Secrets are waiting out there, in the dark of the 2025 movie schedule. Tons of new films are heading our way, with their own gigantic reveals that studios are taking great lengths to hide until those very projects debut at a theater near us. But in a recent interview pertaining to Thunderbolts*’ big Fantastic Four tease, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has said something so mindboggling it’s raised more questions than answers.
Empire Magazine was on hand for last year’s Fantastic Four set visit, and in its July 2025 issue, the publication shared what they’d learned during that walkthrough. This is where these enigmatic statements about Thunderbolts*’ post-credits tag originated. You may want to have a pillow on hand for screaming, as here’s what Mr. Feige had to say:
Well, the name of their ship is the Excelsior, and there is a Fantastic Four ship entering the MCU in the tag. But I’m not sure they’re the same ship.
frustrations with Thunderbolts*. Just when I was starting to forget that Bucky and Sam Wilson are now having a fight over the Avengers branding, this had to happen.
*The New Avengers title reveal. If that’s the case, let’s start asking some questions.
If That’s Not The Fantastic Four’s Ship, Then Whose Is It?
So if that tease at the end of Thunderbolts* isn’t meant to directly tie the First Family of Superheroes in from their universe in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, who the hell is on that ship?
I’m presuming that the only people who know that besides Kevin Feige himself are the creative team on Avengers: Doomsday, considering The Russo Brothers directed this cryptic scene. That fact itself leads me to two big guesses, and neither are good news.
Did We Just See Doctor Doom Heading To Earth-616?
My first theory is that this Reed Richards-designed spacecraft is carrying none other than Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. Whether he’s looking to conquer our universe or purposefully exiled into it, this harbinger of MCU disaster could be zooming towards Earth-616.
And that, my friends, is how you get Doomsday.
Could This Ship Be A Lifeboat For Franklin Richards?
If we’re going to double down on unintended parallels to the Superman mythos, what if this ship is carrying young Franklin Richards, son of Reed and Sue Storm? With rumors that The Fantastic Four: First Steps will see the team’s world devoured by Galactus, as well as some of the supposedly leaked art from Doomsday seeing Vanessa Kirby’s MCU hero unwillingly sitting at the side of a triumphant Doctor Doom, this could have been the only play to save their child.
Is Kevin Feige Just Trolling Us?
Look, I hate to be that guy, but Kevin Feige loves to muddy the waters of speculation as much as he fancies baseball caps. Even Gizmodo’s reporting on this Thunderbolts* post-credits kerfluffle knows it. So with that in mind, could the MCU’s head honcho be trying to throw us off the scent of something so obvious? Again, this is coming after *The New Avengers mind game that proved “the asterisk” really wasn’t the world’s biggest deal.
I wouldn’t be surprised if any of these scenarios were true, because all things are possible in the Multiverse. So I guess I’ll just sit here patiently and wait for The Fantastic Four: First Steps to arrive on July 25th, as that will more than likely have the answers we’re seeking. At least there’s a pretty sweet H.E.R.B.I.E. Concession Vessel that’ll help tide us all over in the meantime.