Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Vanessa Kirby has confirmed the truth behind that Fantastic Four mid-credits sequence.
The British actress, 37, plays Sue Storm—or the Invisible Woman, to those in the know—in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Sue makes up one quarter of Marvel’s First Family, appearing alongside husband Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), hotheaded brother Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and human rock face The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as the titular Fantastic Four.
With the Fantastic Four’s Marvel Cinematic Universe debut out now, audiences have been flocking in droves to witness their arrival.
The team may have their hands full battling cosmic world-eater Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), but there’ll be an even bigger villain on fans’ minds once the end credits finish rolling.
With the cat out of the bag, Kirby has clarified what Doctor Doom’s cameo at the end of the film means… and confirmed that star Robert Downey Jr. is already very much back.
In the first of two post-credits sequences, Sue is shocked to find a menacing hooded figure looming over her young son, Franklin.
Fans will already know this to be the Fantastic Four’s longtime nemesis, Doctor Doom, who will be played by Robert Downey Jr. in the upcoming sequel, Avengers: Doomsday.
Although the villain’s face is obscured, Kirby has revealed that it was indeed Downey Jr. behind that hood.
‘Yeah! Robert’s never not been on set,’ she told Variety when asked whetherRDJ was present for the shoot.
She continued: ‘He’s always there. He is our leader. We call him our Godfather. He’s looked after us.
This sequence was filmed by the Russo Brothers as part of their work on Avengers: Doomsday and shot while Kirby was pregnant in real life.
‘It’s such a joy working with the Russos and him, because they’ve had such deep collaboration for so long,’ she revealed.
‘And it’s been amazing being pregnant and working on Avengers. I felt so inspired and so relieved that I’ve been so taken care of. It’s been a really beautiful journey. Robert is just doing incredible work. I’m so excited.’
It was announced last year that Downey Jr. would be returning to the long-running franchise, six years after being killed off in Avengers: Endgame.
This came as Earth’s mightiest heroes faced off against purple menace Thanos (Josh Brolin) for the fate of the universe.
This spelt the end of Downey Jr.’s career-defining stint as Tony Stark—aka Iron Man—sacrificing himself at the end of the film to secure the future of reality as we know it.
A few years later, it was confirmed that he would be returning, albeit in an entirely different role.
The actor’s appointment to the post was unveiled at last year’s Comic-Con, when a cloaked Downey Jr. removed his mask to reveal that he would be playing Doom, real name Victor von Doom.
This character was previously played by late Nip/Tuck actor Julian McMahon in the 2005 and 2007 films and by Toby Kebbell in the 2015 reboot.
Doom’s brief appearance at the end of First Steps gives little away as to what he has planned, although we do know it involves Sue and Reed’s infant son.
He will spearhead a massive cast in Avengers: Doomsday, which is currently set for release on December 26, 2026.
Names already announced include Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright and Paul Rudd, as well as X-Men actors Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn and James Marsden.
Of his return to the MCU, Downey Jr. joked: ‘New mask, same task.
‘What did I tell you? I like playing complicated characters.’
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is out in UK cinemas now.
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