As The Fantastic Four: First Steps nears its release date, rumors regarding the possible appearance of Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom in the film’s post-credits scene continue to pick up heat online. While the iconic supervillain will serve as the primary antagonist for the aptly named Avengers: Doomsday, many expect that his first on-screen appearance will occur in the upcoming Matt Shakman-helmed film. But are there any concrete developments that validate this proposition?
Here’s everything you need to know regarding the proposed appearance of Victor Von Doom in the forthcoming Fantastic Four flick.
Will Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom be in Fantastic Four’s post-credits scene?
At the time of writing, no official word about Doctor Doom’s participation in The Fantastic Four: First Steps has come out.
Nevertheless, SuperHeroHype recently reported that, as per renowned scooper MyTimeToShineHello, the monarch of Latveria features in the post-credits scene of Shakman’s Fantastic Four film. After a public test screening of the movie took place on May 28, MTTSH came out to claim that its conclusive moments include a sequence between Doom and Sue Storm.
In the reported scene, Vanessa Kirby’s character is seen reading to her son, Franklin. After she gets up and returns her gaze to him, she finds Doom sitting beside the child, holding his mask. While it remains unknown if this sequence will serve as Robert Downey Jr.’s long-awaited return to the MCU, the speculations seemed to suggest that The Fantastic Four: First Steps will feature Doctor Doom after all.
However, since then, director Matt Shakman has come out to specify that “Doom is not a part of my film, and therefore not a part of my purview,” in his recent interview with Empire magazine. While his comments seem to nullify MTTSH’s claims, many have theorized that the director could be misleading the audience to maintain the mystery regarding Doctor Doom’s potential appearance in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Additionally, post-credits scenes technically exist outside of the movie’s established lore. As such, Shakman could be speaking the truth about Doom not being in his film, if the character only appears in the Fantastic Four’s post-credits scene.
As such, Doctor Doom, and in extension, Robert Downey Jr.’s involvement in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, remains a matter of discussion. With the movie on track to hit theaters on July 25, 2025, fans can soon find out the truth on their own.
