Marvel's First Family has surely taken its time to debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that day is nearly here. Audiences worldwide expect The Fantastic Four: First Steps to finally accomplish the impossible and deliver an amazing big-screen adaptation of the iconic group of heroes.
But while we all want to see how Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben will all interact with each other in the upcoming movie, a new report suggests they won't be the only ones stealing the spotlight. We all know Marvel loves saving the best for last by creating jaw-dropping post-credits sequences, and it seems history will repeat itself once again later this July in an unexpected way.
Chris Evans rumored to appear in the post-credits scene of Fantastic Four: First Steps
According to a scoop by insider Marvel Updates, Chris Evans will appear in the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. A very important thing to note here is that it wasn't specified who the iconic actor will play. While our minds can instantly go to Captain America, his most recent role in the MCU was as the Human Torch in Deadpool & Wolverine. Besides, this iteration of Marvel's First Family will come from a retro-futuristic parallel reality, meaning it's all but confirmed Chris Evans will be playing a multiversal variant should he be in the film.
Back in December 2024, it was reported that Chris Evans would show up during Avengers: Doomsday. The actor has since gone on record to confirm this isn't the case and it was all just a false rumor. However, we can't help but wonder if this is just an "Andrew Garfield" situation where he's trying to deflect attention and mislead us until the cat is finally out of the bag. Besides, it's not like Marvel would allow him to confirm he'll make a big comeback if it's intended to be a surprise in the first place. So assuming he does show up in Avengers: Doomsday, perhaps the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps can directly tie into it.
It's worth remembering that Marvel's biggest crossover to date will be released next year, and so far it hasn't been set up as well as the likes of Avengers: Infinity War or Avengers: Endgame. Doctor Doom still has to show up on the big screen, it remains unclear how Marvel will write Kang out of the equation, and the Multiverse has been broken loose on three separate occasions with no correlation between them (during Loki, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Spider-Man: No Way Home). So the only chance Marvel has to tease and build up what's to come is during Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. However, the latter is more likely to fit into a bigger multiversal narrative than the former.
Now that The Multiverse Saga is coming to an end, there will be many shocking Marvel appearances in store. Perhaps the biggest example is that Robert Downey Jr. will be returning to play Victor Von Doom instead of a big-name superhero. However, there are also rumors that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Spider-Men, Nicholas Cage's Ghost Rider, and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine will all step in to save the multiverse as well. With that in mind, it would be shocking if Steve Rogers' Captain America—one of the MCU's biggest heroes ever—was nowhere to be found.
But even if Chris Evans doesn't return as the iteration of Steve Rogers we all know and love, there is still a lot of potential for him to portray a different variant of the Human Torch, or perhaps even Captain Hydra in a shocking twist of events. If Deadpool & Wolverine proved something, it is that audiences would jump out of their seats in excitement just at the sight of Chris Evans, and that alone should be enough for Marvel to bring him back.
On the bright side, it won't be long before we finally figure out if The MCU is saving one of its best surprises for an upcoming post-credits scene. The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be released on Jul. 25, 2025.