The Fantastic Four: First Steps has proven itself to be one of the best Marvel films in years, and it's not hard to understand why. Regardless of unwarranted reservations from fans ahead of the release, the film is a hit both critically and financially.
Sticking to its comic book roots, the movie takes place in another dimension, both very similar and different from our own 1960s New York City. Deciding to forgo the origin story of how Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm became the superhero family Fantastic Four, the film jumps ahead four years to focus on how the group of four is about to become five.
Sue is pregnant after two years of trying with husband Reed, but they question if their child will also have superpowers, and what this will mean for their future. Sue's pregnancy comes at a bad time as the Silver Surfer, Shalla-Bal, announces Galactus' arrival.
For years, audiences sit tight when a Marvel film concludes, and the end credits begin to roll for a very important reason: post-credit scenes. These range from a clue or hint for what's to come to something funny and quirky that audiences can laugh about on their way home from the theater.
In this case, The Fantastic Four: First Steps has two end credit scenes: the latter is the opening to a Fantastic Four cartoon, which is referenced in the film. However, the mid-credits scene is what has everyone talking.
After defeating Galactus and saving Franklin, the film jumps another four years, where the now four-year-old Franklin is reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar with his mother, Sue.
Yes, that is Robert Downey Jr. under the mask in Fantastic Four
Sue leaves to retrieve a new book, but her intuition tells her something is amiss. When she returns to Franklin, she sees a man in a green cloak, holding a mask, talking to her son. This man is Dr. Doom, who everyone knows, by now, will be played by Robert Downey Jr.
But was that actually Downey Jr. in the role?
In a recent interview with Variety, actress Vanessa Kirby confirmed what many had hoped to be true: "Yeah! Robert’s never not been on set. He’s always there. He is our leader. We call him our Godfather."
In real life, Kirby is also pregnant, and elsewhere in the interview, she shared how her role as Sue/Invisible Woman prepared her for motherhood.
"In a way, it taught me so much about motherhood, because that’s what motherhood is," she stated. "It’s not a passive thing. To give birth, you have to be completely, totally fierce. I’m so happy that you feel that. That’s so moving to me, and all I could have hoped for her."
In the film, Sue unexpectedly gives birth to Franklin in space while she and her family are desperately trying to escape Shalla-Bal, who seeks to deliver Franklin to Galactus at all costs.
Kirby reflected on the moment she read the script for that scene: "The courage to put this very primal feminine act — and what it represents that it’s happening intergalactically while they’re in space — there’s something very metaphorical about it."
Speaking of baby Franklin, for those who had their doubts, Kirby also confirmed, "100% of the film was shot with a real baby. Our lead baby, Ada, a little girl, was just heaven. We had lots of other babies who were acting with us and helping us."
In perhaps one of the most profound scenes in the entire film (for me as well, as a mother of two little ones), it is Sue who risks her life to save her child, using all her power to push Galactus into Reed's teleportation device. I can argue that Kirby speaks for all mothers during that emotionally charged scene.
"It was so helpful to know that it was a mother’s rage, and a mother’s love, because it felt animal," Kirby recalled. "I wanted it to feel more primal, rather than just, 'I’m trying to defeat this enemy for everybody.' It’s more like, 'I’m fighting to save my child.'"
As for what's next, Avengers: Doomsday is due to be released on December 18, 2026—though a recent update has us a bit worried about its status.