By Since Stan Lee’s 2018 death, legions of comic enthusiasts have yearned for his inventive spark, charisma, and tireless work as Marvel’s living bridge between golden-age origins and the cinematic now.
Equally missed are those lightning-bolt Stan Lee walk-ons that briefly energized numerous MCU installments. Turns out Fantastic Four: First Steps sneaks in a blink-and-miss nod to a fourth-wall-shattering Lee pop-up first printed in 1962.
Observe the frames below: when Shalla-Bal lands on Earth, befuddled spectators crowd the background—among them two men sketching in a comic-book bullpen. These are not random draughtsmen but the architects of the Fantastic Four themselves, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
matt shakman said this was his favorite easter egg to put into fantastic four 🥹 jack kirby and stan lee in their comic studio, just like fantastic four #10 pic.twitter.com/9VdoQYeTA7August 3, 2025
What tips us off? Repeated name-drops of “Timely Comics” (the company that would blossom into Marvel) throughout Fantastic Four, plus a shot-for-shot recreation of a panel from Fantastic Four #10. In that classic yarn, Lee and Kirby—depicted as themselves—huddle over ideas for a fresh menace moments before Doctor Doom bursts back from being rocketed into space to kickstart one of his most twisted plots: swapping bodies with arch-rival Reed Richards.
First Steps, in essence, operates as an extended love-letter to Jack Kirby. From sweeping cosmos-rumbling set-pieces to Earth-828 subtly honoring the legend’s date of birth, the movie serves up plenty for viewers who have begged Marvel Studios to finally salute one of comicdom’s greatest visionaries.
Sit through the post-credit stinger and you’ll be rewarded with a resonant Jack Kirby quotation, cementing First Steps’ decision to wear its influences proudly on its cosmic sleeve.
Dig deeper with our spoiler-heavy rundown of the Fantastic Four finale and snag the ultimate roadmap on how to stream every Marvel movie sequentially.