Given the fact that Robert Downey Jr. will soon step into the role of Doctor Doom in the MCU, and that the character is most closely associated with Marvel's First Family, fans have understandably been speculating that the villain could make his debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Now, director Matt Shakman has provided us with a pretty definitive answer.
Spoilers follow.
While speaking to Empire for the movie mag's latest issue, Shakman stated: "Doom is not a part of my film, and therefore not a part of my purview."
According to a few different sources, the post-credits scene that was attached to a recent test-screening did feature the villain, with Sue Storm returning to Franklin's crib to find Doom sitting beside the boy while holding his mask in his hands (he doesn't actually say anything, as far as we know).
Do Shakman's comments suggest that this leak is inaccurate? Not necessarily.
A post-credits stinger is not technically part of the movie it's attached to, and for all we know, another filmmaker might have helmed this sequence (just as the Russo Brothers did on Thunderbolts*) to set up the events of Avengers: Doomsday.
At any rate, it sounds like we can forget about seeing Doom in the actual film. Some comic book fans feel that the megalomaniacal ruler of Latveria really should have been the first antagonist the FF faced in this reboot, but it's not too surprising that Marvel decided to go in a different direction after Doom featured in the team's previous big-screen outings.
First Steps stars Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us, Freaky Tales) as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning) as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things, A Quiet Place Day One) as Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Punisher, The Bear) as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing, and Julia Garner (Wolf Man, Ozark) as the Silver Surfer.
Ralph Ineson will play Galactus, and Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser and John Malkovich are also on board in undisclosed roles.
"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."
Matt Shakman directs The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is set to hit theaters on July 25, 2025.