The Fantastic Four has a troubled movie history. It started with the unreleased Roger Corman film in 1994. Then the 2005 and 2007 films. Finally, a reboot that did horribly at the box office in 2015.
But…
We’re now in the era of Marvel having the movie rights to the Fantastic Four. Thank God.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps was a breath of fresh air. There was charm, feeling, and heroics. This Fantastic Four film was everything I’d hoped for.
A little bit of family. A lot of science fiction. A fresh start.
The Fantastic Four consists of:
- Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal)
- Sue Richards (Vanessa Kirby)
- Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach)
- Johny Storm (Joseph Quinn)
Each one has a unique power after being bombarded by cosmic rays. Reed can stretch his body. Sue can turn invisible. Ben has become as hard as stone. Johnny can flame on.
When Earth 828 is threatened, they don’t hesitate to jump in to protect Earth. They’re willing to lay their lives on the line to save lives. Then Shalla Bal (Julia Garner), the herald of Galactus (Ralph Ineson), arrives. She informs Earth that Galactus will consume the planet. There’s no hope for them. Their lives are forfeit. Lay down and die.
That’s not how the Fantastic Four roll, though. They begin to think of ways to stop Galactus. To save their beloved world. And it’s one big gigantic science fair project.
The Fantastic Four’s journey will inspire you. It’ll also offer up multiple leadership ideas you can implement in your life and organization. Brace yourself, Reel Leadership is here to change your life.
Quotes And Leadership Lessons From The Fantastic Four: First Steps
1. Stop rehashing the past:
It’s a trope in many superhero films that you have to rehash the past. When a relaunch comes out, it’s always the origin story. Not so with The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
This film throws us into the lives of the Fantastic Four four years after their creation. They’ve been fighting villains and changing lives, and the film doesn’t focus on their origin, although it briefly touches on it in a news segment with Ted Gilbert (Mark Gatiss).
Instead, The Fantastic Four: First Steps takes us right into the action, the intrigue, the mystery. And it does it without anyone caring.
We recognize that we must honor the past. Great leaders have come before us. They’ve shown us the way.
We don’t have to keep rehashing it, though.
Let’s move into the present, the future. Let’s focus on what’s happening or what’s to come.
2. Johnny Storm:
Why are you being so weird?
Ben, Johnny, Sue, and Reed have dinner at a specific time and place every week. Not this week.
Ben and Johnny are waiting for Reed and Sue. They’re late. That’s not like them. They’re never late.
When Reed and Sue do show up, they’re acting strange. They’re avoiding questions, looking uneasy, and just not being themselves.
Johnny speaks up. He asks them why they’re being so weird. He noticed the shift and wasn’t going to let it be. Come to find out, Reed and Sue are going to be parents!
If you pay attention to the people around you, you begin to see patterns. You understand their behaviors. You can even see when something is out of place.
If you notice something isn’t right, don’t be afraid to ask. You may uncover a hidden truth, allow them to reveal a struggle, or give way to venting.
3. Shalla Bal/Silver Surfer:
Hold your loved ones close.
The Silver Surfer appears to the inhabitants of Earth. The Fantastic Four approach her. She asks if they are the protectors of Earth. They are…
She’s brought a message: Galactus hungers. He will devour your planet. Hold your loved ones close.
Oofff.
What a great reminder that we have a limited amount of time here. And we’re not guaranteed another minute.
Make sure you’re holding your loved ones close. This could be blood family or chosen family.
They’re important. Make sure you let them know.
4. Listen to your people:
When the Silver Surfer first appeared, Johnny Storm, as The Human Torch, followed her into space. The Silver Surfer spoke to him in her natural language.
The rest of the Fantastic Four were discussing what to do next. What should they do to prepare for the invasion…
Johnny tried to speak up. They kept shutting him down, ignoring him. He wanted to tell them how the Silver Surfer had spoken.
Are you listening to your people? When they come to you, do you listen? Do you continue with what you were doing? Do you pay attention?
You must listen to your people. They can bring you needed information. They can share what they’ve seen and heard. Maybe even help you avoid a worker revolt.
Lend your ear to your people. The more you listen to them, the more you’ll discover what’s going on in your organization.
5. Sue Richards:
Just because I’m not talking about it doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about it.
Sue and Reed were lying in bed together. Reed begins to run through a list of things that are happening. Including Sue being the first pregnant woman in space.
Reed is rightfully concerned. His pregnant wife and unborn child are going into the extreme reaches of outer space. He’s freaking out thinking about what could happen.
So he talks…
Sue brings up the fact that she’s thinking of what could happen, what could go wrong. But she’s not talking about it. That doesn’t mean she isn’t.
Sometimes, silence doesn’t mean an absence of thought. Sometimes, silence can mean deep thought.
Allow your people to think, think deeply. Don’t force them to speak or share their ideas. Let them ruminate upon them until they’re ready to share.
When they’re ready, they’ll speak up.
6. Your talent may not be enough:
Sue had a really cool power. She could turn herself and those around her invisible. It’s the reason she was given the name the Invisible Woman.
The Fantastic Four pursue Galactus. They see him destroy a planet. It was time for Sue to act.
Sue had to cloak their ship, The Excelsior, to hide from Galactus. As she cloaks the ship, it appears she has succeeded. Then Galactus pulls the Excelsior toward him.
Sue’s power/talent failed.
Talent can only get you so far. You can shine like the brightest star. You can also burn out just as quickly.
Understand your talent, your skills. Use them. But don’t entirely rely on them.
7. Great leaders earn the trust of their people. And their people listen because of it:
To escape Galactus and the Silver Surfer, Reed asks Ben to go toward a star. He believes the gravitational force of the star will pull the Silver Surfer in.
Ben is hesitant. The force could pull in the Excelsior ship with them in it. They would be stuck there, too!
Reed asked again. Because of the trust Ben had in Reed, he agreed to do so. They were able to escape!
Are you building up trust with your people? Do your actions give them reason to trust you?
The more you work on your EQ (Emotional Quotient), the more your people will trust you.
Find ways to build trust in your organization. When you need something, you will discover you can call on your people to do the job because they trust you.
8. Understand what price you’re willing to pay:
Galactus asked Reed and Sue to make a sacrifice. What was it? Their son, Franklin Richards (Ada Scott).
Reed, of course, tells Galactus no. He’s not willing to give up his son.
What price are you willing to pay to be successful? Are you willing to give up your spouse, child, or friends? Are you willing to give up everything for success?
If so, I’d want you to consider whether or not what you obtain from it is success. It may not be.
The price of leadership is a lot. Yet there are extremes you cannot go to.
9. Leaders can fall out of favor quickly:
The people of Earth loved the Fantastic Four. They celebrated their fourth anniversary.
Then they turned on them.
People found out Reed was given a choice. The choice Reed made put them in a hard spot. And the people turned.
They began to see the Fantastic Four as villains, unconcerned for their safety or security.
It happened fast.
The same can happen to leaders. You make one mistake, one bad choice and people can turn on you. Especially if you haven’t built up trust with them.
Be ready. You’ll fall in and out of favor quickly.
10. Johnny Storm:
Let me make the sacrifice.
Galactus wanted Reed and Sue to sacrifice Franklin. He understood the power Franklin held. Johnny didn’t.
Johnny is talking to Shalla Bal. He tells her to let him make the sacrifice. He can become Galactus’ next herald. He can take Franklin’s place.
What are you willing to do for your family or organization? What are you willing to sacrifice?
Leaders give. Give some more. Sometimes, giving their all.
Are you ready to make the sacrifice?
11. You may need to think smaller:
The Fantastic Four had devised a way to escape Galactus. They would move Earth.
Reed had created a teleportation device. He’d successfully tested the device on an egg. He could transport it from one spot to the other.
Because there was no other way to stop Galactus, Reed thought of a way to move the whole Earth. He would have the world build teleportation devices around the world. They would then activate each one.
The Silver Surfer stopped that. She flew through each device, leaving only one. This is when the Fantastic Four thought smaller.
They didn’t need to move the planet. They needed only to move Galactus.
If they could get him through the teleportation device, they could send him far enough away not to be a concern.
As leaders, we love to think big. We think go big or go home.
What if I said smaller thinking can get the same or better results?
Look at what you’re facing. What smaller action could you take to get the job done?
You might be shocked by what you discover.
12: Jack Kirby:
If you look at my characters, you will find me. No matter what kind of character you create or assume, a little of yourself must remain there.
The movie ended with a quote from Jack “the king” Kirby. Kirby was a comic book artist who brought many of the beloved comic book characters to life. His artwork is considered by many to be the best.
When I think of this quote, I think of leaders around the world. They’re pouring into the lives of those they lead. Those are their characters. Each leader has a profound impact on the people around them.
You leave a little bit of yourself with every person you lead.
