Comic-Con may have ended last week, but that hasn’t stopped the internet from celebrating all the exciting announcements made during the famous Hall H panels. Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is definitely a hot topic, but there’s also a heartwarming moment going viral between his Fantastic Four co-stars Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby.
In a video that is making its rounds on various social media platforms, Pascal can be seen reaching out to Kirby, who is standing next to him. After a brief touch to her upper arm, she reaches behind her, grabs The Mandalorian star’s hand, and holds it for the remainder of the clip.
Pascal has been open about his struggles with anxiety in the past. Last year, he made headlines for explaining his go-to red carpet pose as a coping mechanism for his anxious thoughts while attending high-profile events. Dealing with anxiety is no easy feat, but it’s nice to see that Pascal has found ways to make it more manageable while doing press for his high-profile projects. It’s also refreshing to see a man be allowed to be uncomfortable and search for comfort from his co-stars instead of having to put on an act for traditional masculinity’s sake.
The Gladiator 2 star is no stranger to forming deep bonds with his co-stars (just look at his heartwarming friendship with Bella Ramsey); it’s impressive just how quickly he’s seemed to have bonded with his Fantastic Four costar. The highly anticipated MCU movie had yet to begin production at the time of the panel, and yet Kirby seemed to know exactly what Pascal needed at that moment without any verbal prompting.
Not only is it great to see Pascal have support on such a big stage, but the moment has also made fans excited about the potential chemistry between their fictional characters. After all, if the two are already this close without having started filming, the chemistry between Reed Richards and Sue Storm is going to be out of this world.
Of course, Pascal and Kirby won’t be carrying the Fantastic Four alone. The new movie also features Stranger Things’s breakout star Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach is set to play Ben Grimm, better known as the Thing.
When the movie hits theaters in 2025, it will mark the fourth time live-action film for the superhero franchise and its third reboot. Unlike its predecessors, The Fantastic Four: First Steps will not be an origin story and will, instead, focus on the familial dynamic among the team members now that they’ve all come to terms with their supernatural skills.
In addition, the superhero flick will take place in the 1960s and hopes to separate itself from the interconnected MCU by taking place in an alternate universe where the Fantastic Four are the only superheroes in existence. It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out since the team will make appearances in the forthcoming Avengers movies that were also announced during Comic-Con 2024.
Given all this, it seems likely that we’ll get to see even more supportive moments between Pascal and Kirby in the coming months and even years. Fantastic Four: Final Steps is set to hit theaters in July 2025.
