(LifeSiteNews) — Disney just released a movie that is being hailed as “the most pro-life Hollywood blockbuster in a long time, and maybe ever,” according to critics and moviegoers alike — I among them — who for years have grown accustomed to suffering disappointment after disappointment from Disney’s aggressively woke offerings.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps, while not overtly Christian, is nonetheless imbued with an unmistakable pro-life, pro-family message from start to finish. There is not a whiff of wokeness, of immorality, or even pro-LGBTQ+ child grooming that has so often saturated Disney-produced movies and TV.
“Of all places, Disney just delivered what might be their most family-affirming, life-celebrating film yet,” Christian evangelist and author Daniel K. Morris noted. “A bold, beautiful, and surprisingly pro-life message.”
“The value of life permeates every action and reaction in the film,” The Federalist’s Kylee Griswold declared.
Perhaps the most amazing scene occurs when Mom, Sue Storm, uses her superhuman invisibility power to reveal the humanity of the baby boy in her womb during an ultrasound.
I love the pro life scene in Fantastic Four… even if the story had some weird plot holes, it was extremely pro-life pic.twitter.com/FLJzmW530a
— True Christian Ministry (@MikePagano87) July 25, 2025
“Fantastic Four: First Steps is the most pro-life superhero movie ever made by Hollywood,” social media influencer Kangmin Lee wrote on X. “The whole plot revolves around the value of life, family, and parental sacrifice.”
“The plot truly centers around parents doing everything and anything they can to protect their child,” Lee continued. “The child in the womb is described as ‘him,’ not an ‘it,’ he is seen as a blessing not an inconvenience, and there were incredible heartwarming scenes surrounding the baby and the joy of new life.”
Fantastic Four: First Steps is the most pro-life superhero movie ever made by Hollywood. The whole plot revolves around the value of life, family, and parental sacrifice. pic.twitter.com/FWt3bPFgj6
— Kangmin Lee | 이강민 (@kangminjlee) July 27, 2025
For the uninitiated, the Fantastic Four are astronauts — Sue Storm and mission leader Reed Richards, a married couple; Johnny Storm, who happens to be Sue’s brother; and Ben Grimm, Reed’s best friend and colleague — who while on a mission in outer space obtain unique superpowers.
The four soon earn superhero status after repeatedly saving New York City from one supervillain and natural disaster after another.
As the movie opens, after years of trying unsuccessfully to have a child and reconciling themselves to being childless, Sue informs her husband, Reed, that she is pregnant. After a moment of shared disbelief, the two rejoice as do the now soon-to-be “uncles” Johnny and Ben.
The crew’s lives are transformed by the good news of Sue’s pregnancy. Even their adorable robot assistant, H.E.R.B.I.E., immediately begins rushing around, baby proofing their entire futuristic Manhattan residence/research lab/space rocket launch complex, installing outlet protectors, baby gates, and assembling a crib.
Like many parents-to-be, Sue and Reed worry that their child might be abnormal, especially since their own bodies have undergone radical changes that have yielded their superpowers. Will he be a superhero with extraordinary powers like them, or maybe a freak monster?
Their concerns reflect those of modern-day parents who fret that their unborn child might have “special needs” or have Down syndrome — discoveries in utero that often cause parents to abort. Yet there is no such discussion among these “Fantastic” parents. The film constantly affirms and reaffirms that unborn children have their own value and dignity. The baby is never referred to as “it.” He is always, “he” and “him.”
As Sue approaches the final weeks of her pregnancy, news arrives that a planet-devouring alien, Galactus, is headed to Earth with his plans for its destruction. When the Fantastic Four meet with the alien entity in order to negotiate for Earth’s survival, Galactus offers his terms: He will spare the Earth on one condition, that Sue and Reed give him their unborn son.
“Galactus asked too high a price. He asked for our child. He said, ‘give us your child and I will spare the Earth’ and I said no … I will not sacrifice this child,” Sue and Reed declared upon their return to Earth with their newborn son, Franklin.
When angry mobs begin to demand that the Sue and Reed give up their son in order to save the planet, Sue shows them the humanity of her son, and their jeers soften as respect for human dignity triumphs.
In the end, Sue dies when she exerts every bit of energy she possesses in order to save her son from Galactus’ clutches. It’s a remarkable display of a mother willing to lay down her own life using every bit of her will power and strength for the child she refuses to sacrifice.
But when baby Franklin is placed on her breast by his father so that he can see his mother’s face one last time, Franklin’s unknown superpower becomes clear: His touch brings her back to life.
Perhaps accidentally, Disney has given the world a movie delivering a message that Hollywood has egregiously squelched in recent decades: Life is sacred. Every child matters.
And for that, Disney is being richly rewarded.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps “conquered the North American weekend box office, earning US$118 million and sidelining Superman, industry estimates showed on Sunday,” Business Times reported.
“This is an outstanding opening,” David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research said. “Fantastic Four was a modest and struggling superhero series; it just caught up with the biggest and the best.”
