India, July 27 -- First Steps is not just another superhero film. It is a second shot at a franchise that has never quite worked on screen. As The Conversation points out, every past Fantastic Four movie - from the early 2000s to the 2015 misfire - has been labeled a flop. Fans are hoping this time will be different. In comics, though, the Fantastic Four have always been a big deal.

When Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced them in 1961, they ripped up the old superhero playbook. There were no masks. No secret lairs. Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm were public figures, squabbling like any real family while saving the world.

These were not just action comics; they broke social ground. Reed and Sue exchanged vows in 19...