The Fantastic Four: First Steps Ending & Galactus’ Fate Explained

Curious how The Fantastic Four: First Steps ending reshapes the MCU’s future? The finale delivers cosmic stakes, a major sacrifice, and the rise of Franklin Richards’ power. With Galactus defeated and new threats emerging, Earth-828 enters a new era.

Here’s the Fantastic Four: First Steps ending explained and what it means for the MCU.

What happened to Fantastic Four, Galactus, and others in First Steps’ ending?

Galactus

In The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Galactus arrives as the primary threat to Earth-828. He is introduced through his herald, Shalla-Bal’s Silver Surfer, who declares that the planet has been marked for consumption. Galactus offers to spare Earth, but only if the Fantastic Four surrender Franklin Richards, an infant born with the Power Cosmic. Galactus believes Franklin is capable of ending his eternal hunger and serving as his successor.

The Fantastic Four reject this offer. Galactus later arrives in New York to claim Franklin himself. He overpowers the team: he hurls The Thing into space, burns through the Human Torch, and stretches Reed Richards to near-death before seizing the child. Sue Storm, rising from the wreckage of a crash, channels her full strength into a force field blast that pushes Galactus toward a teleportation trap. Reed retrieves Franklin. The plan nearly succeeds, but Galactus reemerges from the wormhole, only to be tackled into the void by the returning Silver Surfer. Both vanish.

Silver Surfer

Shalla-Bal, the Silver Surfer of Earth-828, first appears in Times Square to proclaim Earth’s impending doom. After chasing the Fantastic Four through space and failing to retrieve Franklin, she returns to Earth and destroys nearly every planetary teleporter, leaving only one in New York. However, Johnny Storm eventually reaches her with recordings from annihilated worlds. These messages reawaken her conscience.

When Galactus reappears after escaping the wormhole, Shalla-Bal sacrifices herself by hurling both herself and Galactus into the unknown. This act saves Earth-828 but costs her life—or at least her presence in this reality.

Fantastic Four and Franklin Richards

On a retro-futuristic Earth where they’re the only heroes, the Fantastic Four face Galactus, who targets newborn Franklin Richards. After rejecting his offer to trade the child for Earth’s safety, they plan to teleport the planet away. When Shalla-Bal destroys the teleporters, they switch to a backup plan—use Franklin to lure Galactus into a trap.

As Galactus attacks, each team member fights but falls. Sue ultimately uses her full strength to push Galactus into the wormhole, but the effort kills her. Reed, Johnny, and Ben mourn her death until Franklin, still a baby, crawls to his mother and revives her with glowing hands imbued with the Power Cosmic. Her return stuns the team. They reunite, now five strong, and prepare to continue protecting their world.

H.E.R.B.I.E.

Four years later, Sue reads to an older Franklin at the Baxter Building, as H.E.R.B.I.E. mentions The Origin of Species as his favorite. When Sue steps out, a cloaked figure appears, holding Franklin’s hand and Doctor Doom’s mask. The scene confirms Doom is from Earth-828 and hints at his interest in Franklin’s powers, setting up Avengers: Doomsday.

Mole Man

Mole Man helps the Fantastic Four during Galactus’s attack by leading New Yorkers into Subterranea. Recruited by Sue, he plays a key role in the evacuation plan. Described by Shakman as a union-style leader who protects his people, he later appears in the retro cartoon post-credits scene with other classic villains. This nostalgic homage ends with a quote from Jack Kirby: “If you look at my characters, you will find me.”

Kirby’s birthday, August 28, directly links Earth-828 to him, honoring his legacy.