Marvel Studios has firmly denied using artificial intelligence (AI) to create promotional posters for their upcoming film, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, despite fan speculation sparked by a peculiar detail in one of the posters. The marketing campaign for the film, which includes a teaser for its debut trailer and a series of posters, has drawn attention after fans noticed an image featuring a man seemingly with only four fingers on his hand.

The image in question shows a man holding a large Fantastic Four flag, with his hand appearing to lack a finger. This anomaly led fans to scrutinize the poster further, pointing out other oddities such as duplicated faces, misaligned gazes, and disproportionate limbs, which they suggested could indicate the use of generative AI in the poster's creation. However, a spokesperson from Disney/Marvel has assured IGN that AI was not utilized in the production of these posters.

Speculation about the four-fingered man includes theories that the missing finger might be hidden behind the flagpole, though this seems unlikely given the angles and proportions involved. Another theory posits that it could be a simple oversight or a mistake in the post-production process, possibly involving Photoshop.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps - Trailer 1 Stills

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While Disney/Marvel has not directly addressed the four-fingered man or provided an explanation for the anomaly, the lack of clarity has fueled further speculation. Some suggest that the repeated faces in the poster could result from a common digital editing technique involving copy and paste, rather than AI generation.

This controversy has heightened anticipation and scrutiny for future promotional materials for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Fans are eager for more information, especially regarding key characters like Galactus and Doctor Doom, as they await further developments on this intriguing film.