It’s challenging to come out of The Fantastic Four: First Steps and not spend a day or two thinking about the masterful performance Vanessa Kirby brings as Sue Storm. It’s hard not to think about how the film’s message overtly delivers a love letter to mothers everywhere, reminding us of the sacrifice so many of them consistently make. We get another version of this in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever through Angela Bassett’s Queen Ramonda, but it’s still a rarity for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to showcase how powerful the women are.
Whether mothers or not, women sacrifice plenty in this superhero-led universe, and yet, still, they’re rarely seen or revered in the same way the men are. Women lead and women take care of others, but their efforts are seldom appreciated as they should be. Still, for a movie about an unconventional family, The Fantastic Four: First Steps shines in its treatment of Sue Storm.
On top of Vanessa Kirby’s impeccable performance, the writing allows her to deep dive into Sue’s darkest fears, bringing her to a place where she has to give all that she has. Her powers as the Invisible Woman are cool, but it’s her heart that makes her a hero because she’s willing to not only fight for her own son, but every human being whose life is threatened by Galactus. The indescribable pain she knows as a woman who lost her own mother and has had to take care of her little brother is enough to make someone lose heart. It’s enough to make someone cruel and heartless toward a world that’s already taken too much from her. And yet, she still fights. She still gives all that she has because she doesn’t know how not to.
And the exquisite depiction of all this comes from the fact that the film allows Sue to feel everything. She gets to be angry. She has moments of disbelief and panic. She lets herself feel lost. She feels the snares of fear. She lets herself be soft and loving. She lets herself laugh. She lets herself crumble before she gives with all her might to protect the world in a way that only a profoundly loving human being can.
Often, and especially within the superhero genre, women aren’t given the space to be layered. Yet in recent years, and especially today, we have the space to show how much range we have, in the same way that male superheroes and villains are often granted. It’s especially gratifying because the new space for the MCU comes at a time when it feels the real world is reverting so much of the progress we’ve made. But with Sue Storm, we get a display of characterization that’s profoundly admirable.
It’s thrilling when actors are given the space to dig into dark emotions that feel cathartic for the viewers, too. We aren’t all mothers watching The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but I think many of us know firsthand what it’s like to sacrifice in a way that’s taking all that we have. We know what it’s like to be forced to choose between our existence and our complacency. And the hypothetical understanding of loving a child with every bone in your body is a powerful message in and of itself, so it’s no wonder that Sue Storm and Vanessa Kirby’s performance is the beating heart of the film.
What are your thoughts on Vanessa Kirby’s performance? Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Marvel | Disney