Marvel has firmly denied using AI to create the posters for The Fantastic Four: First Steps following fan speculation sparked by an image of a man appearing to have only four fingers. The marketing campaign for the film kicked off this week, featuring a teaser for its debut trailer and a series of posters shared on social media.

One particular poster drew attention when fans noticed a man holding a large Fantastic Four flag who seemed to be missing a finger. This image, along with other elements such as duplicated faces, misaligned gazes, and disproportionately sized limbs, led to accusations of using generative AI in the poster's creation.

Four fingers for this Fantastic Four superfan? Image credit: Marvel Studios.

Despite these observations, a Disney/Marvel spokesperson confirmed to IGN that no AI was used in the making of these posters, hinting at other possible explanations for the anomalies.

Regarding the four-fingered man, some speculate that the missing finger might be obscured behind the flagpole, though this seems unlikely given the angles and sizes involved. Others believe it could be a result of poor Photoshop work, pointing more to human error than AI involvement.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps - Trailer 1 Stills

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Disney/Marvel has not yet addressed the specific issue of the four-fingered man directly, leaving room for speculation. It's possible that the missing finger was inadvertently removed during post-production without adjusting the rest of the hand. Similarly, the repeated faces might be due to a common digital trick used with background actors, rather than AI generation.

The controversy surrounding the The Fantastic Four: First Steps poster has ignited discussions about AI in film marketing, likely leading to increased scrutiny of future promotional materials. As we await further developments, there's much more to explore about The Fantastic Four: First Steps, including detailed features on characters like Galactus and Doctor Doom.