- Kevin Feige, in an interview, stated that the ship we see in Thunderbolts' post-credit scene might have the Fantastic Four logo on it, but the team might not be on board.
- This revelation gives rise to suspicion that Doctor Doom could be the one on this ship.
- Fantastic Four First Steps is set to release in theaters on July 11, 2025.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that The Fantastic Four is closing in on its release date at full speed. A while back, when Thunderbolts was playing in theaters, its massive post-credit scene showed the Fantastic Four’s ship entering Earth-616. But here’s the twist—while the ship does have the Fantastic Four logo on it, recent revelations suggest that they might not be the ones piloting it into the main MCU timeline. Now, we were previously told that Doctor Doom wouldn’t appear in Fantastic Four: First Steps, but this new detail might be hinting at something else entirely.
Kevin Feige’s Statement Could Point Toward Doctor Doom’s Introduction
Recently, Kevin Feige was interviewed by Empire Magazine, where he was asked about the connection between The Fantastic Four: First Steps and the post-credits scene of Thunderbolts. To which he responded by revealing the name of the Fantastic Four Ship to be Excelsior, but also said that the ship we see in Thunderbolt’s post-credit scene might not belong to the Fantastic Four.
“Their ship is the Excelsior, and there is a Fantastic Four ship entering the MCU… But I’m not sure they’re the same ship.” – Kevin Feige
Let’s rewind a bit and go back a couple of days. Matt Shakman, the director of Fantastic Four: First Steps, clearly stated that Doctor Doom is not a part of his movie. Meanwhile, Kevin Feige himself mentioned that the Fantastic Four might not be the ones aboard the ship we see entering Earth-616 in the Thunderbolts post-credit scene.
Now, if we tap into the sea of fan theories floating around online, a popular assumption is that Doctor Doom may have hijacked the ship to escape into the 616 timeline—potentially setting the stage for the events of Avengers: Doomsday
There’s a good chance that in the post-credit scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, we’ll see the New Avengers approaching the ship that crash-landed on Earth-616, only to discover some clues suggesting that Doctor Doom might have been the one aboard it.
This way, Matt Shakman technically didn’t lie—Doom wouldn’t be in the movie, but there’d still be a breadcrumb trail hinting at his presence. Another theory I find pretty compelling is that the ship might actually be carrying baby Franklin Richards, acting as an escape pod of sorts. Then, later down the line, Reed Richards and his family could follow his trail to Earth-616.
While these theories are wildly interesting, nothing can be said with absolute certainty as of now because details are being kept tightly under wraps. So, with that being said, let’s wait and see what The Fantastic Four has in store for us on July 11, 2025.
