Vanessa Kirby on How Playing a Pregnant Superhero in Fantastic Four Prepared Her for Motherhood: “It Changed Me”
Vanessa Kirby is stepping into a whole new chapter — both on screen and in real life.
The 37-year-old Oscar-nominated actress, best known for her performances in Pieces of a Woman and The Crown, is taking on an iconic Marvel role in The Fantastic Four: The First Steps. But what makes this performance uniquely transformative for Kirby is that her character, Sue Storm — aka The Invisible Woman — is pregnant while saving the world.
And coincidentally, so is Kirby herself.
Life Imitates Art: A Role That Hit Close to Home
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Kirby, who revealed her pregnancy in May, said portraying a pregnant superhero gave her an emotional and physical insight into what motherhood truly means.
“I literally had the lived experience of somebody who was doing this incredibly sacred thing and fulfilling what she needed to do at the same time,” Kirby said. “And that changed me.”
The film — set in a retro-futuristic 1960s — follows the iconic team in their early days as superheroes. Alongside Kirby, the cast includes:
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Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic
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Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm / The Human Torch
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Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm / The Thing
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Julia Garner as The Silver Surfer
And yes, the villainous Galactus is coming to devour Earth.
A Superhero and a Mother: No Longer Mutually Exclusive
In The Fantastic Four: The First Steps, Sue Storm is pregnant — but her pregnancy doesn’t define her entire arc.
“She was never sat down,” Kirby said. “She was never huffing and puffing about it.”
Instead, Sue is portrayed as fierce, strategic, and emotionally intelligent, navigating global threats while preparing to bring life into the world. For Kirby, this wasn’t just a character arc — it mirrored her real-life journey.
“Sue is absolutely a mother, and in the comics, that's so definitively her. But she's also a team member who goes up against great threats. That duality resonated with me deeply.”
Breaking Stereotypes: Pregnancy in Superhero Cinema
Marvel’s decision to highlight Sue Storm’s pregnancy while maintaining her authority and strength marks a groundbreaking move in superhero cinema.
Pregnancy, especially in action films, has historically been a sidelined trait. But Kirby’s portrayal challenges that narrative, showing that women can be both creators of life and defenders of it.
This dual portrayal is especially significant in light of Kirby’s own pending motherhood. The experience of carrying a child while playing a world-saving hero offered her both empowerment and emotional clarity.
On-Screen Chemistry & Cosmic Threats
The movie may focus on Kirby’s Sue Storm, but her chemistry with Pedro Pascal (as Mr. Fantastic) is another highlight fans are buzzing about. Their dynamic shows tension, tenderness, and unity, all while the Earth faces destruction from Galactus, brought to screen in cosmic horror glory.
Adding to the excitement is Julia Garner’s unexpected casting as The Silver Surfer — a reimagined version of the character that fans are already hailing as bold and fresh.
Vanessa Kirby’s Off-Screen Glow
While Kirby battles villains on-screen, she’s glowing off-screen too.
The actress is expecting her first child with Paul Rabil, a retired professional lacrosse player. The couple made their relationship public in November 2023 via Instagram and have since kept things relatively low-key.
Sources close to the couple say Kirby is “overjoyed” and excited about this new chapter in her life. Her experience playing Sue Storm may have helped her prepare emotionally — and perhaps even spiritually — for motherhood.
A New Kind of Superhero Movie
The Fantastic Four: The First Steps isn’t just another Marvel origin story. It’s a character-driven, emotionally nuanced film that leans into family, resilience, and evolution.
Sue Storm’s pregnancy storyline isn’t a side plot — it’s woven into the central theme of creation versus destruction. With the arrival of Galactus threatening planetary annihilation, Sue’s pregnancy symbolizes hope in the face of oblivion.
And no one could’ve embodied that better than Vanessa Kirby.
Final Thoughts: Superheroes Are Evolving — And So Are We
In Kirby’s hands, Sue Storm becomes more than a superhero. She becomes a mirror for every modern woman navigating career, identity, and motherhood.
As Kirby put it:
“It changed me.”
Whether you’re a Marvel fan, a parent, or just someone who believes women can truly do it all, The Fantastic Four: The First Steps promises to deliver a story that’s as emotionally resonant as it is visually spectacular.
🎬 The Fantastic Four: The First Steps hits theaters on Thursday, July 24. Will you be watching? Let us know your thoughts on pregnant Sue Storm and Vanessa Kirby’s performance in the comments!
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