The Three Reasons Why Vanessa Kirby is the Perfect Sue Storm in The Fantastic Four: First Steps
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Annlyel James 
Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios' THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.
Join the excitement for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Discover why Vanessa Kirby’s casting as Sue Storm has already become a fan favorite in the MCU.
The first teaser for The Fantastic Four: First Steps dropped this week, and it’s safe to say it has been my favorite MCU trailer since Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In short, I’m obsessed with the film’s retro-futuristic aesthetic. The cinematography looks phenomenal, and the cast is nothing short of perfect. However, one of the highlights of this movie already is Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm. In just a minute and a half, she has dethroned, in my opinion, all other iterations of the character. She already seems like a fan favorite in the MCU, and we’ve just met her. I think years from now, we’ll look back at this moment and realize just how perfect her casting is. And here’s the three reasons why.
Vanessa Kirby Is Simply Stunning
As a woman, I’m not usually a fan of people judging a female character’s worth based on their prettiness. That being said, Vanessa Kirby is genuinely one of the most beautiful actresses in Hollywood, and Sue Storm is a character I feel should be portrayed by a beautiful actress. Vanessa Kirby’s casting is truly inspired in this regard, and she will be a fan favorite because of this. Of course, it isn’t just her looks that have made her one of the highlights of this new iteration of Marvel’s first family because there’s more to being a superhero than a pretty face.
Vanessa Kirby Is an Action Star
There are plenty of great actors in the movie business who, despite their talents, just aren’t cut out for specific roles. An example of this was recently Paul Mescal’s foray into the blockbuster genre with Gladiator II. Despite having earned an Oscar nomination for his gripping and unforgettable performance in Aftersun, Mescal shrinks under the spotlight in a massive epic like Gladiator. Unlike Russel Crowe, who oozed charisma and charm in 2000’s Gladiator, earning himself an Oscar for Best Actor, Mescal is unfortunately one of the movie’s weaker links. His charisma is underwhelming, to say the least. It doesn’t help that he pales compared to Denzel Washington’s fascinating Macrinus, who steals every scene he inhabits.
This is to say that Vanessa Kirby is an actress who flourishes in the blockbuster genre. She recently starred in the last two installments of the Mission Impossible franchise as the elusive, cunning White Widow. She also showed off more of her leading lady star power in the Fast and Furious spinoff Hobbs and Shaw. In Hobbs and Shaw, I was convinced she was an actress who should be in more action movies. Now that she’s in the MCU, she will be a stalwart of the franchise moving forward. I can see her quickly becoming as beloved and iconic as Scarlet Witch and Black Widow, which makes me so thrilled.
Vanessa Kirby Has the Dramatic Acting Chops
So far, I’ve pointed out that Vanessa Kirby is perfect for the role of Sue Storm because she’s both beautiful and an excellent action movie star. However, there’s more to the Marvel Cinematic Universe than being able to fight villains and look pretty doing it. This franchise continues to this day because Marvel Studios casts actors who can bring genuine gravitas to these characters, thus bringing them to life in a way that sticks with the audience.
Let’s think of Tony Stark/Iron Man for a second. Why was this second-tier superhero able to jumpstart a mega-billion-dollar franchise? Because they cast Robert Downey Jr., a three-time Oscar-nominated (he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor last year) actor as Tony Stark. He played the character so well that it’s almost impossible to imagine anyone else playing the superhero. Many of the MCU’s roster of actors are nominated for Oscars, Emmys, and various other awards, thus highlighting their acting prowess. Angela Bassett almost won herself an Oscar for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever two years ago.
Kirby’s Star Power
So, we have Vanessa Kirby, an Oscar and Emmy-nominated actress, playing Sue Storm. Based on the trailer, it already seems that she’s going to bring an emotional core to the character that we haven’t seen before in any of the other iterations. And I predict that she will be one of the MCU’s greatest heroes when the movie comes out in July.
Like Vanessa Kirby, her castmates are just as talented and ready for this significant endeavor. Pedro Pascal is a three-time Emmy-nominated actor, and if you’ve seen him in The Last of Us, you’d know he is one of the best actors in Hollywood right now. Ebon-Moss Bachrach is a two-time Emmy-winning actor for a reason. His ability to make you care about characters with his vulnerability is a real talent and a perfect skill for a character like The Thing. While Joseph Quinn may not have these award accolades to his name yet, his performance in A Quiet Place: Day One perfectly illustrates his ability to make you deeply care about the characters he plays.
These actors will make the Fantastic Four a household name again, and I can’t wait to see their debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps and continue their journey in Avengers: Doomsday next year. Our team recently enjoyed discussing the new-look cast, and we had various thoughts on it. You can check out our reactions to the new cast right here!
Are you excited about the debut of Marvel’s First Family? Let us know in the comments section below.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps will open globally in cinemas on July 25, 2025.
Annlyel James is a Senior Correspondent of The Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter where she channels the Force frequently!
