“Actually, I can’t show anything yet because the film I’m working on just started shooting last week – and that’s ‘Fantastic Four,'” Giacchino began.
“I love the Fantastic Four so much, I read those comics as a kid, they’re just so close to my heart. I can’t show you anything from the movie, (but) do you want to hear something?”
The composer, also known for the latest Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland, then played the theme music from Fantastic Four: First Steps from the booming speakers on the Premiere Stage at the Anaheim Convention Center.
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The track begins with a quirky, whimsical intro that evokes the retro-futuristic aesthetic of the story set in the 1960s, with chiming keys accompanied by a fitting choir, slowly building up with the addition of strings.
Then the tempo changes, everything becomes a little more mysterious and uncertain. A slow drum beat joins in, while the notes of the choir, violins and horns become longer before fading away.
Suddenly it’s just the drums. You get the impression that the drama is now really picking up speed. When the rest of the music starts again, it becomes more intense, with strings and a few electronic sci-fi sounds joining in.
This gives way to a rousing horn melody that pays homage to a classic superhero motif like Alan Silvestri’s iconic Avengers theme, which debuted in 2012 and appeared repeatedly in several of the later films.
The horns build to an exciting crescendo and suddenly we find ourselves in a very upbeat, fast electronic track, reminiscent of the wild and unpredictable scientific adventures that made the Fantastic Four so popular.
The tone is bright, optimistic and inspiring, fitting only for Marvel’s First Family, but takes on an epic quality as the horns kick in again and a choir is briefly heard singing in the background: “FAN-TASTIC FOUR!”
All of the different elements of the 3 minute and 15 second track come together beautifully in the finale and harmonize remarkably well with each other, creating one of the most distinctive and memorable Marvel theme songs in recent memory.
Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on Friday, July 25, 2025. Check out our other sci-fi coverage, or visit our TV guide and streaming guide to find out what’s playing.
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