There’s a lot riding on the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps when it hits theaters in July. It’s the third time the first family of comics has been adapted for the screen. It’s also the third MCU movie on the 2025 movie schedule, and the first two have failed to set the box office on fire. One thing First Steps has going for it is that the film is expected to be a major setup for next year’s Avengers: Doomsday, though if the director is to be believed, not in the way we think.
With a lot of fans already looking forward to the return of Robert Downey Jr. to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday, and the fact that his character of Doctor Doom is traditionally seen opposing the Fantastic Four, there has been a lot of reason to believe that RDJ may appear in the upcoming Marvel movie first. However, the director says that’s not the case.
Despite Rumors, Fantastic Four Director Says Doctor Doom “Not Part Of My Film”
Empire asked director Matt Shakman about Doom, he responded (via CBM)…
post-credits scene in Thunderbolts* wasn’t part of the production of that movie, but is actually a scene from Doomsday that was snipped out and used as a stinger, as has happened before in the MCU. For that reason, the scene wasn’t the work of Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier, but was actually helmed by Joe and Anthony Russo.
The same thing could be true here. If the post-credits scene in Fantastic Four was actually shot to be part of Doomsday, then it’s not part of Matt Shakman’s film and likely wasn’t directed by him. He’s not saying anything that isn’t true, but that doesn’t mean the scene won’t be there.
We’ll have to sit through the credits of The Fantastic Four: First Steps to know for sure, but it’s not like a lot of Marvel fans weren’t already planning to do that.