‘Look at the 3-fingered man’: Marvel says AI wasn’t used in ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ posters, but fans point to ‘obvious’ signs

The release of Marvel‘s first teaser trailer and posters for The Fantastic Four: First Steps has fans pointing out bizarre inconsistencies in the film’s posters, which many are chalking up to the use of AI. While Marvel has denied using artificial intelligence to make the film’s promotional imagery, critics have doubled down on their beliefs, expressing disappointment in Marvel’s actions.

On Feb. 5, 2025, The Fantastic Four: First Steps movie trailer was released, primarily to positive reactions. Along with the trailer, the studio released four official promotional posters, supporting the movie’s re-imagined narrative using a “1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world,” according to Marvel.

Will all eyes on these materials, fans soon began to point out issues with the promotional posters that would suggest the studio used AI to generate the images. One Redditor said, “The AI is painfully obvious, isn’t it?” While another said, “AI should be there to enhance your work not make it look worse.” Another user simply said, “Welcome to Hollywood.”

In the poster where a young girl looks up at the sky clutching a Hulk doll, fans pointed out that the girl’s hands seemed inappropriately wrinkled for her age, and the people behind her appear disproportionate based on the depth of the scene.

Another promotional poster came under fire; one where a crowd of people wave Fantastic Four flags, pointing out a telltale sign of AI-generated work: unrealistic-looking hands.

“Marvel Studios 100% used AI for Fantastic Four promotion lmao,” user @Spill_Eviction pointed out, sharing screenshots of the portions of the poster the user believed showed signs of computer generation: one hand that seemed to have only four fingers, and another hand that seemed to be holding a flag by its knuckles.

In that same poster, another X user pointed out there are two seemingly identical faces in the crowd, insinuating that even AI wouldn’t have made such an egregious aesthetic error. “If the new Fantastic Four poster was AI it wouldn’t have made the mistake of using the same 2 people twice in the composition. Especially that close to one another. C’mon Disney, do better.”

In still another one of The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ posters, another fan pointed out that the posters in the image’s background appear to be poorly edited in, and the little girl’s legs behind the cart look strange. “Girl pushing the car has wheels for feet,” the commenter said.

Ultimately, the online discourse around the posters seemed to suggest that the images were generated by AI, or at least, poorly photoshopped.

Marvel Studios denies use of AI in The Fantastic Four posters

After a day of online speculation, on Feb. 5, 2025, a spokesperson for Marvel Studios denied AI was used to generate the film’s posters. “AI was not used in the creation of these posters,” the spokesperson said to Indiewire.

No further information was provided from the spokesperson, including clarity on what did create the discrepancies in the promotional posters, or if any fallout occurred as a result of their release.

The statement was met with skepticism, with users online saying “What’s the point of lying?” and “Ahh. So they purposely drew someone with 3 fingers.”

‘This is a disgrace’

This wouldn’t be the first time Marvel Studios was under fire for using AI. Their 2023 mini-series Secret Invasion drew criticism for using AI in the show’s opening credits. The studio’s 2025 film The Brutalist also faced public disapproval for utilizing AI tools to enhance the authenticity of the film’s dialogue.

Marvel Studios announced the cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps on Valentine’s Day 2024, which includes Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn as the iconic quartet of heroes. In May, 2024, it was announced that Russian Doll actor Natasha Lyonne would be joining the cast, but her role remains unconfirmed.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set for US release on July 25, 2025.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Marvel Studios via their website. They did not immediately respond to the request for comment.

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