Thanks to “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” Marvel legend Jack Kirby is finally starting to get more recognition for his work.
Consider it a post-credit scene if you want, consider it a tribute, but the latest MCU film ends with a quote from Jack Kirby, the co-creator and initial artist for the Fantastic Four.
“If you look at my characters, you will find me,” the quote at the end of the film reads. “No matter what kind of character you create or assume, a little of yourself must remain there.”
While Stan Lee was front and center for much of the early hayday of MCU movies for his creations, many of the characters getting movies about them were co-created by Kirby. Other characters the artist had a hand in co-creating include Ant-Man, The Avengers, Black Panther, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, The Silver Surfer, and The X-Men.
It wasn’t just the quote that gives a nod to Kirby. The Fantastic Four of the MCU are from a different, retro-futurist Earth than most of the movies in the canon. The Earth is designated Earth 828. The final tribute reveals Kirby’s birth and death dates Aug. 28, 1917 to Feb. 6, 1994. 8/28 becomes Earth 828.
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is being heralded as a return to form for Marvel Studios after much of Phase 4 and 5 entries were considered rocky. TheWrap critic William Bibbiani called it a first-rate movie for Marvel’s First Family.
In his review he said, “‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps,’ whatever its drawbacks, feels like a real Fantastic Four movie, and that’s no small achievement. It’ll never be as important or influential as the comics but it does feel like an idyllic summer afternoon, sitting under a shady tree and thumbing through back issues of a marvelous series with endearing characters. That’s more than enough. In fact, that’s a heck of a lot.”
