*The Fantastic Four: First Steps* introduces its eponymous super team to a harrowing moral dilemma. Galactus (Ralph Ineson) offers to spare Earth from complete destruction, but only if Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm/the Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby) agree to relinquish their infant son Franklin.
Naturally, Reed, Sue, Ben Grimm/the Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Johnny Storm/the Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) reject these demands. They will not sacrifice a family member! Additionally, they possess superpowers and extraordinary intellect. Surely a solution exists that can preserve both Franklin and Earth.
Nevertheless, Reed and Sue’s choice to protect their child is met with outrage by the citizens of Earth. They rally outside the Baxter Building, condemning their once-heroic figures as egotistical.
Curiously, that view of the Fantastic Four as selfish seemed to spill into the actual viewing experience as I sat in the theater. A number of patrons audibly expressed their annoyance or threw their hands up in despair each time Reed or Sue voiced the reasonable stance that they would not simply surrender their baby to a cosmic being whose purpose is devouring planets. It appears some viewers preferred to see the superheroes embrace a utilitarian solution, bringing a swift conclusion to the film.
The “save Franklin or save Earth” conundrum is intriguing in itself, but it is notably not the singular occurrence of major summer film and TV properties grappling with life-and-death stakes concerning infants.
In *Superman*, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) takes Metamorpho’s (Anthony Carrigan) infant son Joey captive, threatening to end his life unless Metamorpho adheres to his demands. In *28 Years Later*, Spike (Alfie Williams), his mother Isla (Jodie Comer), and Swedish soldier Erik (Edvin Ryding) witness a woman infected with the Rage Virus give birth to a seemingly untainted baby girl. Fearing the child will become a monster like her parents, Erik threatens to kill her, along with Alfie and Isla if they try to intervene.
However, the title of Most Baby-Hating Characters of 2025 unquestionably goes to the participants in *Squid Game* Season 3. (*The Fantastic Four: First Steps*’ protestors are a close second.) Midway through the season, pregnant player Jun-hee (Jo Yuri) gives birth, only to succumb shortly thereafter. The Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) and the VIPs, in their twisted nature, resolve to keep Jun-hee’s daughter in the game in place of her mother, designating her as the new Player 222.
Do the remaining contestants make an effort to shield the infant from the brutalities of the games? Absolutely not! To them, the baby’s demise equates to an increased share of the prize, leading them to eagerly plot her murder. Only Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) endeavors to protect baby 222, spending the concluding episodes of the season cradling her while fending off a mob intent on her elimination.
The *Squid Game* predicament is indisputably the bleakest illustration among 2025’s “babies in jeopardy” narratives, yet fundamentally, it echoes the baby-related plots in both *The Fantastic Four: First Steps* and *28 Years Later*. Individuals such as the game contestants, the *Fantastic Four* demonstrators, and Erik perceive the infant as an impediment to the demands of a larger collective. In *Squid Game*, that group comprises players in pursuit of monetary gain. While advocating for a baby’s death is reprehensible under any circumstance, this instance stands out as the most abhorrent — dare I suggest, *evil* — portrayal of it in film and television this year.
Next, in *28 Years Later*, Erik represents those survivors who are unwilling to confront an increasing populace of the infected. His apprehension regarding infection may be justifiable, but the baby is not born infected, indicating that this holds true for all other infected children as well. Once more, contemplating the death of an infant? Unacceptable!
Lastly, in *The Fantastic Four: First Steps*, the opposition to the baby is represented by the entire Earth’s populace, who resent having their collective lives compared to that of a single child. Reed even concedes that surrendering Franklin could be deemed an “ethical” resolution. However, that does not diminish the horror of potentially sacrificing one’s child to a cosmic deity, nor does it alleviate the emotional burden carried by Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny regarding that decision.
Fortunately, all these infants, including Joey from *Superman*, emerge unscathed from their perilous situations, with *28 Years Later*