The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a largely standalone story, set on Earth-828. Separate from the Sacred Timeline, the movie introduces Marvel's First Family without having to explain why they weren't around to help battle Thanos, for example.
While we have Spider-Man: Brand New Day on the way next summer, that's expected to be a street-level story, meaning this reboot leads directly into the events of December 2026's Avengers: Doomsday.
Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and The Thing will be front and centre in that movie, and we're now taking a deep dive into all the ways The Fantastic Four: First Steps ties into the wider MCU and, more specifically, the Multiverse Saga and how it sets the stage for Avengers: Doomsday.
You can find out more by clicking the "Next"/"View List" buttons below, but be warned that spoilers follow.
4. The Bridge
The Fantastic Four: First Steps hints at Reed's interest in parallel realities on at least a couple of occasions, and introduces one of his greatest inventions, "The Bridge."
While it's used as a teleportation system in this movie, there are some vague insinuations that it could be used to travel between worlds, setting the stage for The Bridge to be a crucial part of Avengers: Doomsday.
In the comics, Reed created it as a means of observing different worlds to learn how they had achieved peace. It ultimately led to the introduction of the Interdimensional Council of Reeds, and returned in the build to Secret Wars as a means of keeping an eye on Incursions.
Whether we see any of that remains to be seen, but bet on this explaining how the team's spaceship travels to Earth-616.
3. Galactus' Final Fate
When Mister Fantastic's plan to move the Earth fails, he sends Galactus to the end of the universe, buying the Earth millions of years before the villain can potentially return to devour the planet.
The Silver Surfer is responsible for sending Galactus through the portal opened by Marvel's First Family, meaning she's stuck right alongside him (and while she can fly on her board, the chances of Shalla-Bal reuniting with her family or the Human Torch appear slim).
We're grateful to Marvel Studios for not killing the Devourer of Worlds, but The Fantastic Four: First Steps doesn't establish him as a Multiversal threat, though there might be something to Reed mentioning that he predates the Earth-828 universe.
Still, with Galactus at the edge of the universe, is it possible for him to break the barrier between realities and perhaps travel to another, similar to Monica Rambeau in The Marvels?
2. The Power Cosmic
In the comics, Franklin Richards is a mutant imbued with powers by his cosmically altered parents, Reed and Sue. His abilities are God-like, and he can rewrite and even create realities. As a baby on Earth-828, we watch as he manages to bring his mother back from the dead.
The one big change made to Franklin in The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the fact that he specifically wields the Power Cosmic. That's the unlimited cosmic energy primarily used by Galactus and his Heralds, and this Franklin Variant is essentially made from the stuff.
According to Galactus, this means the Fantastic Four's youngest member is destined to become the next Devourer of Worlds (on the page, it's similarly foretold that he will be the next "Galactus" in a future iteration of the Multiverse).
Heading into Avengers: Doomsday, it seems obvious that Franklin's abilities will be key, perhaps explaining why they draw the attention of a certain Victor Von Doom...
1. Doctor Doom Arrives In The Baxter Building
In The Fantastic Four: First Steps' mid-credits scene, Sue goes to get a book for her 4-year-old son and returns to find Doctor Doom kneeling in front of Franklin. He's removed his mask, but your guess is as good as ours when it comes to what Victor is up to.
Is he trying to terrify Franklin or see if the boy can heal his disfigured face? And does this Doom Variant come from Earth-828 or another part of the Multiverse? These are questions we expect to be answered in Avengers: Doomsday.
We'd like to think Doom does have a history with this iteration of the Fantastic Four, but when it comes to Franklin's involvement, we'd bet on Doom wanting to use—or steal—the Power Cosmic so he can "save" (and rule over) the Multiverse.
This puts the Fantastic Four on a collision course with Doom heading into the next Avengers movie, and makes their battle with him very, very personal indeed...