Joseph Quinn and Vanessa Kirby recently shared how their versions of Johnny and Sue Storm in The Fantastic Four: First Steps differ from past portrayals. The actors are portraying the brother-sister superhero duo in the upcoming movie. Directed by WandaVision’s Matt Shakman, the Marvel Studios film also stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Pedro Pascal.
Fantastic Four cast and director reveal major changes to Johnny and Sue Storm
Fantastic Four: First Steps will introduce a new version of Marvel’s first family when it’s released on July 25, 2025. There have already been three live-action Fantastic Four films in the past. However, Vanessa Kirby and Joseph Quinn recently revealed that their versions of their characters will be different from past portrayals.
While speaking to Entertainment Weekly recently, Quinn shared, “This version of Johnny (Storm) is less callous with other people’s feelings, and hopefully there’s a self-awareness about what’s driving that attention-seeking behavior.” He stated that his Human Torch is hilarious and “leads with a lot of bravado, which can be an affront sometimes.” The actor described the previous iterations of the character as a “womanizing, devil-may-care guy.”
Director Shakman also described Johnny as “smart.” He added that he’s also “one of the most heroic” out of the other members of the Fantastic Four.
Kirby, who plays Sue Storm, also conveyed that she wanted her version of her character to be different. Sue is known to be the matriarch of the family. Speaking about Sue, Shakman described her as “the most emotionally intelligent person on the planet.”
Talking about her, Kirby said, “One of the things I love most from Sue’s history is when she becomes Malice, and all her dark stuff comes out. I was obsessed with that chapter of her life. So I wanted to make sure that there were tones of Malice in there with her, that she wasn’t just the stereotype of a goody, sweet mother.”
Furthermore, she asserted that she did not want “just the tough, invincible, powerful woman, but also a mother who gives birth, which is itself a superhero act.” In recent footage released at CinemaCon, it was revealed that Sue is pregnant in the film.
