First Steps” is the third Marvel movie to hit theaters this year, but it packs way more hidden references and nods than “Captain America: Brave New World” or “Thunderbolts.” It’s not on the same level of Easter eggs as last year’s “Deadpool and Wolverine,

"We didn't consider making Doom the villain," the Marvel movie's filmmaker told me. "Mostly, because he's been the villain of every other Fantastic Four film. He takes up a lot of space and he's a wonderful character, but I wanted to be able to focus on this family [and] these four characters [over him].

That might sound like no big deal, but after 2023’s “The Marvels,” this spring’s fourth “Captain America” movie and “Thunderbolts*” all underperformed by Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) standards, the new “Fantastic Four” may offer broader audience appeal by not pulling from other franchises.