Marvel's First Family Meets America's Finest During Secret "Fantastic Four" Screenings
Fantastic Four gets a surprise military screening as The Walt Disney Company partners with the U.S. Navy to bring the film to service members.
The Walt Disney Company, in a special collaboration with the U.S. Navy, gave thousands of American military service members a heroic surprise: screenings of Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated film, The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
What’s Happening:
- As part of the Navy’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Navy Motion Picture Service program, Disney provided special screenings of the film to Sailors and other military members at home and abroad.
- One of the special screenings took place for service members stationed at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, with multiple showings held from Wednesday, July 23, through Sunday, July 27.
- Attendees were treated to a special recorded greeting from Marvel Studios' Executive Producer Grant Curtis.
- To ensure the surprise, the film was transported to Djibouti under the highest security. The disk was delivered by Jessica Moore, Vice President of Government Relations at The Walt Disney Company, and could only be unlocked with a special pin.
A Patriotic Partnership: Marvel Comics and the Military
- This special screening for the armed forces continues a long, unofficial partnership between Marvel and the U.S. military that dates back to the Golden Age of comics.
- The quintessential patriotic hero, Captain America, was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in 1940, before the U.S. officially entered World War II. The cover of Captain America Comics #1 famously depicted the hero punching Adolf Hitler, a bold political statement at the time.
- During WWII, comic books were immensely popular among soldiers. They were lightweight, easily shareable, and provided a much-needed morale boost and a connection to home. Millions of copies were shipped to troops overseas.
- Many of the creators behind these heroes also served. Marvel architect Stan Lee enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 and served in the Signal Corps, where he wrote manuals, training materials, and scripts for films, officially classified as a "playwright." Jack Kirby, co-creator of Captain America and the Fantastic Four, was a scout in the U.S. Army.
- This history of real-world heroism and service is deeply woven into the fabric of Marvel, making the screening of The Fantastic Four: First Steps for today's service members a fitting tribute to a shared legacy.
More Fantastic Four News:
- Four Surprise Faces Make a Cameo in "The Fantastic Four: First Steps"
- Photos/Video: Marvel Contest of Champions Celebrates "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" at the El Capitan
- A 1958 Disney Song Finds New Life in "The Fantastic Four: First Steps"
- Photos / Video: The Fantastic Four and H.E.R.B.I.E. Arrive in Tomorrowland at Disneyland
- Movie Review: "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" Nails the Heart But Misses the Fun of Marvel's First Family
- Disneyland Shares First Look at The Fantastic Four and H.E.R.B.I.E. in Tomorrowland
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