Fantastic Four: First Steps theme music shared by Marvel at D23 – listen now
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Fantastic Four: First Steps composer Michael Giacchino premiered the Marvel blockbuster's main theme music at D23 today – and it is unlike anything the MCU has heard to date.
The composer was speaking at a panel titled Music of Marvel Studios, where he celebrated his past work – including the franchise's legendary opening fanfare – and gave attendees a taste of what's to come.
"I actually can't really show anything, because the thing that I'm working on has just started shooting last week – and that would be Fantastic Four," Giacchino began.
"I love the Fantastic Four so much, I read those comics as a kid, they are just so near and dear to my heart. I can't show you anything from the film, [but] are you up for listening to something?"
The composer, also known for the latest Spider-Man trilogy with Tom Holland, proceeded to play the main theme music from Fantastic Four: First Steps on the booming speakers at Anaheim Convention Centre's Premiere Stage.
The track begins with a quirky, whimsical opening, evoking the retro-futurist aesthetic of the 1960s-set story, with plinking keys accompanied by a matching choir. These slowly build with the addition of strings.
Then, the tempo changes as things become a little more mysterious and uncertain, with the addition of a slow drumbeat, while notes by the choir, violins and horns become longer, before fading out.
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Suddenly, it's just the drums. You get the impression that the drama is really ramping up now. When the rest of the music comes back in, we're getting more intense, building strings and some electronic sci-fi sounds to boot.
This gives way to a rousing horn melody, homaging a classic superhero motif like Alan Silvestri's iconic Avengers theme, which debuted in 2012 and recurred through several of the later films.
The horns build to an exciting crescendo and suddenly we're in a very upbeat, fast-paced electronic track that brings to mind the wild and unpredictable scientific adventures that made the Fantastic Four so popular.
It's bright, optimistic and inspiring in tone, which is only fitting for Marvel's First Family, but takes on an epic quality as the horns come back in and a choir can briefly be heard in the background singing: "FAN-TASTIC FOUR!"
All the disparate elements from across the 3 minute and 15 seconds-long track come together beautifully by the finale, working remarkably well in harmony to form one of the most distinctive and memorable Marvel theme songs in recent memory.
Fantastic Four: First Steps is coming to cinemas on Friday 25th July 2025. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
