The Fantastic Four: First Steps, opening wide on Friday, introduces audiences to Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) in an alternate-Earth, retrofuturistic tale. The film is the launch of Marvel's Phase 6 and sets up the start of its next big villain: Doctor Doom.
The post-credits scene in question plays out unobtrusively. It's four years since the team's dramatic confrontation with Galactus. Sue Storm reads to her young son, Franklin Richards. When she goes to get another book, something seems not right. When she returns, she finds an enigmatic hooded figure standing next to Franklin with a metallic mask in hand. Marvel veterans didn't require a face reveal as the green cloak did all the talking.
This is the character's first official appearance in Marvel Studios continuity, and his introduction is a personal one, not with armies or menaces, but a quiet meeting with a child who could potentially be one of the most powerful entities in the multiverse. Readers of the comics will recognize Franklin Richards is no ordinary child. Having cosmic-powered parents, Franklin has been known to warp reality itself. Which could be why Doom is interested.
Doom's arrival also marks a great shift. Kang the Conqueror was originally supposed to be the center of the saga's menace. But following actor Jonathan Majors' conviction in 2023, Marvel made a change and instead introduced Doom as the impending force of the upcoming multiversal saga. In an unexpected bit of casting, Robert Downey Jr., previously Iron Man himself, now comes back to the franchise, but not as a hero, as Victor Von Doom.
Vanessa Kirby recently praised Downey’s transformation: “It’s some of the most amazing work I’ve seen. He lifts everyone around him.” Joseph Quinn echoed that sentiment, calling Downey “deep, kind, and a real leader on set.”
Avengers: Doomsday, on December 18, 2026, is already in production in the UK with Joe and Anthony Russo. Kevin Feige recently confirmed that the film is being rewritten and perfected every day. Prior to Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel will bring Wonder Man to Disney+ in December and drop Spider-Man: Brand New Day in July 2026.
