Fans are accusing Disney’s Marvel Studios of using artificial intelligence to create the poster for its long-awaited re-re-reboot of its Fantastic Four superhero film franchise, which is finally set to hit theaters this spring.
Marvel released the teaser poster and the first trailer for the film on Tuesday. Some fans thought the poster had the telltale signs of generative artificial intelligence, specifically with some of the humans on the poster seeming to be missing some fingers. And in another case, a reoccurring face in the crowd.
We have liftoff.
— Fantastic Four (@FantasticFour) February 4, 2025
Marvel Studios' #TheFantasticFour: First Steps lands in theaters July 25. pic.twitter.com/t1nPCbx2D8
Fans pointed to the image of a man’s hand holding a blue flag that seemed to have only three fingers and a thumb.
Guys!! Don’t you get it? The reason they all have 4 fingers is because it’s the Fantastic FOUR! Totally not because they used generative AI for most of this poster! No way! https://t.co/z4jxNe0uLc pic.twitter.com/PMcu37tn5l
— Mason Mulcahy (@MasonMDesigns) February 4, 2025
Other fans insisted that the same woman’s face appears in two different locations in the crowd scene.
If the new FANTASTIC FOUR poster was AI it wouldn’t have made the mistake of using the same 2 people twice in the composition. Especially that close to one another. Cmon Disney, do better pic.twitter.com/Z8U1ZUekeu
— Brock Lay (@BrocknessMnster) February 4, 2025
More fans felt some of the depictions of clothing seemed off, as well. The brown jacket of the woman holding the camera, for instance, seemed to have useless buttons in the middle of her coat.
The crowd scene poster was part of a release of several posters ahead of the July 25 release of the film.
New posters for ‘THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS’ have been released.
— Fantastic Four Updates (@F4Update) February 4, 2025
In theaters July 25, 2025. pic.twitter.com/7uKnP1d0Pl
Marvel responded to the backlash, though, and insisted that no AI was used in the production of any of the posters released this week. A Marvel spokesperson told The Wrap that AI was not used on the posters.
However, it does not appear that Marvel made any effort to explain the inconsistencies noted on the posters by social media users.
The studio also released the first trailer revealing the retro 1960s era during which the film is set evoking that early fascination the world had with the Space Age.
The official trailer for ‘THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS’ has been released.
— Fantastic Four Updates (@F4Update) February 4, 2025
In theaters July 25, 2025.
pic.twitter.com/hCB2IvQykS
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