Vanessa Kirby Confirms 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' Explores Gender Politics With Sue Storm

Actress Vanessa Kirby confirmed that Marvel Studios’ upcoming Fantastic Four: First Steps explores gender politics with her Sue Storm character.

Kirby spoke with Entertainment Weekly saying, “If you played an exact '60s Sue today, everyone would think she was a bit of a doormat. So figuring out how to capture the essence of what she represented to each generation, where the gender politics were different, and embody that today, was one of the greatest joys of this."

The idea that Sue Storm was a doormat in the early Fantastic Four comics is ridiculous. In the second issue of Fantastic Four, she turns invisible and breaks herself free from a federal detainment facility.

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Later in the issue she works with the team to take out the Skrulls who have been posing as them and framing them for various crimes.

On top of Kirby’s comments, Entertainment Weekly’s Christian Holub shared that Kirby’s Storm is the head of the Future Foundation and she “has helped achieve global demilitarization and peace.”

Shakman elaborated, “If [Reed] is the most scientifically intelligent person, then she is the most emotionally intelligent person on the planet. Between the two of them, they're building an idealistic society."

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Furthermore, Kirby shared that she ensured her depiction of Sue Storm was not “the stereotype of a goody, sweet mother.”

She explained, “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."

“I've always been really interested in the mess of femininity, and how can you be both? How can you be all the things? Not just the tough, invincible, powerful woman, but also a mother who gives birth, which is itself a superhero act,” she continued. “I love that these characters are real humans in a messy family who argue and try to work it out and get things wrong."

The official synopsis for the film states “Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.”

What do you make of the film exploring gender politics through Sue Storm’s character?

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