Marvel fans spot hidden tribute to The Beatles in trailer for Fantastic Four

Paul McCartney, Ed Sullivan, George Harrison, Ringo Starr (back) and John Lennon on the set of the Ed Sullivan Show
-Credit:RB/Redferns


Movie fans have just spotted a reference to The Beatles in an upcoming Marvel film. With the trailer for Fantastic Four dropping yesterday (February 4), keen-eyed fans may have spotted a nod to the Fab Four. It appears for just a few seconds but has sent fans of the band and the movie wild with excitement. A screenshot from the trailer where the Fantastic Four members, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm are posing appears to be very similar to a stage The Beatles had stood on during one of their earliest television performances. The show is still fondly remembered by fans.

Those same fans were left stunned by the stage showcase which shows a similar design to that of the Ed Sullivan show. One fan screenshotting the Fantastic Four trailer and comparing it side-by-side with The Beatles' performance was stunned. They wrote: "The Beatles homage man oh my goddddd." Fans believe it could be a reference which stretches beyond the stage and that the Fab Four nickname is all part of the nod. Others have suggested the comparison between the Fantastic Four and The Beatles could be a bit of a "stretch," though most remain hopeful of the link between the two.

One user wrote: "For all of you saying it’s a stretch, The Beatles were called the "Fab 4" which is why this a funny reference. it’s not a stretch." Another asked: "Was that set exclusively a Beatles thing or did The Ed Sullivan Show use it for other acts too?"

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Some suggested The Beatles reference was nothing more than an accident and said those who saw the connection were simply imagining it. They wrote: "This is a bit of a stretch."

But some were left charmed by the stage design after realising it was a reference to John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.

Another wrote: "As a huge Beatles fan I’m embarrassed I didn’t catch this." A third added: "Whoa! I didn't pick that one up! Thanks for pointing that out!

Other users were left referencing a joke from a previous Marvel movie. Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness made brief reference to the Fantastic Four, with Benedict Cumberbatch's character, Doctor Strange, suggesting they "charted in the 60s" when asked about the Fantastic Four.

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Other users were thrilled to see The Beatles were being mentioned in such a big project. They wrote: "Wait, didn't the director or cast mention the Beatles having some aspects present. Because that's a pretty good idea."

Another praised the design, adding: "That set design was amazing back then." Not everyone was full of praise for the design of the stage, however, with some mocking Marvel's movie-making style.

They wrote: "Why is Marvel determined to have the worst cinematography possible?" Comic book fans also recalled the time a failed Fantastic Four project would have been based on A Hard Day's Night, the 1964 film from The Beatles.

Though little is known about the pitch, Ant-Man director Peyton Reed confirmed the screenplay would have been based on A Hard Day's Night.

He recalled: "I developed it for about a year and we went through some different permutations and some different writers, but yes, one of the big ideas was a set-in-the-’60s thing that at the time was structurally gonna be basically like [The Beatles’] ‘A Hard Day’s Night,’ where we were not going to even deal with the origin story."

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is scheduled for release in July 2025.