The Fantastic Four: First Steps has started arriving in theaters across the globe, and we're now taking a deep dive into the movie's post-credits scenes.
The mid-credits scene, directed by the Russo Brothers on the set of Avengers: Doomsday, is by far the most impactful of the two. It starts with a "Four Years Later" title card and finds Sue Storm in the Baxter Building with Franklin Richards.
She's reading her son the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, though when she goes to find him another book, H.E.R.B.I.E. reveals that Franklin's favourite is Charles Darwin's The Origin of the Species. She's rather pick something a little more fun, but hears a strange noise from the sitting room and walks in to find a mysterious figure in a green cloak kneeling in front of her son.
He appears to have lifted Franklin's hand to his face, and in this character's other hand, we see Doctor Doom's silver mask. Yes, it's Robert Downey Jr.'s Victor Von Doom, though what he wants from the youngest member of the Fantastic Four remains to be seen. He doesn't speak and his face isn't revealed.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps establishes Franklin as a being of immense power, so you can probably see how he might be of interest to a villain like Doctor Doom. A title card is then shown confirming that Marvel's First Family will return in Avengers: Doomsday.
In the post-credits scene, we see the intro for the Fantastic Four's in-universe cartoon. It includes appearances from comic-accurate villains like Red Ghost, Puppet Master, and Diablo, but is very much just a fun, throwaway sequence.
Before that plays, a quote from Jack Kirby is shown on screen. "If you look at my characters, you will find me," it reads. "No matter what kind of character you create or assume, a little of yourself must remain there." The Fantastic Four's co-creator's birth date is then shown, confirming that Earth-828 was a homage to the legendary artist.
The Doom reveal is bound to be the biggest talking point, though it leaves us with more questions than answers (for example, neither this stinger nor the movie itself explains the presence of the Excelsior spaceship in Thunderbolts*'s lengthy post-credits scene).
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."
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now playing in theaters.