WARNING: This article contains spoilers to Marvel’s The Fantastic Four First Steps and Avengers Doomsday.
Last year, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) were over the moon when it was announced that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to the Avengers franchise. After an iconic run as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Downey Jr. was set to star in the new Russo Brothers film Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled for release in 2026. The viral-post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces his character, the villainous Doctor Doom. His original character, Tony Stark, famously died in Avengers: Endgame. When Entertainment Weekly asked Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman if Downey Jr had filmed the post-credits scene, he played coy. “For others to talk about,” he teased. Shakman did, however, confirm that the Russo brothers directed the scene, as it was shot during the production of Avengers: Doomsday.
“The Russos did end up directing that (Thunderbolts) post-credits scene, and they also did the one for this movie as well,” Shakman explained. “Just because they were done during the production of Avengers: Doomsday. You’ve got all those actors there, you’ve got those sets there, it just makes sense.” The post-credits scene takes place four years after Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) saved their world from Galactus (Ralph Ineson).
Inside the Baxter Building, all appears calm as Sue reads a children’s book to her four-year-old son, Franklin. When Franklin asks for another story, their robot helper H.E.R.B.I.E. recommends Darwin’s Origin of Species. Sue thinks the book might be too advanced and goes to fetch a lighter one. Upon her return, she finds Doctor Doom kneeling before Franklin, mask in hand, an ominous sign that another powerful cosmic figure is introducing himself to the world’s most powerful mutant.
While this scene sets the stage for Avengers: Doomsday, Shakman declined to reveal what role Franklin might play in the upcoming blockbuster. He did, however, shed light on why Doctor Doom was reserved for the post-credits scene. “That’s one of the things that other movies have done, they’ve often used Doctor Doom,” Shakman said. “Doctor Doom is an amazing character, and he’s coming, as we all know. For us, it felt like, let’s start where you can focus on these four amazing characters, Galactus is awesome too, but he’s a giant cosmic threat, he’s unknowable, and save Doom for a little later.”
