There was a time when it seemed we'd never see the Fantastic Four cross paths with other Marvel Cinematic Universe characters. After all, Fox held the rights to any live-action adaptation of the supergroup, and they weren't quite sure how to make the most out of it. Their last movie, Fantastic Four (famously known as Fant4stic), is considered amongst the worst superhero movies ever created. The Thing and the Human Torch barely interacted with each other despite their iconic comic book relationship, the VFX left a lot to be desired, and the movie lacked any personality whatsoever. That's why it was quite a relief to see the first trailer of The Fantastic Four: First Steps and know that all those problems may not be present this time around.
The upcoming MCU movie is a retrofuturistic adventure that seems to have a lot of charm, color, and understanding of its titular characters. It's set to take place in an alternate reality where there aren't any more superheroes, and everyone trusts Marvel's First Family to keep them safe. Unfortunately, things will take a dark turn as Galactus will show and threaten to end the world as a whole. For a long time, fans have speculated that the movie will conclude on a bitter note, with the Fantastic Four unable to save their Earth and escaping to a brand new universe in the form of the MCU. But will that really be the case? Well, a new report discloses how things will play out, and it seems audiences are in for a shocking surprise.
Fantastic Four: First Steps will end with an incursion and Chris Evans' appearance
According to a new scoop by insider The Beyond Reporter, the final scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps will showcase an incursion, along with the return of Chris Evans to the MCU. While the latter would seem like a very unexpected cameo, it's worth noting that this isn't the first time we've heard about the potential return of the beloved Marvel actor. Back in December 2024, Deadline confirmed that Chris would be back for the events of Avengers: Doomsday — something which he later denied (perhaps in an attempt to keep the surprise). Furthermore, a different report claimed that we'd see the former Captain America star in the post-credits scene of, you guessed it, Fantastic Four: First Steps. The only question is: What would his role be?
Perhaps the most obvious answer would be that he will show up as a Captain America variant from the parallel universe in which the Fantastic Four live. However, director Matt Shakman has confirmed that there won't be any other superheroes in the new world that he crafted for Marvel's first family, which means Chris portraying a new Cap isn't a possibility. Instead, we can look at the first part of the latest report, which claims an incursion will take place in the final moments of the movie.
An incursion is an apocalyptic event where two or more universes clash, and only one has the chance of surviving (and often times, none of them do). And wouldn't you know it, but the MCU is already in a collision curse with other Earths, as Clea revealed in the post-credits scene of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. And given how the Fantastic Four will appear in Avengers: Doomsday, it's likely that the final moments of their movie will see them travel into the MCU. So, where does Chris Evans come into the equation? Well, it's worth remembering that The Fantastic Four: First Steps will take place in the 1960s — which is just over a decade later to the year Steve Rogers traveled to live with Peggy Carter.
Yes, you know where I'm going with this.
There could be a slight chance that the Steve Rogers we watched for eleven years will make a comeback. The Fantastic Four could travel into his world and time, and cross paths with him ahead of the events of Avengers: Doomsday. Granted, the MCU has a new Captain America now in the form of Sam Wilson, and that status quo is unlikely to change any time soon. But Marvel knows fans would jump out of their seats in excitement if any of the OG Avengers who are out of the picture appeared once again. With that in mind, there could very well be more to his story.
The only thing I ask is that Steve doesn't come out of retirement only to die at the hands of Doom for the shock factor. I would rather not see him once again at all rather than watch him for a few minutes before his death. Please Marvel, do the right thing and let Steve still have a happy ending if you plan to use him again.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be released on July 25, 2025.