Marvel fans are on the edges of their seats for the era that the franchise is currently in. After some early missteps, the Multiverse Saga is roaring towards an epic conclusion that will see The Avengers - from the past, present, and future - reunite to stop the imminent arrival of Doctor Doom and the destruction that he will bring forth for the Multiverse.
Avengers: Doomsday looks to make its presence felt on the world next December, and it will likely be one of the biggest movies of 2026 (if not the biggest). It's the moment we've all been waiting for, and it's an Avengers movie; what could be better than that for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Well, likely the fact that it will lead into a direct sequel in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Speaking of direct lead-ins, anticipation is high for the Marvel Studios two-parter, but those Avengers movies aren't the only ones tied to the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga, as Kevin Feige has made a major announcement, confirming what we were all hoping.
Marvel's Kevin Feige confirms that The Fantastic Four: First Steps will lead directly into Avengers: Doomsday
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has confirmed that the events of The Fantastic Four: First Steps will lead directly into Avengers: Doomsday. The announcement came at CineEurope, where Feige spoke after a brand new trailer for the movie was exhibited, confirming what we all hoped - and, at one point in time, knew.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps was initially expected to be the final MCU film before Avengers: Doomsday's May 2026 release, but given that the latter film has now been delayed to December 2026, it was unclear if that would have any kind of impact on the former - specifically since Spider-Man: Brand New Day will now release before Doomsday, making it the final film before the big Avengers team-up.
It's good to know that the shake-up won't change the connection between the two films, because it would have disrupted the flow that the MCU movies have finally started to re-establish after some directionless in the Multiverse Saga. Captain America: Brave New World featured a post-credits scene that directly teased the inevitable events in Avengers: Doomsday while Thunderbolts* set the stage for The Fantastic Four as the titular quartet of heroes were on their way to the MCU's primary earth (Earth-616). With that in mind, we should expect some kind of connection to Doomsday in the MCU debut of Marvel's First Family this summer.
The question is: Will this connection come in the form of a post-credits scene? There have been rumors that The Fantastic Four's post-credits scene might feature a cameo from Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, marking the official MCU debut of the villain. There's a lot of evidence to support this theory too - mainly the fact that Doom is the Fantastic Four's archenemy in the comics, and their impending arrival is rumored to precede Doom's on Earth-616.
First Steps' director Matt Shakman has seemingly confirmed that Doom will not be a part of his movie, but there is one loophole there: The post-credits scene. Thunderbolts* post-credits teaser was actually filmed on the set of Avengers: Doomsday and directed by the Russo Brothers to officially tie the three movies together. Who's to say that the directing duo, who are still currently directing Doomsday in the UK, couldn't have filmed another scene with Downey's Doctor Doom and sent it back to Marvel to use as the First Steps post-credits tag? It's certainly possible.
Given that The Fantastic Four takes place before the post-credits scene of Thunderbolts* , something major is going to have to happen in the film or its after credits scenes to have it directly tie into Avengers: Doomsday. And, let's be honest, a scene with Doctor Doom would undoubtedly sent the internet into a complete and utter meltdown. Wouldn't that be awesome to see?!