Ever since Marvel Studios announced the arrival of the Fantastic Four into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans have wondered not only who would wear the blue suits, but how their story would ripple through the multiverse.
With the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, expectations for cosmic adventures, breakthrough science, and larger-than-life villains are exceeded—especially in the film’s mid- and post-credit scenes. As tradition demands, those stingers pack reveals and Easter eggs galore, offering both heartfelt nostalgia and tantalizing setups for what’s next. But just how many post-credit scenes are there, what do they reveal, and how does it all hint at the coming of Doomsday?
How many post-credit scenes does The Fantastic Four: First Steps?
Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps delivers exactly what fans have come to expect from the MCU, offering two post-credit scenes. There’s a mid-credits sequence that serves up critical foreshadowing for future MCU crossovers, followed by a post-credits stinger that’s more playful and nostalgic in tone.
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Mid-Credits Scene: Pivotal for the broader MCU narrative, setting up key threads for Phase 6.
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Post-Credits Scene: A fun tribute to the team’s comic and animated legacy.
What do the post-credit scenes in The Fantastic Four: First Steps involve?
1. Mid-Credits Scene: The Arrival of Doctor Doom
Set four years after the film’s main events, the mid-credits scene opens inside the Baxter Building, home of the Fantastic Four on Earth-828. Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) is reading to her and Reed Richards’ son, Franklin Richards, whose latent powers were hinted at earlier in the film. After a short trip to fetch another book, Sue senses something is wrong and returns to find Franklin not alone—he’s in the company of a mysterious, cloaked figure in a green cape and holding a metallic mask.
Marvel fans instantly recognize this as the first full MCU appearance of Doctor Doom. While his face is never shown, his signature garb and mask are unmistakable. The scene implies Doom has taken a special interest in Franklin, possibly for the child’s powerful abilities. The sequence ends abruptly with the chilling message, “The Fantastic Four will return in Avengers: Doomsday.”.
2. Post-Credits Scene: Animated Nostalgia
The final stinger, after all credits have rolled, shifts to a warmer note. Audiences are treated to a scene from an in-universe Fantastic Four animated series, bringing back memories of Ben Grimm’s classic catchphrase, “It’s Clobberin’ Time!” This callback not only honors the team’s comic and animation roots, but also bookends the movie with a quote from Jack Kirby, the legendary co-creator of the Fantastic Four. The world of Earth-828 itself is a tribute to Kirby, reflecting his birthday in its number.
How is it connected to Doomsday?
The mid-credits scene is crucial in framing the path to Avengers: Doomsday. Here’s how:
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Introduction of Doctor Doom: The sudden arrival of Victor Von Doom (to be played by Robert Downey Jr. in future MCU entries) places him at the center of Phase 6’s escalating threats.
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Franklin Richards’ Powers: The villain’s interest in Franklin hints that the child’s abilities may be pivotal in upcoming MCU events—recalling classic comic arcs where Franklin plays a major role in reality-bending storylines.
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Multiversal Connection: The Fantastic Four are based on Earth-828, a unique retrofuturistic universe apart from the main MCU reality (Earth-616). The sequence hints that Doctor Doom’s schemes might lead to Franklin’s abduction and a reality-hopping pursuit, bringing the Fantastic Four to the core MCU universe just in time for the events of Avengers: Doomsday.
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Thunderbolts Tie-In: The Thunderbolts post-credits stinger foreshadowed the Fantastic Four’s spacecraft appearing in Earth-616, indicating crossover momentum and aligning with Doctor Doom’s actions.
Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled for December 18, 2026, promises to unite these threads—bringing the Fantastic Four, their new adversary Doom, and familiar MCU heroes together for an epic multiversal showdown.
The credits scenes of The Fantastic Four: First Steps not only introduce Marvel’s most iconic villain into the MCU but also clearly signal the shape of things to come, laying out the high-stakes, multiversal conflicts that await in Avengers: Doomsday—making them essential viewing for fans tracking the next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
