Introduction
Marvel’s First Family has finally arrived in the MCU proper — and unlike most Phase Six entries, there’s really only one film you need to watch before Avengers: Doomsday. The Fantastic Four: First Steps isn’t just an origin story; Kevin Feige has confirmed it connects “directly” to Doomsday, and its post-credits scene already put Doctor Doom on a collision course with the team. Here’s your complete guide to getting caught up before December 2026.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Film | The Fantastic Four: First Steps |
| Director | Matt Shakman |
| Starring | Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn |
| Also Starring | Julia Garner, Ralph Ineson, Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne |
| MCU Placement | Phase Six, Film #37 |
| Setting | Earth-828, a 1960s-inspired retro-futuristic alternate reality |
| Release Date | July 25, 2025 |
| Doomsday Release | December 18, 2026 |
Why This Is the Only “Required Viewing” Film
Unlike other MCU team-up events that demand a dozen prerequisite films, Avengers: Doomsday has a much simpler homework list where the Fantastic Four are concerned. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a deliberately self-contained story, set entirely on Earth-828 — a separate reality from the MCU’s main “Sacred Timeline” — which means it never has to explain why the team wasn’t around for Thanos or the Blip. As Kevin Feige put it, “no Marvel universe is complete without Marvel’s First Family,” and the film’s isolation from the rest of the continuity actually makes it one of the more complete, self-sufficient MCU films in years. But make no mistake: Pascal, Kirby, Moss-Bachrach, and Quinn are all confirmed to reprise their roles in Doomsday, making this effectively non-negotiable viewing beforehand.
What Happens in First Steps
Set against a retro-futuristic 1960s aesthetic, the film introduces Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet: Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a world-devouring cosmic entity, and his herald Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). Along the way, the film also introduces Franklin Richards, Reed and Sue’s newborn son, whose latent powers become a major plot point. Despite widespread theories (fueled by Thunderbolts‘s post-credits scene showing the team’s ship arriving in the main MCU universe) that Galactus would destroy Earth-828 and force the Fantastic Four into the primary timeline, the film ultimately has the team successfully save their own world instead.
The Post-Credits Scene That Matters Most
The film’s post-credits scene is the single most important piece of Doomsday setup in the entire movie: Victor von Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) appears, going after baby Franklin Richards. This is the moment that confirmed Doom — not Galactus — as the driving threat connecting the Fantastic Four to the wider Multiverse Saga, and it’s the scene most directly responsible for the “direct connection” Feige has since confirmed between the two films.
Key Setup Points for Doomsday
- Franklin Richards’ powers — heavily hinted at throughout the film, Franklin’s abilities are expected to play a significant role in Doomsday’s stakes, with some early discourse questioning whether his power level might make him “too powerful” for the story’s threats to feel credible.
- Doctor Doom’s direct interest in the team — established explicitly through the post-credits scene, giving the Fantastic Four a clear, personal antagonist heading into the crossover rather than a generic ensemble role.
- The multiverse framing — since Earth-828 is confirmed as a separate reality from the mainline MCU, the Fantastic Four’s appearance in Doomsday will itself be a multiversal event, tying into the same mechanics driving the X-Men’s Fox-universe characters into the same film.
- Unconfirmed reports of a Fantastic Four sequel — suggesting the team’s story may extend beyond just a Doomsday cameo appearance, though details remain unofficial at this stage.
Why You Should Watch It Before Doomsday
- It’s the only Fantastic Four-specific prerequisite for Doomsday — no deep-cut Phase Four or Five viewing required.
- Critics have praised it as one of the most complete, confidently self-contained MCU films in years, so it works well as a standalone watch even without prior MCU homework.
- The post-credits scene directly explains why Doctor Doom becomes personally invested in the team, which matters for understanding his motivations in Doomsday.
- Franklin Richards’ introduction here is expected to carry real narrative weight in the crossover, so skipping this film risks missing a major character setup entirely.
Box Office and Critical Reception
The Fantastic Four: First Steps opened to $118 million domestically and roughly $218 million worldwide — Marvel’s biggest opening of 2025 at the time, and the highest Thursday preview gross of the year, edging past even Superman (2025). It marked the 37th consecutive MCU film to debut at #1 at the box office. The film’s second weekend saw a steeper-than-expected 66% drop, a normal but notable pattern for even successful legacy-sequel-style films, before eventually settling with a lifetime global gross north of $500 million and officially overtaking Ant-Man on Disney’s all-time highest-grossing theatrical release chart — a genuinely symbolic win for a franchise once considered one of the most mishandled properties in superhero film history.
Critically, reception has been the strongest of any Fantastic Four film to date, holding in the mid-to-high 80s percent range on Rotten Tomatoes (Certified Fresh, with reported figures ranging from 86–88% critics and 92–93% audience depending on the count), alongside an A- CinemaScore — the highest grade any Fantastic Four film has received. Metacritic placed it at 64–65/100, in “Generally Favorable” territory, putting it alongside other well-regarded MCU entries like Captain America: The First Avenger. Critics and fans consistently praised the retro-futuristic 1960s aesthetic, the cast’s chemistry, and Michael Giacchino’s score, with several reviewers calling it the best superhero film since Avengers: Endgame. The most common critique across reviews was underdeveloped pacing in the third act and a sense that The Thing and Human Torch felt somewhat underused compared to Reed and Sue’s more central emotional arcs.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The best-reviewed Fantastic Four film in the franchise’s history, with genuine critical and audience consensus behind it.
- Strong cast chemistry, particularly between Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby, with Sue’s arc frequently singled out as an emotional highlight.
- A distinctive, fully-realized 1960s retro-futuristic aesthetic that gives it visual identity separate from other MCU entries.
- Genuinely simple prerequisite viewing — no deep-cut Phase Four or Five homework required before Doomsday.
- Michael Giacchino’s score has been widely praised as one of the film’s standout elements.
- A confidently self-contained story that works well even for casual viewers unfamiliar with the wider MCU.
Cons
- Third-act pacing has been a recurring criticism, with several reviewers feeling the story plays it safe once the stakes escalate.
- The Thing and Human Torch are comparatively underused next to Reed and Sue’s more central arcs, according to multiple reviews.
- Some fans found Galactus underwhelming as a villain, wanting a more menacing or prominent cosmic threat given his comic-book reputation.
- Box office legs were weaker than expected given the strong reviews, with a steep 66-80% second-weekend drop reported across different sources.
- The post-credits Doctor Doom scene, while important, is brief and leaves plenty of unanswered questions about how the character factors into Doomsday.
Essential vs. Skippable: What You Actually Need to Watch
Essential:
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) — Non-negotiable. This is the only Fantastic Four-specific prerequisite for Doomsday, introducing the team, Franklin Richards, and the pivotal Doctor Doom post-credits scene.
Recommended, Not Required:
- Thunderbolts (2025)* — Its post-credits scene, showing the Fantastic Four’s ship arriving in the main MCU, offers useful context for how the multiversal crossover is being set up, though it’s not necessary to understand Doomsday’s plot.
Skippable for This Specific Purpose:
- Fantastic Four (2005), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), and Fant4stic (2015) — None of these pre-Disney Fox films are connected to the MCU continuity in any way, so they’re irrelevant to Doomsday prep, though diehard completionists may still want to watch them for historical context on the franchise’s earlier, less successful adaptations.
Conclusion
Unlike most Marvel crossover events, catching up before Avengers: Doomsday where the Fantastic Four are concerned is refreshingly simple: just watch The Fantastic Four: First Steps. It’s a confidently self-contained film that works on its own terms, while its post-credits scene does all the heavy lifting in setting up why Doctor Doom — and by extension, the entire Multiverse Saga’s endgame — has his sights set on Marvel’s First Family.
FAQs
Do I need to watch other Fantastic Four movies before First Steps? No. This is a full reboot, unconnected to the earlier 2005, 2007, or 2015 Fantastic Four films, so you can start fresh.
When is Avengers: Doomsday releasing? December 18, 2026, following a prior release date shift.
Is Doctor Doom in The Fantastic Four: First Steps? Yes, briefly — Robert Downey Jr.’s Victor von Doom appears in the post-credits scene, going after Franklin Richards.
Does Galactus destroy the Fantastic Four’s world? No. Despite fan theories, the team successfully defends and saves Earth-828 from Galactus by the film’s end.
Is The Fantastic Four: First Steps connected to the main MCU timeline? Not directly — it’s set on Earth-828, a separate reality, though its characters and story connect into Avengers: Doomsday through multiversal crossover.
Do I need to watch Thunderbolts before Doomsday too? It’s not required, but its post-credits scene (showing the Fantastic Four’s ship arriving in the main MCU) is relevant context for how the team’s multiversal appearance is being set up.
Who plays the Fantastic Four in the MCU? Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing.
Is there a Fantastic Four sequel planned? Unconfirmed reports suggest one may be in development, though Marvel has not officially announced anything beyond the team’s appearance in Doomsday.
Was The Fantastic Four: First Steps well received? Yes, it’s the best-reviewed Fantastic Four film to date, holding Certified Fresh status on Rotten Tomatoes (mid-to-high 80s percent critics score) and an A- CinemaScore, with praise for its cast chemistry, retro-futuristic aesthetic, and score.
How much did the film make at the box office? It opened to roughly $218 million worldwide and went on to gross over $500 million globally, overtaking Ant-Man as one of Disney’s highest-grossing theatrical releases.