That didn’t take long. Within hours of receiving backlash for the alleged use of AI in posters forThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, Marvel Studios released a statement denying any AI was used.Many users on social media sites like X and Blueskytook notice of one poster released forThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsthat featured two of the same people in a crowd shot and one person having four fingers instead of five. These types of mistakes are common in AI-generated artwork, which led to speculation that the posters were AI-generated, or that at least some AI-generated artwork was used in Marvel and Disney’s official marketing.
This potential revelation truly soured the positive reaction to the first teaser trailer forThe Fantastic Four: First Steps. In response, a Marvel spokesperson toldThe Wrapthat"AI was not used in the creation of these posters.“The studio did not elaborate or give any further details, including the name of the artist who made the posters.
The concern around AI is warranted, particularly asMarvel Studios came under fire for using the technology in the opening titles forSecret Invasionin the summer of 2023. Currently, there is no concrete proof that Marvel Studios used AI artwork to create these posters, and the studio’s official statement is the only word audiences have to go on. If Marvel Studios were to be caught in a lie, that would certainly be embarrassing and likely do more damage to the film.
Is Marvel’s Official Statement Enough for Fans?
The Fantastic Four: First Stepsposter debacle comes at a time when the topic of AI has become a hot-button issue, one that immediately raises some rightful alarms. That said, misinformation spreads quickly online. The most recent example isThe Brutalist,which used AI in the editing process to help clear up some of the Hungarian accentsfor Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones. Despite the technology being used for a very small part of the movie with Brody and Jones’s consent, and that it was used in a manner similar to traditional audio editing tools, a narrative has spread that Brody and Jones’s performances or accents were created entirely with AI, and therefore they shouldn’t be considered for the Best Actor or Best Supporting Actress Oscar, respectively. That isn’t the whole story, of course, but saying that Brody and Jones needed AI to enhance their performance is much simpler than telling the entire story.
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It seems unlikely that Marvel Studios' statement will do much to reassure people who already believe the artwork is AI-generated. Sometimes, people will choose to believe what they see with their own eyes despite any clarification. For example,the director ofThe Legend of Ochimade a statement clarifying that the movie did not use AI artwork. Even with the knowledge that the title creature was made with a dedicated art team, many of those criticizing the film for using AI doubled down. They slammed the movie for using material that “looked like AI,” completely losing the thread. One thing for sure is that Marvel Studios will likely be much more careful with its next batch of posters forThe Fantastic Four: First Steps.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
