Fans everywhere are losing it over the promotional material for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’sFantastic Four: First Steps, one of which includes a surprisingMarvelcameo. In addition to a trailer that’s generating massive amounts of hype, posters have been released, one of which could hint thatan underrated Marvel characteris getting their day in the limelight.
After months of teasing, fans have finally gotten their first look at the upcoming film,Fantastic Four: First Steps. While a short teaser has revealed the First Family of Marvel’s dynamic to the world, Marvel Studios has also released a series of posters to promote the film.
The poster seriesshowcases the Fantastic Four’sworld and the influence the team has on the world. In one poster, people stand behind a rope and cheer on the Fantastic Four. On the far right is a bespectacled photographer,who looks quite similar to Philip Sheldon, the everyman protagonist of theMarvelsminiseries.
Marvels' Protagonist, Philip Sheldon, Cameos inFantastic Four: First StepsPromo
Coincidence or Intentional Tribute to Iconic Alex Ross Character?
Philip Sheldon was created by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross and first appeared in the four-issue miniseriesMarvels. The series was set from Sheldon’s point of view as a stand-in for what life waslike in the Marvel Universefor an average person. Sheldon is a photographer and journalist and spent decades of his life following the biggest moments of the Marvel Universe up until his death, seen in the follow-up limited series,Marvels: Eye of the Camera. A variant of Sheldon also starred inMarvels’twisted mirror story,Ruins,while Ross gave Sheldon a cameo in DC’sKingdom Come.
Philip Sheldon isn’t the most well-known Marvel Comics character. In fact, he’s only had a couple dozen appearances since he debuted over thirty years ago. But his role in Marvels made a serious impact among readers, serving as a surrogate for the human experience in a world filled with amazing and sometimes terrifying events. Of course, there’s no guarantee that the photographer is meant to be Sheldon, and it could just be a coincidence. But given all that Busiek and Ross have done in comics,it’d be nice to see them both honored by bringing their character to the MCU.
Philip Sheldon Would Make for the Perfect Tribute in New Fantastic Four Movie
Busiek and Ross' Character Gave Fans the Ultimate Human Connection to Superheroes
Both Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross are legends in their own right and their work is respected by fans everywhere. But bringing a character like Philip Sheldon to the MCU would be a fantastic way of acknowledging what they did when they created Marvels. They gave fans a character that so perfectly captured the human fascination with superheroes and the complex relationship people have had with them over decades of storytelling. Though it remains to be seen if this is actually Philip Sheldon in the poster, it’d be a great tribute to Ross and Busiek’sMarvelwork if it is.
