Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps' post-credit scenes are vital to the state of the MCU, continuing the franchise’s long-held tradition. Thereviews forThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsare dubbing the film a triumph, continuing Marvel’s hot streak afterThunderbolts*. As teased in the latter, both stories will be vitally important toupcoming Marvel movies, which the former reinforces.
Of course, thestory ofAvengers: Doomsdayis on the horizon, which, in some ways,The Fantastic Fourhas teased. Despite taking place in a separate universe from the MCU’s other stories,The Fantastic Four: First Stepshas two post-credit scenes, one of which massively sets up things to come.
With that in mind, here are the various scenes and Easter eggs found throughoutThe Fantastic Four: First Steps’credit sequence that cap off an important2025 for Marvel movies.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Mid-Credit Scene Introduces Doctor Doom To The MCU
A Surprising Comeback in the MCU’s Future
The first post-credit scene inThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsis, without a doubt, the most important.This comes midway through the credits, after the stylized title cards for the movie. In the scene, which takes place four years after the ending ofThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm is shown reading to a more grown Franklin Richards.
Sue leaves Franklin on the couch while searching for his favorite book. Upon Sue’s return,Franklin is accompanied by a familiar figure to Marvel fans: Doctor Doom himself. Doom’s face is not shown, with the green hood covering it as he holds his metal mask in his left hand while Franklin reaches out towards him.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps' mid-credit scene gives intriguing insight into Doom’s upcoming role…
The scene then cuts to black, offering the first tiny glimpse at the MCU’s Doctor Doom and the villain of the upcomingAvengers: Doomsday.Whether this was Robert Downey Jr. or not is unknown, but the iconic Marvel actor will bring the villain to life in 2026. Either way,The Fantastic Four: First Steps' mid-credit scene gives intriguing insight into Doom’s upcoming role.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Sets Up Franklin’s Importance To Avengers: Doomsday
What makes this mid-credit scene so intriguing is the connection to Franklin Richards.Franklin played a vital role inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps,with the film hinting at the godlike powers he possesses in Marvel Comics. Galactus desired these powers before being defeated, and now it seems as though Doctor Doom is following suit.
What Doom wants from Franklin remains to be seen, but some theories can be crafted.Avengers: Doomsdaywill lead intoAvengers: Secret Wars’story, which, if following the comics, will see Doom lord over Battleworld, a dimension that combines several from the Marvel multiverse. Doom achieves this via the manipulation of an incredibly powerful being known as the Molecule Man.
This way,Avengers: Doomsdaycould stem from Doom’s contact with Franklin, all while leading intoSecret Wars.Even if Franklin remains simply Franklin, Doom wants him for something, which will be outlined inDoomsday.
It could be the case that Franklin Richards, whose incredible powers were stressed inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, is the MCU’s version of Molecule Man. This way,Avengers: Doomsdaycould stem from Doom’s contact with Franklin, all while leading intoSecret Wars.Even if Franklin remains simply Franklin, Doom wants him for something, which will be outlined inDoomsday.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Leaves Out An Important Doctor Doom Answer
Concerning Doom himself,The Fantastic Four: First Steps’mid-credit scene leaves out an important aspect of his character. It remains unclear which universe this version of Doom is from. The only hint at Earth-828’s Doom comes in the form of an empty chair representing Latveria, Doom’s home country, when Sue Storm creates the Future Foundation.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set on Earth-828, as opposed to the mainline MCU’s Earth-616.
Still, it is not clear whether the Fantastic Four have already defeated Doom or even if they know who he is. It is also not confirmed whether the Doom seeking out Franklin in the mid-credit scene is from the mainline MCU or another universe entirely.Avengers: Doomsdaywill likely answer this question, even further teasing the 2026 movie.
The Fantastic Four Are Confirmed To Appear In Avengers: Doomsday
The Four Will Return
After the mid-credit scene teasing Doctor Doom,the words “The Fantastic Four will return inAvengers: Doomsday"appear on-screen. This confirms what was already revealed in the announcement ofAvengers: Doomsday’s cast list, which outlined how Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn will reprise their roles.
Thunderbolts*‘post-credit scenealso teased The Fantastic Four’s involvement in the future of the MCU.The Fantastic Four: First Steps, however, kept these links to a minimum. That is, until the text that confirmed the team’s return in the future, undoubtedly spurred by Doctor Doom’s plans for Franklin Richards and the multiverse.
Jack Kirby’s Quote And The Fantastic Four’s Earth Designation Explained
WhereThe Fantastic Four: First Steps’end-credit scene is concerned, it follows a quote by Jack Kirby. Kirby is one of the most iconic Marvel Comics artists in history and was the co-creator of many superheroes and villains, including The Fantastic Four, alongside Stan Lee. At the end ofFirst Steps’credits, a quote from Kirby appears:
“If you look at my characters, you will find me. No matter what kind of character you create or assume, a little of yourself must remain there.”
This is followed by Kirby’s birthday and the date of his death. Kirby was born on July 14, 2025, or 21-07-2025 in date format.This explains whyThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsis set on Earth-828, in honor of the Marvel Comics legend that created the team.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Post-Credit Scene Introduces Even More Marvel Villains
Linked To A Running Gag Throughout The Film
After the credit to Jack Kirby,The Fantastic Four: First Steps' post-credit scene plays. This shows the TV in the Baxter Building while one of the team’s in-universe cartoon specials plays.The cartoon includes many aspects from The Fantastic Four’s history, including another payoff of Ben’s"It’s clobberin' time!“gag.
The cartoon nails the vibe of a Saturday morning superhero cartoon…
Moreover, the Fantastic Four cartoon includes several Marvel villains that the team has fought during their time on Earth-828.These were admittedly hard to see, but some of the cartoons looked like Gargoyle, Draconus, and even potentially a Sentinel from theX-Menstories.
Overall, this final scene was a fun way of paying homage toThe Fantastic Four: First Steps'60s-inspired setting. The cartoon nails the vibe of a Saturday morning superhero cartoon while also tying to Earth-828 and The Fantastic Four’s activities there. While not as vital asThe Fantastic Four: First Steps' mid-credit scene, it still caps off the film on a nice note.
