Fantastic Four: First Steps stumbles into AI debate

This morning, Marvel took its first steps with the Fantastic Four and found itself knee-deep in the AI debate. The controversy isn't about the trailer. Rather, some believe AI had a hand in the film's teaser posters, showcasing Central City citizens reveling in the existence of Marvel's first family in the 1960s. One poster in particular, showing the crowd of people cheering for and snapping photos of the Four, has the uncanny, plasticky sheen of AI. Classic AI inconsistencies are present in the poster. Duplicated faces, a photographer who doesn't know how to use a camera, and a four-fingered flag-waver have made many wonder why Disney cheaped out on the 36th sequel to Iron Man. For its part, Marvel has denied using artificial intelligence on the poster. A Disney spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter that the company did not develop the image using AI. However, the company didn't explain the inconsistencies. Disney has not responded to our request for comment.

(Courtesy of Disney)

It wouldn't be the first time Marvel used AI. In 2023, the warmly received Disney+ miniseries Secret Invasion featured AI art in its opening credit sequence. At the time, executive producer Ali Selim said the technology fit the show's themes. A year of AI slop later, people see AI's aesthetics throughout the culture. A24's The Legend Of Ochi features creatures made with puppets and animatronics but was accused of being AI because of the film's look, which uses diffused lighting, pastel colors, and symmetrical framing similar to popular AI art. More recently, The Brutalist nearly derailed its Oscar campaign after the film's editor admitted using AI software to clean up the actors' accents and generate architectural drawings and buildings for the film's conclusion.