Following Thanos' ruthless conquest for the Infinity Stones is no easy feat. Since the release of Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been on an uneven quest to find the next big bad of the Multiverse Saga. While all signs initially pointed at Kang the Conqueror, that was far from being the truth. So, in an unprecedented twist of events, Marvel Studios ditched a plan multiple years in the making and instead decided to bet on another antagonist: Doctor Doom.
The Ruler of Latveria is primarily known for being a main villain of the Fantastic Four. As such, fans worldwide all had the same question in their minds since the moment The Fantastic Four: First Steps was announced: Would Doom have any sort of role in the movie? Well, director Matt Shakman revealed that the ruthless sorcerer wasn't a part of any scenes that he filmed. But even then, some still held on to hope, and after months of waiting, we have an official answer.
*** Be warned: There will be spoilers for The Fantastic Four: First Steps ahead ***
Doctor Doom appears in the first post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps
At long last, he's here. Victor Von Doom finally made his presence felt in the MCU, and it was in the most terrifying way possible. By the end of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, it's clear that Franklin Richards is no ordinary human. If you've watched the movie, then you know he is capable of many fantastic things, much like in comic book pages. That's why it wasn't a surprise to learn Doom has an interest in the new member of Marvel's First Family.
The first post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps takes place four years after Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm saved their universe from a big intergalactic threat (quite literally). In this sequence, we see Sue finishing reading a story to her son, Richard. She briefly stands up to look for the next book to read, but when she's about to return to the couch, she senses that something is definitely off. She gets ready to attack, and then the camera slowly pans to Richard, who's reaching out to someone else in the room. You've guessed it: that someone is none other than Doctor Doom.
It's worth pointing out that this sequence was filmed by the Russo Brothers, which is why Matt Shakman technically wasn't lying when he said Doom wasn't part of the movie he made. You almost had us convinced, Matt. You almost had us.
While Victor was with his back to the camera and his green hood mostly obscured everything, he was also holding his mask in his hand. It's a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, but one that quickly establishes Doom comes from Earth-828, where the Fantastic Four live. Furthermore, we also learned that the villain's mask is definitely comic-book accurate. While we couldn't see what Robert Downey Jr. looks like as the Ruler of Latveria or if he also has scars on his face like in the source material, this is just a small glimpse to get us excited about what's to come in Avengers: Doomsday.
While this is the only time that Victor Von Doom was showcased, there's also a small Easter Egg that indirectly confirms his existence earlier in the film. In comic book pages, the evil genius was born in Latveria, and now reigns supreme over this country. Unfortunately, this place doesn't exist in the "Sacred Timeline" or the mainline MCU reality, but it does form a part of Earth-828. After all, when Sue is leading the Future Foundation hearings with leaders of other nations, we see that there was supposed to be someone representing Latveria, yet that person didn't make an appearance.
It's nice to finally get a small glimpse of the MCU's next big bad. After all, time was certainly running out. We only have Spider-Man: Brand New Day to look forward to before Earth's Mightiest Heroes assemble once again on the big screen, which meant The Fantastic Four: First Steps had to be the place where Doom made his grand entrance. Fortunately, that was exactly the case, and we can't wait to learn more about his evil plan to reign supreme over the multiverse.
Avengers: Doomsday will be released on Dec. 18, 2026.