Marvel Denies Using AI to Create The Fantastic Four: First Steps Posters, Despite One of Them Appearing to Show a Man With 4 Fingers

Marvel has denied using AI to create posters for The Fantastic Four: First Steps after fans noticed a seemingly four-fingered man in one image. The marketing campaign launched this week with a trailer teaser and several social media posters. One poster, however, sparked controversy due to a man holding a large Fantastic Four flag appearing to have only four fingers.

Further fueling speculation, fans pointed out duplicated faces, inconsistent gaze direction, and oddly proportioned limbs, all suggestive of AI generation. A Disney/Marvel spokesperson, however, told IGN that AI was not used.

The four-fingered man remains a mystery. Some speculate the missing finger is hidden behind the flagpole, a theory deemed improbable given the finger, pole, and angle. Others attribute the error to poor Photoshopping, a critique of human skill rather than AI.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps - Trailer 1 Stills

Disney/Marvel hasn't addressed the four-fingered anomaly directly, leaving room for speculation. The error could be a simple post-production mistake, perhaps an accidental erasure of a finger without adjusting the rest of the hand. The repeated faces might also be explained by common digital techniques like copy/pasting background actors.

Regardless, the controversy surrounding The Fantastic Four: First Steps and the poster's potential AI involvement will likely increase scrutiny of future film assets. While awaiting further clarification, we continue to cover The Fantastic Four: First Steps, including features on Galactus and Doctor Doom.