'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' streaming date: When will the Marvel hit release on Disney+ and JioHotstar?

Those eagerly awaiting the arrival of The Fantastic Four: First Steps on streaming have something to rejoice. The Pedro Pascal-starrer has been confirmed to release on Disney+ globally on November 5. In India, it will release on JioHotstar the next day.

Featuring the iconic Marvel superhero team Fantastic Four, the film marks the beginning of the MCU’s sixth phase. In the movie, the Fantastic Four goes against Galactus, the Planet-Eating Cosmic Titan, in an attempt to save their 1960’s inspired retro-futuristic world. It is set in an alternate universe from the main MCU within the same multiverse.

Directed by Matt Shakman ("WandaVision") and written by Josh Friedman ("Avatar: The Way of Water"), the film promises a blend of character-driven storytelling and large-scale spectacle.

The big bad in the movie, Galactus (voiced by Ralph Ineson), varies from his depictions in the previous Fantastic Four films, with him having a giant, physical form this time, similar to the comics, in contrast with the cloud-like design in Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Accompanying him is the Silver Surfer (played by Julia Garner), who delivers the haunting line, “I herald his beginning… I herald your end.” This also marks the first time the Silver Surfer is portrayed as female in live action.

At the heart of the film, however are the titular team themselves — The Fantastic Four: Reed Richards/Mr Fantastic (Pedro Pascal); Susan Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby); Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn); Ben Grimms/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach).

Although grand large-scale cosmic action sequences and Marvel’s signature humour can be expected from the film, there are also deep emotional themes of family, responsibility, identity and legacy.

The film’s visual design takes strong inspiration from Jack Kirby’s iconic cosmic art, featuring clean geometric architecture, analogue technology, and stylised costumes that fuse mid-century aesthetics with futuristic innovation. This distinct look sets the film apart from other MCU entries and reflects its setting in an alternate timeline, a concept previously explored in previous projects like Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Although largely self-contained, the movie is already deeply connected to other Marvel projects, notably the much-awaited Avengers: Doomsday. This is because Dr Doom, the main villain in Doomsday, was originally a Fantastic Four antagonist. He will be played by Robert Downey Jr, who will return to the MCU. The movie had also previously tied in with *Thunderbolts. 

In its review of the film, THE WEEK wrote: Unlike recent MCU outings, Fantastic Four: First Steps is an independent movie in itself. It is not a mere context setter for grand sequel plans or a prequel to fill in the blanks. A complete comicbook superhero movie set in a futuristic alternate world, focusing solely on the superheroes and their story. Unlike recent superhero movies from all studios, the characters in this film adaptation are wholesome, fleshed out. They are so well developed by the time the story moves to the ‘rising action’ stage that we, as the audience, feel we have known them for quite a while."

The Fantastic Four will be seen again in Avengers: Doomsday on Dec. 18, 2026.

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