As MCU fans wait for Avengers: Doomsday, The Fantastic Four: First Steps has a reveal that should tide them over for a while.
Following the post-credits stinger in Thunderbolts* that was directed by the Russo Brothers, the Fantastic Four have now arrived in the MCU. Ten years ago, after the release of the 2015 Josh Trank movie, it seemed like we were never going to get good adaptations of these characters. Now, we have them.
What comes next? Marvel Studios‘ Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, obviously — and a reveal in First Steps has fans more than ready to see how that whole story will play out.
Fantastic Four: First Steps concludes with a major character reveal
In one of the post-credit scenes for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Robert Downey Jr.’s Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom makes his MCU debut. It’s only a post-credits scene and doesn’t give a full look at him; however, it’s the first official look at the long-awaited villainous character.
While plot details for Doomsday and Secret Wars remain largely under wraps at this time, it makes sense to put Doctor Doom somewhere in a Fantastic Four movie. Doctor Doom is a major villain in Marvel Comics who has had run-ins with just about everybody; however, he’s first and foremost a Fantastic Four villain. We don’t know what will happen to Doctor Doom after the Secret Wars movie, but if they’re going to keep him around after that, it’ll likely be in future Fantastic Four projects.
It’s worth noting that the Secret Wars miniseries also ends with a battle between Doom and Reed in which quite literally everything is on the line. Doom’s MCU debut will hopefully get people eager to go check out that comic, which will just further build up the hype for the new Avengers movies.
It also makes sense to include Doom in First Steps since we have known that Robert Downey Jr. was returning to the MCU for about a year now. Some might want to argue that Marvel is revealing Doom’s look too early and that they should have saved it for Doomsday; however, the trailers for Avengers: Doomsday will almost certainly give it away before the actual movie. Giving fans a little tease now, similar to how they handled Thanos in earlier Marvel projects, creates some buzz that will continue building for the next year and a half.
Avengers: Doomsday hype train is in full swing despite releasing almost a year from now
We’ve still got a ways to go for Avengers: Doomsday, granted — the movie currently has a December 2026 release date. We’re ready now, though. Earlier this year, things weren’t looking so hot for the MCU. They’d had a string of not-so-good movies with The Marvels, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Captain America: Brave New World. It was looking like it might’ve been over.
Thunderbolts* started getting people excited again. That Mephisto reveal in Ironheart didn’t hurt, either. And, now, we’ve got critics and fans loving The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Things are looking up. Maybe they can save this Multiverse Saga in the eleventh hour just yet.
Before Avengers: Doomsday, we still have Spider-Man: Brand New Day arriving in July 2026. We don’t know too many plot details about that one, either, at this point (we don’t even know if Tom Holland is in Doomsday yet). Surely, though, there will be some sort of reference or Easter egg that’ll keep getting people hyped up.
We’re ready for all the surprises, twists, and turns Avengers: Doomsday will give us, but, in the meantime, rewatching Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps makes that wait a bit easier.
