August ‘25 CQMB - Fantastic Four, Superman, Secret Wars, & More

This movie did well as a beginning to the DCU. This movie weirdly didn’t always feel like a Superman movie… like at one point it felt like Mr. Terrific was the main character. I feel like this is one of the movie’s strengths as well as one of its weaknesses. This is good in that it introduces an already existing DC superhero universe. But at the same time, it made the movie feel distracted at times. It’s normal for movies to have multiple plotlines, but I feel like it felt a little too big for an introduction to the DCU. That could just be me, but I feel like this movie was a little bloated for being starting the universe (in live-action). Nonetheless, I did enjoy this movie a lot. I really liked the bright look- it completely contrasts Snyder’s vision of a dark universe. That’s what made the DCEU so bad. They were doing too much… Anyways, despite my few criticisms, this movie was very enjoyable, and promises a great future for the DCU. I rate Superman 8.5/10.

Here’s the link to my “Superman Quiz (SPOILERS)” quiz:

https://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/1447601/superman-quiz-spoilers

Woah. Best movie of 2025. I guess it wasn’t necessarily anything groundbreaking, but it is such a breath of fresh air. The MCU is finally back. Thunderbolts* was a good sign, and it took this movie to truly believe we are headed down a goated path. I have more faith in the upcoming Avengers movies now.

First of all, Galactus looked SO GOOD. I was completely astonished by the CGI. I don’t remember the last time Marvel CGI has looked that good. He looked so polished and realistic most people wouldn’t even stop to think about it (only because people notice CGI when it’s bad). His presence was so intimidating and you really felt the stakes as an audience member. I had no idea what Franklin’s fate would be, and to be honest, the movie had me convinced at points that a member of the Fantastic Four would die (even though they were confirmed for Doomsday). The movie did a brilliant job at captivating the feeling of worldwide stakes. That’s what movies like Brave New World don’t do well at all. They state that the stakes span the world, but you only see its impact on the lead characters. This movie portrayed the fear of the civilians and their will to go through with Reed’s plan to teleport Earth showed the desperation and fear. The conflict of whether or not to sacrifice Franklin also is powerful throughout the movie. This desperation is seen in our protagonists, upping the stakes, given they’re supposed to be their world’s saviors. Similar to Superman, the color schemes and brightness really lead, and give the movie a very authentic feel throughout, making it feel way less generic than other MCU installments. The theme song is great too. Each of the members of the Fantastic Four are so lovable, and their on-screen chemistry is impeccable. It’s crazy to me how skeptical a lot of us were when the casting came out, but it worked out so well. The only inherent flaw was the CGI on Franklin. Other than that, this movie was GREAT. And the post-credits scene??? OH MY GOODNESS. It has me so hyped to see Doomsday. Seeing the back of Doom, and him finally appearing is so exciting. I’m still confused about the implications of the Thunderbolts* credits scene, but we’ll find out soon.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps was really great, which is why I rate it 9.3/10.

Here is the link to my “The Fantastic Four: First Steps Quiz (SPOILERS)” quiz:

https://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/1447601/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-quiz-spoilers

Yeah… I didn’t watch it. I didn’t have much motivation since there aren’t really any good reviews. I’ll try to get around to it this month, but no promises.

Julian McMahon, known for acting as Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) passed away this month after having suffered from head and neck cancer. He passed away on July 2.

This month, Kevin Feige confirmed that the MCU will indeed have a kind of reboot after Secret Wars releases. Although this sounds like big news, it’s easy to keep brief: the MCU post-Secret Wars will involve more of the X-Men, and find a few characters returning (i.e., Thor in Thor 5), but some plot points from pre-Secret Wars may be discontinued, such as unresolved credits scenes. It sounds like they will eventually recast iconic characters who have been killed off too, so that the MCU going forward can involve every character and not just leave out whoever died in the movies from years before. I like this idea, since the MCU has grown so big. It makes sense to dial everything down and give the universe a fresh start. It’s exciting knowing that we can see characters like Iron Man interact with X-Men or whatnot, given this plan of theirs. Feige also stated that Miles Morales will not be available to use in the MCU until the Spider-Verse franchise reaches its end. Feige specifically phrased it as a “reset,” given it doesn’t follow the traditional pattern of a full reboot, as some characters may return.

Yep… Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse has been delayed from June 4, 2027 to June 25, 2027… That’s it.

Here's each of the Marvel/DC projects releasing this month:

August 1 - Eyes of Wakanda [Episodes 1-4] (Disney+)

August 21 - Peacemaker: Season 2 [Episode 1] (Max)

August 28 - Peacemaker: Season 2 [Episode 2] (Max)

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this month's CQMB. Be sure to stay tuned for the next CQMB which will release on the first of September.