The July 4th holiday weekend is winding down, Ironheart just wrapped up its first season with one of the MCU’s best Disney+ finale episodes, and now all eyes turn towards The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The movie is less than three weeks away, and just a short while ago, the first official clip was released.

Here at Friends From Work, business is about to pick up. Regular podcast episodes are moving back to Thursdays, and here is the schedule for the rest of the month:

And that’s not all. Over on FFW+, Kyle and Robby will be reviewing Fantastic Four (2015), and Marvel Comics 101 is about to kick off with “Marvels” by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross. If the guys can squeeze it in, they’ll also offer their thoughts on the new Superman movie (out next week).

Now it is time to catch up on all the news you missed during the holiday week at…

THE WATERCOOLER

THIS WEEK IN THE MCU

• I want to start this week by acknowledging Ironheart, which released its final three episodes on Tuesday. The show, dismissed by many before its release and review-bombed by keyboard warriors who failed to even watch, has been the surprise of the year for Marvel Studios. A solid show from start to finish, it included an excellent cast, some great connective tissue to the wider MCU, some big surprises, as well as a great finale. Do yourself a favor and check it out if you haven’t already. If you did watch, check out these post-mortems from Inverse (with Regan Aliyah), TV Line (with Chinaka Hodge), Marvel.com (also with Hodge), Variety (with Ryan Coogler and Dominique Thorne), and The Hollywood Reporter (with Lyric Ross).

• The Fantastic Four: First Steps marketing is kicking into high gear, and this “first look” features some great behind-the-scenes insights into the production.

• According to the Glasgow Times, Spider-Man: Brand New Day begins filming in Glasgow on July 28th and continues through August 13th. Several streets in the area will be locked down each day between 8am and 6pm.

• The first teaser for Marvel Animation’s Eyes of Wakanda debuted last week, and also included a date change for the series. All four episodes will now be released on August 27th, three weeks later than initially announced. The delay adds some additional space between the show and The Fantastic Four: First Steps (a full month now, instead of ~10 days originally).

• The official tie-in comic for The Fantastic Four: First Steps hit comic book shelves on Wednesday, and for the first time, confirmed the role of Paul Walter Hauser in the movie- he will be playing Mole Man.

BEYOND THE MULTIVERSE

• Jurassic World Rebirth roared into theaters over the long weekend, scoring over $140 million at the domestic box office and more than $315 million worldwide, blowing initial estimates out of the water. It is the biggest opening weekend of 2025 for an American film, and vaulted star Scarlett Johansson ahead of fellow Avengers alum Samuel L. Jackson as the highest-grossing movie star of all time.

• The first trailer for the adaptation of literary phenomenon Project Hail Mary was released. Starring Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, the movie is one of the most anticipated of a packed 2026 slate and comes out March 20th.

TRUE BELIEVERS RUMOR OF THE WEEK

• One quick casting rumor this week, from longtime Marvel insider Daniel Richtman. According to Richtman, Marvel Studios is eyeing The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey for a future role in the MCU.

ORGANIC PRICED BOOKS PICK OF THE WEEK

FANTASTIC FOUR OMNIBUS VOL. 2

Hi there! Robby again. Welcome back to my semi-regular segment where I try my best to make your shelves as crowded as mine.

If you followed my last recommendation, your “Fantastic Four Vol. 1” omnibus likely arrived earlier this week. And that means today's recommendation is just the natural next step.

If you didn't want to spring for a tome of Silver Age comics last time around (understandable), don't be too quick to dismiss this one. As I said a few weeks back, that first volume shows us Lee and Kirby finding their footing. To me, that's part of the charm. You're not only seeing the Marvel mythos come together page by page, you're also witnessing the birth of one of the greatest (if not the greatest) creative teams in comic-book history.

But if you're looking for the moment when the duo really started firing on all cylinders, you're going to want to pick up “Fantastic Four Vol. 2”. For my money, the only run of Stan Lee comics that can compete with this one is the first 33 issues of Ditko's “Amazing Spider-Man”. Yet, whereas those early Spidey comics were revolutionary in their relatability, the magic of these FF issues is how wildly imaginative they were. This is Jack Kirby at the height of his powers -- both visually and creatively. And while Kirby was likely the primary idea-generator by this point in the run, you can never discount Stan's knack for melodrama -- showcased most memorably in “Fantastic Four #51”, This Man...This Monster!

In fact, if you're only going to read one Lee/Kirby story, it should be FF #48-51. It's not only a high-water mark for classic Marvel Comics, it's also the primary inspiration for a certain film hitting theaters later this month. That's why those rocking the hottest new FFW merch may recognize the cover of this edition...

If you'd rather read the highlights digitally on Marvel Unlimited, I won't judge you. But when you crack this bad boy open and see Kirby's work in all its oversized glory, you'll be glad you sprung for a hardcover collection. Also, as predicted, the first volume has already sold out! And there's a 100% chance this one will soon follow suit. So wait at your own risk!

RE

Thank you, Robby, for another fantastic (see what I did there?) comic book recommendation. Don’t waste any time heading to Organic Priced Books to place your order. When you are done there, head over to our other partner Homage, where they just dropped a new set of X-Men tees for purchase.

See you all back here next week. Thanks for reading!

-Greg