Contains spoilers for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”

The Fantastic Four, despite being Marvel’s first family, have had a rough go of it on the big screen. From a low budget ’90s film created solely so the production company could retain the rights to a goofy 2000s duology and a grim-dark 2015 spectacle that’s best left forgotten, it feels like no one has ever managed to truly capture the magic of what this superhero team can do. However, the team’s finally back under the Marvel Studios banner, meaning they can officially enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe — or, at least, exist adjacent to it for the time being.

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” takes place in an alternate reality: Earth-828, to be exact, as opposed to Earth-616, where most of the MCU has taken place up to this point. It frees them from any continuity or lore the Marvel Multiverse has established, allowing them to truly be the heroes of their own story. It also frees the audience from thinking about what other superheroes and villains are up to when Galactus (Ralph Ineson) is on his march to consume the planet. Looper’s review of “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” praises everything from the cast to the score. It gets so much right and builds up to a satisfying finale that will undoubtedly have ramifications for the MCU’s future.

After being exposed to cosmic radiation, the Fantastic Four — composed of Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) — are Earth’s greatest heroes. They’ve fought bad guys for four years when Sue finally gets pregnant. Around this time, Shalla-Bal, aka Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), arrives to warn humanity of Galactus’ impending arrival, in which he will devour the planet. 

The Fantastic Four journey to a distant planet to meet with Galactus face to face to try to convince him to spare Earth, and Galactus says he’d be willing to skip their world if they’re willing to hand over Sue’s unborn child, Franklin. They refuse and barely escape with their lives, and upon arriving back on Earth, they tell everyone they need to find another way to stop Galactus even though everyone else seems super onboard with just sacrificing Franklin. 

However, Reed finds another way. He previously teleported an egg between two locations, so he comes up with a plan to teleport the entire planet. All of humanity comes together to build teleporters around the globe so that they can move Earth away from Galactus’ reach. It’s all for naught, as Silver Surfer shows up to destroy every teleportation pad on Earth except for the one in New York City. Johnny speaks with her to explain how he knows where she came from and how she made a similar sacrifice to the one being asked of them. She became the Silver Surfer so that Galactus would spare her world and daughter, and now that she’s made aware of the mass death she’s brought onto countless worlds, she flies away. 

With one teleportation pad remaining, Reed’s new plan is to lure Galactus into that area to send him to the furthest reaches of the universe. They use Franklin as bait to get him to come down to Earth before destroying it, but Galactus is craftier than he looks. He rampages through a deserted New York City — with all of the residents having been evacuated to Subterranea, where Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser) rules — and grabs Franklin.

Try as they might, the Fantastic Four can’t overpower Galactus until Sue summons all of her strength to psychically push Galactus toward the teleportation pad. It actually works, with Ben preventing Galactus from grabbing hold of any buildings and Reed rescuing Franklin from the Devourer’s grip. Despite being pushed through the portal, Galactus manages to reach back to Earth with only a few seconds remaining until the portal closes. Johnny opts for being the grand hero, flying through New York so that he can push Galactus through the gateway once and for all, at the cost of his own life. However, Shalla-Bal isn’t about to let him give up on being an uncle. She collides with Johnny to nudge him out of the way so she can make things right and push Galactus through the portal once and for all, going through it with him.

Sue exerts so much of her strength that Reed can’t get a pulse on her. The team gathers around, weeping for their fallen family member. But, when Reed places Franklin on Sue’s chest, he uses his immense cosmic powers — the ones Galactus wanted — to revive his mother. Earth is saved, and one year later, the Fantastic Four remain beloved heroes.

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” has both a mid-credits scene and a post-credits scene, and they’re both worth sticking around for — while many Marvel post-credits scenes still haven’t paid off, that’s clearly not going to be the case for one of these tags.

The mid-credits scene takes place four years in the future, with Franklin able to talk now. Sue steps away from him for a moment to grab a book when she hears a strange sound. She cautiously moves back over to the couch and witnesses a strange figure in a cloak crouched down next to Franklin with his metal mask removed. We may not get to see Robert Downey, Jr.’s face, but it’s clear this is Doctor Doom, setting him up as the primary antagonist in “Avengers: Doomsday.” Like Galactus, it appears as though Doom has a vested interest in Franklin’s cosmic powers.

The post-credits scene of “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” falls more into the joke camp of movie tags. It consists of the theme song intro for the Fantastic Four cartoon series present in this universe. The 1960s-style animation is a delight, as the intro song races through each member’s powers. The team’s robot companion H.E.R.B.I.E. (Matthew Wood) turns the TV set off. That one doesn’t set into motion any future films, but it’s a neat sequence to drive home the ’60s aesthetic permeating throughout the film.

If there’s one central theme to take away from “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” it’s that family conquers all. The film makes a big point to show how connected the Fantastic Four are, down to eating dinner together every Sunday night at the same time. Galactus aims to tear this family apart, and even though the entire world wants Sue and Reed to give up their child to save the planet, they know there must be another way. 

Family, and specifically being a mother, also factors into the Silver Surfer’s change of heart. Shalla-Bal is a replacement for Norrin Radd, the better-known Silver Surfer. In the comics, she is normally Norrin’s lover, but he’s nowhere to be found in this adaptation. Instead, we learn how Shalla-Bal had a child of her own, and when Galactus came to her homeworld of Zenn-La, she offered herself as his herald to protect her loved one. However, throughout her duties as the Silver Surfer, she’s destroyed many worlds and annihilated countless families. Her providing the final push to get Galactus through the wormhole is a way for her to make amends. 

Familial bonds take many shapes, and Johnny proves he’s more than willing to lay down his own life to protect his nephew. He offered himself up to Galactus to spare the world, and he’s more than willing to push Galactus and wind up at the edge of the universe if it means his family stays safe. He wasn’t kidding when he said he was going to be the best uncle ever.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently in its sixth phase and 17th year of existence. There have been dozens of films and television series set in the same corner of this world, which is partly what makes “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” feel like such a breath of fresh air. It’s in an entirely new universe, so newcomers can walk into the movie theater without worrying about if they’re going to understand where a certain character came from. Director Matt Shakman didn’t have any directives to set up future installments or plotlines. He could just focus on telling a complete “Fantastic Four” story, and that’s precisely what he did.

Shakman spoke with TechRadar about what a blessing it was not to have to worry about future Marvel projects when putting his film together. “You don’t need to see other Marvel movies or shows to appreciate it,” he said. “There are no Easter eggs. There are no other heroes. It’s just about them, their world, and their story.” That even extended to the ending of “First Steps,” where it wasn’t a prerogative to establish “Avengers: Doomsday” or even another “Fantastic Four” film. “Where they go from here, that’s up to others,” Shakman stated. “They’ll eventually join up with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and that’ll be fun to see.”

Indeed, they’ll join forces sooner rather than later. One of the “Thunderbolts*” post-credits scenes saw the New Avengers check out a peculiar spaceship entering their universe with the Fantastic Four’s emblem on the side. They’ll probably traverse realities at some point in “Avengers: Doomsday,” but as for the specific reasoning as to why they’re traveling through the multiverse, that’s up to the creative team working on “Doomsday” to figure out.

It’s possible there were other options as to how “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” was supposed to end. Perhaps an alternate ending will make its way onto the Blu-ray release. It could’ve specifically shown why the Fantastic Four are going to Earth-616 or dive into what Doctor Doom’s ultimate machinations are. As of now, the only alternate ending idea we have is a simple rumor. It shouldn’t be taken as a definitive fact, but it’s intriguing to look into what might’ve been.

On July 19, 2025, entertainment news scooper @MyTimeToShineH posted to X, “For Fantastic Four: First Steps, they originally planned a post-credits scene with Chris Evans as Nomad coming to warn them. Then they replaced it with one featuring Doom. Now, in the final version, there are two post-credits scenes. Guess what they are.” What we got is a scene with Doom (albeit with his back turned to Sue) and a funny sequence about the Fantastic Four cartoon. There’s no Evans to be found, and it’s unclear if the actor actually filmed a scene or if this was merely an idea someone part of the production had at some point. Of course, it’s possible that this was just a rumor and was never in the cards to begin with. 

Evans remains adamant he’s not in “Avengers: Doomsday,” contrary to the churning rumor mill. One theory remains that Evans could return as a villain in “Avengers: Doomsday,” like how Robert Downey Jr. is coming back as Doctor Doom. Naturally, Marvel needs to keep a few surprises hidden until “Doomsday” comes out in movie theaters, so don’t expect the studio to spill all the beans. It’s going to be hard to keep this a secret right up until the film’s release if it is indeed true, but don’t be surprised if they try to do just that.

The Fantastic Four defeat Galactus at the end of “First Steps.” Their Earth is safe for the foreseeable future, save from whatever random villains lurk in the shadows, like Puppet Master and Wizard. It remains to be seen how financially successful the film becomes, but it’s already a hit with critics. “First Steps” definitely feels like a step in the right direction for the MCU, which has felt somewhat rudderless over the past few years. That means there should be plenty more of Marvel’s first family in the years to come. 

Doctor Doom is the new big bad going into “Avengers: Doomsday,” and the villain is intrinsically linked with the Fantastic Four. They should have plenty to do in the upcoming “Avengers” movies, even if Reed Richards won’t be the leader of the Avengers. Matt Shakman recently had a quote with Variety about Reed being the new Avengers leader taken out of context: “He goes from being the nerdy scientist who’s locked away in the lab, to the husband and the father who’d do anything to protect his family, to the guy who’s leading the Avengers.” Many online believed Reed was set to lead the new Avengers line-up, but Shakman was simply referring to Reed’s usual role in the comics.

Pedro Pascal had to rein it in with a statement to Entertainment Weekly: “Matt was talking about a Reed Richards that, within the comics of the Avengers, the Fantastic Four are brought into the Avengers and Reed is commissioned to lead a mission, but that is different than what we’re doing.” Even if Reed’s not the leader, the Fantastic Four should still be very important to the franchise’s future. 

Clearly, the next thing on the docket for the Fantastic Four is “Avengers: Doomsday.” The mid-credits scene establishes that Victor von Doom is, in fact, in their universe and is interested in Franklin, and we know from “Thunderbolts*” that the Fantastic Four eventually have to make their way to Earth-616. That “Thunderbolts*” post-credits scene was actually directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, who are helming “Doomsday,” meaning that tag effectively functions as a bridge between the two movies.

It remains to be seen what Doom’s ultimate plan is, but it would make sense for him to want Franklin’s cosmic abilities to help him rule over the multiverse. He clearly possesses some kind of teleportation technology and/or magic if he was able to get inside the Baxter Building undetected. Perhaps he’s able to leap between realities, and he takes Franklin to Earth-616 to get away from the Fantastic Four. It wouldn’t be surprising if Reed has perfected multiversal travel, too, and the team follows him to that Earth, hoping to get Franklin back.

This is all just a theory, but it would make sense and be a natural segue into getting all of Earth-616’s heroes involved in Doctor Doom’s story. The Fantastic Four can literally become the harbingers of Doom, telling these new allies about his plans and recruiting the New Avengers (and anyone else around) to help them.

The Fantastic Four will next appear in “Avengers: Doomsday,” and it’s safe to assume they’ll also factor into “Avengers: Secret Wars.” As of this writing, the only other confirmed MCU movie happening is “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which is coming out on July 31, 2026. “Doomsday” and “Secret Wars” are set to come out in December of 2026 and 2027, respectively, and Marvel Studios has a presently untitled movie set for release on July 23, 2027. It’s a safe bet that the mystery movie isn’t a “Fantastic Four” sequel. If anything, it would make more sense for it to be “Doctor Strange 3,” but either way, Marvel is heading toward the end of the Multiverse Saga with “Secret Wars,” and that could have a big impact on Marvel’s first family.

Kevin Feige did a lengthy interview with Variety where he brought up how “Secret Wars” will lead to a soft reset of the MCU’s continuity: “Reboot is a scary word. Reboot can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Reset, singular timeline — we’re thinking along those lines.” The concept of “singular timeline” certainly appears to suggest that whatever happens at the end of “Secret Wars,” there will be one primary reality going forward (and an end to most multiversal shenanigans). This would allow the Fantastic Four to seamlessly slot into place within the mainline MCU story so that they can regularly appear alongside other heroes, like the Avengers and X-Men. The soonest you should probably expect a “First Steps” sequel is 2028.