The Fantastic Four: First Steps has opened in France, Indonesia, Italy, and the Netherlands today, meaning spoilers are already starting to find their way online.
That's inevitable with a staggered international release, but one of the reboot's worst-kept secrets has already surfaced this morning. Several photos from The Fantastic Four: First Steps' mid-credits scene are circulating on social media, revealing a first look at Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.
We won't be posting them here, but they're not exactly hard to find. We'd also argue that this scene works best when seen on the biggest screen possible (it elicited gasps and applause at our screening).
Regardless, you'll find an in-depth breakdown of the movie's post-credits scenes here later today.
Filmmaker Matt Shakman has already confirmed that this sequence was shot by the Russo Brothers on the set of Avengers: Doomsday, and it shows Doom talking to the young Franklin Richards, mask in hand.
Is Doom attempting to convince the youngest member of the Fantastic Four to fix his scarred face, or might he have something more nefarious planned for the son of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman? Many fans have already pointed out that Doom's mask doesn't look dissimilar to the one worn by Iron Man, and while Downey is playing Victor Von Doom, he may still be tied to Tony Stark.
In our review of the movie, we concluded, "The Fantastic Four is an exceptional introduction to the MCU’s First Family, and thanks to a Jack Kirby-infused feel that’s unlike anything we’ve seen before, it proves to be a quintessential superhero movie with Marvel Studios at its brilliant best."
Stay tuned for much more on The Fantastic Four: First Steps' biggest reveals in the coming days.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet.
Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.
Also appearing are Natasha Lyonne as Rachel Rozman, Paul Walter Hauser as Harvey Elder/Mole Man, Sarah Niles as Lynne Nichols, and Mark Gatiss as Ted Gilbert. John Malkovich was set to play Red Ghost, but was cut due to time constraints.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is directed by Matt Shakman from a screenplay by Josh Friedman and Eric Pearson and Jeff Kaplan & Ian Springer.
The movie is set to be released in theaters on July 25, 2025.