Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps is finally out on digital and there’s a surprise waiting for fans who purchase a copy. The MCU’s introduction to these heroes is absolutely littered with references to the comics and details for eagle-eyed fans. But, the digital release has something really neat for viewers who stick through the end of the credits. And, it’s a surprise that people didn’t really get during opening weekend at the theater.

Fans on social media who picked up the digital release shared that there’s a secret QR code at the end of the movie. Inside the Future Foundation logo, after the credits roll, Marvel tucked in a secret message. It reads, “The Future Foundation extends its thanks” with a QR code attached. It’s interesting and completely unexpected after seeing the movie more than once!

By scanning the code and following that link, viewers are treated to a Future Foundation landing page with some free comics titles to sift through. Marvel calls them “additional materials” for Marvel Unlimited. This is a fun little bonus until The Fantastic Four return in Avengers: Doomsday next winter. These comics also cover a lot of the plot points presented in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. So, let’s dive in and discuss what we’ve found here!

The Fantastic Four’s biggest story: “The Galactus Trilogy”

Viewers got a taste of The Fantastic Four’s origins in the Marvel movie this summer. But, by scanning that QR code, they can read the comic that started it all. 1961’s first issue is even part of an homage to the team that played in the promotional material for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. But, that’s just the intro to their larger adventures.

Issue #48 heralds the coming of Galactus. And here, the trilogy of issues gets its name for real. The Watcher is on-hand for the Marvel heroes facing their biggest threat yet. The Silver Surfer and Galactus appear first here in the pages of $48. This super family is going to have to find some way to defeat something beyond their comprehension.

At the end of the digital download of #TheFantasticFourFirstSteps, there’s a QR code that takes you to a site where you can read some of the Fantastic Four comics using the Marvel Unlimited app (or by clicking the different comics on the website) ? did anyone else get this? pic.twitter.com/nsA6oNCw6Q

— megs ➃ MEETING JOSEPH QUINN | fred hechinger ceo (@fredhechinger) September 24, 2025

Across the pages of The Fantastic Four #48-$50, the team figures out a way to drive back The Devourer of Worlds. And, as an added bonus, the Marvel Universe now has a Silver Surfer flying around to account for. This is the kind of grand storytelling that makes this era of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and more such a delight to read, even now!

Earth X and other oddities

Shalla-Bal in the new movie is inspired by Earth X’s take on The Silver Surfer. In the main universe, the tragic love of Norin Radd (Silver Surfer), but on an alternate Earth, a herald of Galactus herself. Julia Garner brings some icy intensity to Shalla-Bal’s plight in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Another big addition to these free comics is The Fantastic Four: Life Story. If you were going to pick one book that really helped form some of the tone for the Marvel movie, this would be a great pick. With all the retro-futurism about, it makes sense to use the Fantastic Four origin story most wedded to the 1960s. The gorgeous art is an added bonus too.

‘THE FANTASTIC FOUR’ director Matt Shakman tells us why fans should read Jonathan Hickman’s iconic comic run.

“The Council of Reeds is invented there, Future Foundation is invented there… and it’s hard to beat Spider-Man coming and consoling Franklin after the loss of Johnny.” pic.twitter.com/eJYxBDVGXC

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 22, 2025

Maybe the most sneaky addition here is the first issue of Jonathan Hickman’s run with Marvel’s First Family. As The Multiverse Saga has lightly riffed on the storyline “Time Runs Out,” a Hickman product through and through, it’s good to see the moment that Reed Richards resolves to “Solve Everything” included for curious fans too. We see tinges of Mister Fantastic’s compulsive drive to perfect things here, but it can get much more dire!

(Photo Credit: Marvel Studios)

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In the lead-up to The Fantastic Four: First Steps, director Matt Shakman‘s been more than vocal about his love of Marvel’s First Family. He’s even listed some of his influences, including Fantastic Four co-creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby — who introduced the cosmic menace of Galactus — and current Fantastic Four writer Ryan North. But there’s one creator whose work has permeated every inch of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and that’s Jonathan Hickman. In the foreword to Fantastic Four: Solve Everything by Hickman and a top-tier collection of artists including Dale Eaglesham, Shakman would go in-depth as to how much inspiration he took from this particular Fantastic Four story. “As we developed the script for the film, I returned again and again to this epic run — thrilled by brain-bending innovations like the Council of Reeds and riveted by heroic standoffs against the likes of Annihilus,” Shakman wrote. It isn’t just The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but large parts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that owe a great debt to Hickman’s work.

How Do Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four Comics Influence ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’?

If there’s one way to describe Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four comics, it would be “epic”. Throughout Hickman’s runs, there are secret cities, an apocalypse in the Negative Zone, and Reed Richards laboring to “solve everything” before being contacted by a collection of his alternate universe selves. He also tapped into the family dynamics of the Fantastic Four, which resulted in some truly emotional moments. Once Reed learns that in order to truly solve everything, he’ll have to abandon his family, he doesn’t think twice before turning his back on the “Council of Reeds”. Likewise, Johnny Storm goes out in a literal blaze of glory to save his family, leading Spider-Man to comfort Franklin Richards over the death of his uncle. The biggest concept that Hickman introduced during his Fantastic Four run is the idea of the Future Foundation: a think tank of geniuses dedicated to solving the world’s problems. In The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the Future Foundation is headed under Sue Storm and handles diplomatic matters in addition to scientific ones; this also calls back to Sue taking on a diplomatic role during Hickman’s run.

Jonathan Hickman’s Work Influenced Marvel Films & TV Shows, Including ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ & ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’

In addition to The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Jonathan Hickman’s work can be felt in other Marvel films and even television shows. A major example concerns Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which had the earth-shattering twist that S.H.I.E.L.D. was infiltrated by Hydra for years. The fallout would continue into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., showing how Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his S.H.I.E.L.D. team deal with the revelation.This plot twist was first utilized in Secret Warriors; Hickman, Brian Michael Bendis (another writer who’s had a major influence on the MCU), and Stefano Caselli made the major reveal that Hydra was controlling S.H.I.E.L.D., forcing Nick Fury to utilize a team of superpowered operatives to combat the terrorist organization. That team included Daisy Johnson, aka Quake, who was portrayed by Chloe Bennet during Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s entire run.

Hickman will also have a major impact on the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, especially since the latter is hinted to be drawing from the 2015 miniseries he and Esad Ribic worked on. In the 2015 version of Secret Wars, the Marvel Universe is literally shattered by a dimensional “incursion”, only for Doctor Doom to reforge what’s left into his own personal kingdom. Joe and Anthony Russo have said that the 2015 Secret Wars is a major influence on Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, and even hinted that the films will lead to a potential reboot for the MCU, which Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige also hinted at during a recent press conference. Many fans might think that Feige is the grand architect of Marvel Studios, but it could be argued that Hickman’s work is the blueprint he’s using. And with groundbreaking work on nearly all of Marvel’s major characters, it’s a blueprint Feige should continue to follow.