‘First Steps' Includes a Touching Quartet of Cameos Bridging ‘Fantastic Four' History

Gizmodo

24-07-2025

As detailed in a new article over at Vanity Fair, The Fantastic Four: First Steps includes a few truly unexpected cameos outside of Paul Walter-Hauser's Mole Man or its brief nods to other 60's-era Marvel antagonists.
As this site's own intergalactic herald, may all who pass the purple portent below know they will be irreparably spoiled…If you've already seen First Steps in its early screenings today, you may have recognized appearances from the original live-action Fantastic Four. Of course, we're referring to the cast of Roger Corman's unreleased 1994 film, made only to retain character rights. You read that correctly: none other than Alex Hyde-White, Rebecca Staab, Jay Underwood, and Michael Bailey Smith make fleeting appearances in Marvel's latest.
While Hyde-White and Staab appear as TV journalists, Underwood and Smith play a pair of power plant workers rescued by the Human Torch in a newsreel at the beginning of the movie. The original cast was even invited to the film's Los Angeles premiere, where Rebecca Staab received a hug from her Sue Storm successor, Vanessa Kirby. As the actress notes in the piece, 'In this business you know anything can happen—and anything can not happen. [John] Malkovich got cut out of the movie, for crying out loud!'
If you weren't already aware of the doomed 1994 film's fascinating history, the piece provides a brief rundown. With a budget of just $1 million, legendary B-movie producer Roger Corman put together a not-nearly-as-bad-as-you-think Fantastic Four movie, all so that a producer friend could meet the contractual deadline allowing him to retain rights that were set to expire at the end of 1993. Unfortunately, the cast was not hip to this fact and felt deep resentment that the project was never intended to see the light of day. Still, bootleg copies of the project have flowed like wine at comic conventions and in tape trading communities, and the film has garnered a small cult following. Just last month, JoBlo touted it to be the best Fantastic Four adaptation, besting at least three of its four theatrical scions. In the words of former Ben Grimm actor Michael Bailey Smith, the acknowledgement 'felt great.' 'Look at the other ones that they're compared to,' he rightfully notes, 'and their budgets? Trust me: if we had a bigger budget, we'd be kicking some serious butt.'
Actor Joseph Colt, who played Doctor Doom in the 1994 film, was unfortunately not asked to participate in First Steps, but when reached for comment stated, 'It's the curse of The Fantastic Four because they have not paid proper homage to the original.' However, Roger Corman's Johnny Storm, Jay Underwood, believes Marvel's invitation has lifted the hex. 'I think the curse is broken. I hope this movie just goes through the roof.' Alex Hyde-White, who played Reed Richards in the film, shares his sentiments. 'I do, actually, believe in karma. Very rarely do you get a chance to wait 30 years to test that theory.'
While the 1994 film is lurking on certain corners of the internet, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in theaters now.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.