The Marvel Cinematic Universe officially has its Fantastic Four. Or should we call it five? The new film, which is in theaters now, is largely centered around the fact that Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) have a child named Franklin. Franklin is crucial to not just the plot and the ending but also beyond. So let’s get into it all.
One of the biggest revelations in The Fantastic Four: First Steps is that the planet-eater Galactus is willing to trade all of Earth for Franklin. Galactus believes he sees a cosmic destiny in Franklin: the ability to take over Galactus’ job as an eternal planet destroyer, which would allow him to finally rest. Reed and Sue are shocked because they don’t see anything special about their child. But who would know more? The two super smart Earthlings? Or the billion-year-old giant who lives in space and can eat planets? Galactus is right about Franklin, and we see why at the end of the movie.
After Sue uses every ounce of her power to thwart Galactus, she dies but is quickly saved by Franklin’s mysterious powers. He’s more than us, Sue says to Reed, and, in the film’s post-credit scene, someone else seems interested too.
Four years after the events of the film, Franklin is older now and sitting in the Baxter Building with his mom. She’s playing with him and says he wants to read a book. HERBIE pulls out Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Specieswhich, apparently, is Franklin’s favorite (saying a lot about the kid’s intelligence), but they read it yesterday. Instead, Sue grabs something called A Fly Went Bya 1958 book written by Mike McClintock, when she hears a noise. Someone is in the room with them. And, as Sue walks around the corner, she sees none other than Doctor Doom, kneeling next to Franklin, who is touching his face. We don’t see Doom’s face, only his green cloak from the side, but he holds his silver mask in his hand so Franklin can go skin to skin.
A few things here. First of all, Doctor Doom is probably the most famous of the Fantastic Four villains and, we know, the main bad guy in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsdayplayed by Robert Downey Jr. So of course this is a tease to that. It’s also the first time we see Doom in the film, but not the first time he’s referenced. Doom’s comic book country, Latveria, is represented in an early scene at a United Nations-type place as the only country that didn’t send a representative to Sue Storm’s speech. So people are aware of him, we assume, but this credits scene is our actual first look.
However, we don’t really learn much from the scene. We don’t know what Doom wants with Franklin. We don’t know what Doom’s specific relationship is, if any, with the Fantastic Four. We don’t know how he got in, what’s next, or anything. And we frankly don’t know the extent of Franklin’s powers. In the comics, he’s had all manner of powers, such as the ability to manipulate space and time. So will Doom utilize that to try and take over the multiverse? Will the Fantastic Four follow in pursuit?
That’s another thing. Remember a whole three months ago when Thunderbolts ended with a scene of that team tracking an extra-dimensional incident of a ship with a “4” on it coming into Earth 616 (the main MCU timeline)? We all assumed it was the Fantastic Four, but maybe it’s Doom with Franklin, making a run from the Fantastic Four. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, if you remember, teased that the ship might not be the team’s. Maybe he was being honest.
Basically, the Fantastic Four end credits scene leaves us with many more questions than answers. And we’re fine with it. We’ll get those answers next December when the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom return in Avengers: Doomsday.
It’s also worth mentioning that while the mid-credits scene is the only one of significance to the plot, there is a second scene at the very end. After a touching quote from Fantastic Four co-creator Jack Kirby, we get to see the full animated intro to the in-universe cartoon show that Ben Grimm hates so much. And it’s awesome. A nice way to send us out.
Did you think the Fantastic Four end credits scene was a fitting tease? What does Doctor Doom want with Franklin? Let us know below.
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