egg. It’s a commitment to the history and core identity of the comics, which other adaptations failed to do. As previously mentioned, the world Shakman created felt lived-in, and having Ben have such a deep-rooted relationship with his heritage contributed heavily to this by not giving us Ben’s entire personal history, but allowing us to envision it by painting us enough of a picture of how he experienced life.
The Fantastic Four Need Ben’s Streel-Level Connection in ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’
While it is always a plus to see a character’s backstory and how their cultural roots could influence them, these become great aspects of a film when they impact the wider plot in a meaningful way, and Ben’s connection to his Jewish heritage is key not only to his character arc, but also to the film’s overall narrative. Via his scenes walking up and down his street, buying cookies and being cheered, or walking home at night being shouted at by guys on bikes, it is Ben who takes the temperature of the public in relation to the team. The Fantastic Four are so focused on protecting people that it is Ben’s information that they are losing favor, which begins Sue’s (Vanessa Kirby) decision to go confront the people. It shows that they care about the emotional well-being of the city as much as whether they live or not.
Overall, it may be small and to some, passed by without much notice, but there was something very touching about the inclusion of Ben Grimm’s Jewish heritage in Fantastic Four: First Steps. Not only did it mean a lot to Ben and the crew, but it was done seamlessly to expand the world and make it feel more realistic. In the end, this increased the stakes of the film for the team, losing not just the planet, but also support.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now playing in theaters.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
-
July 25, 2025
- Runtime
-
115 minutes
- Director
-
Matt Shakman
- Writers
-
Jeff Kaplan, Josh Friedman, Ian Springer, Eric Pearson
Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.
Aggregated From –
Comments are closed.