Fantastic Four: First Steps ending explained and full spoilers – was Galactus defeated?

The Fantastic Four: First Steps has just arrived in UK cinemas as the franchise's third film release of the year, and according to reviews it's a suitable introduction for Marvel's First Family as they prepare to spearhead next year's Avengers: Doomsday.

But how does this film set the stage for that one? Read on for a full recap of the events that take place in the new film, and answers to some big questions you may be left with after watching the movie.

But beware: there are obviously some *major spoilers* ahead.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps ending explained – full spoilers for MCU's latest

After our introduction to the characters and their origins, the film really gets going when the inhabitants of Earth-828 are visited by the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) and told their planet has been marked for destruction by fearsome, all-powerful cosmic being Galactus (Ralph Ineson).

This prompts the Fantastic Four to attempt a negotiation with the cosmic being at a distant star system, where they are presented with an especially unappealing ultimatum: he will spare their planet, but only if Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) give up their unborn child, who he believes will have huge cosmic power.

Much of the rest of the film is concerned with watching the quartet try to work their way out of this pickle. Things look especially rough for them when the public – who had once worshipped them – turn squarely against them, convinced they should hand Galactus the child to save the rest of the planet.

But of course, this is the Fantastic Four we're talking about, and however bleak and hopeless the situation might look, you can rest assured that a genius plan will be presented at one point.

In this case, Reed comes up with an idea involving the use of an experimental teleportation bridge device he has created – which he hopes to use to move the entire planet to a different solar system out of Galactus's reach.

This is quite an undertaking – given the device has so far only been used to transport an egg about six feet – but with help from the rest of the planet, they are able to build a new system which should just about allow the plan to come to fruition.

Alas, it proves not to be so simple. Just as they put the plan into motion, the Silver Surfer – who had been trapped for a month since their last encounter – reappears and destroys almost all of the teleportation bridges.

Before she can get to the final one, in Times Square, Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) makes a heroic intervention. He had previously taken a shine to her, and has now been able to learn her language – piecing together that her name is Shalla-Bal and that she had only become Galactus's herald in order to prevent her own planet from being devoured.

He also allows her to listen in to recordings from all the planets who have been devoured since she became Galactus's right hand, and it all appears to prove too much for her as she flees the scene.

Amid all this, Reed and Sue reluctantly land on a new plan. They will use their baby – who has now been born and named Franklin – as bait to lure Galactus to Times Square, where they will then force him towards the bridge and teleport him far away. Reed estimates that they will have only 37 seconds to achieve this goal.

At the last minute, Johnny attempts to trick Galactus by taking Franklin back to their HQ in the Baxter Building and leaving an empty pod in his place – but the cosmic being isn't so easily fooled and duly descends on the real child.

An almighty fight ensues, that sees Reed stretched to an extremely uncomfortable extent by Galactus before Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is able to come to his rescue – using his iconic "It's clobbering time!" catchphrase in the process.

Is Galactus defeated in The Fantastic Four: First Steps?

After Reed is saved by Ben, he manages to retrieve Franklin – and it falls to Sue to face up to Galactus. She does so spectacularly, using her shield-generating powers to push him towards the portal.

Initially, she seems to have been successful, but having over-exerted herself with such prolonged use of her powers, Galactus manages to re-emerge with only 10 seconds of the time limit remaining.

In a desperate attempt to force Galactus back inside the portal, Johnny is ready to sacrifice himself – but thankfully the need for him to do so vanishes when Shalla-Bal reappears and sends both her and Galactus into the portal and away from Earth-828 for good.

So in a sense, Galactus is defeated – at least as an immediate threat. But we wouldn't be betting against a return later down the line by any stretch, even if he is currently in a void millions of lightyears away, trapped with a now supremely dissatisfied assistant.

But it's a big wide multiverse out there, and we already know that the Fantastic Four will very shortly be leaving Earth-828 to join the existing MCU. He'll be back... surely.

Does Sue Storm die in The Fantastic Four: First Steps?

With Galactus taken care of, you might expect the attention to immediately turn towards celebration – but there's one pretty major obstacle that prevents an instant outpouring of joy: Sue has been mortally wounded in her attempts to push Galactus away.

A devastated Reed tries desperately to revive her using CPR, but his attempts seem to be fruitless; she looks well and truly dead as a doornail. That is, until Reed tearfully places baby Franklin on her chest – and she begins to show signs of life once again.

So Franklin really is a very powerful baby – armed with 'The Power Cosmic' – and it's a mighty relief they were able to save him from Galactus. He'll certainly be playing a big part in future MCU instalments...

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now showing in UK cinemas.

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