Principal photography on Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps has now wrapped, and star Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards) has kept the speculation going following a recent set video featuring a mysterious individual being rushed past the camera with a blanket covering his face to hide his identity.
Pascal shared a photo from the wrap party to social media, and the person he's sitting beside has his face obscured with a crown emoji on his head.
Possible spoilers ahead.
Most people seem to be under the impression that this is Robert Downey Jr., who is rumoured to make a brief (possibly post-credits scene) appearance as Doctor Doom in the movie to set up his lead role in Avengers: Doomsday.
This could well be RDJ, but one thing that goes against this theory is the fact that the mystery man is drinking a Peroni, and the actor has been sober for well over a decade. It's possible that he simply ditched the liquor and still has the occasional beer, of course, but it's definitely something to keep in mind.
Check out the photo below along with a new fan-poster from @JustRalphyyy.
The first trailer for The Fantastic Four has yet to be officially released, but there are a few leaked versions from various events such as SDCC and D23 doing the rounds online.
Joining Pascal will be 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, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Punisher, The Bear) as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing.
Julia Garner will debut as the Shala-Bal version of the Silver Surfer, while Galactus has also been confirmed as the main villain. The Eater of Worlds will be played by Ralph Ineson (The Witch, Game of Thrones).
We're still not sure who Natasha Lyonne is playing (the voice of H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot of Ben Grimm's partner Alicia Masters are popular theories), but rumor has it that John Malkovich is playing one of the team's oldest villains, Ivan Kragoff, aka the Red Ghost. There's also speculation that Paul Walter Hauser has been cast as Mole Man, but this has yet to be confirmed.
Kevin Feige recently confirmed that the movie will take place in an alternate universe, but we know that Marvel's First Family will appear in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, so we wouldn't be surprised if they find their way into the main MCU timeline by the end of this movie.
Shooting is now underway, and some set photos have started to show up online.
Matt Shakman directs The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is set to hit theaters on July 25, 2025.