Marvel Studios has officially announced that Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach will return as the Fantastic Four in Avengers: Doomsday, slated for release in 2026. This confirmation comes as anticipation grows for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is set to hit theaters on July 25, 2025.
Pascal leads the cast as Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), joined by Kirby as Sue Storm (Invisible Woman), Quinn as Johnny Storm (Human Torch), and Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (The Thing). With Galactus as the primary antagonist in First Steps, speculation is mounting that their battle with Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom in Doomsday will take the MCU’s multiversal saga to an entirely new level.
The Fantastic Four being confirmed for Doomsday ahead of veteran Avengers highlights their importance in Phase 6. Kevin Feige has mentioned that First Steps takes place in a retro-futuristic 1960s-inspired timeline, but their presence in Doomsday hints at them eventually merging into the MCU’s main storyline.
Anticipation for First Steps is skyrocketing. Actor Paul Walter Hauser, rumored to portray Mole Man, recently claimed the film “will go down in history” and compared its impact to Guardians of the Galaxy and Black Panther. Additionally, a newly released teaser from Marvel India highlights the global excitement surrounding the project.
With Natasha Lyonne in a mystery role and Julia Garner set to portray Silver Surfer, First Steps is shaping up to be a pivotal chapter in the MCU. The Fantastic Four’s confirmed return in Doomsday, alongside classic Avengers and Fox’s X-Men characters, hints at a massive, unified battle—one of Marvel’s most ambitious crossovers yet.
Despite their absence from the MCU’s primary timeline until now, the Fantastic Four have been a cornerstone of Marvel Comics for decades. Their early confirmation for Doomsday, even before legacy Avengers like Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange, suggests they will take center stage in the upcoming blockbuster.
As the Fantastic Four step into the MCU, the Avengers seem more divided than ever. In the past, threats like Thanos forced Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to join forces, but this time, Doctor Doom’s rise might catch them unprepared. The difference? The Fantastic Four might arrive just in time to stop a major disaster, possibly shifting the focus away from the Avengers.
Marvel’s latest Doomsday announcement also confirms the return of several X-Men from Fox’s X-Men franchise, hinting that they, too, will play a crucial role. This could be a sign that Marvel is changing its storytelling approach—giving more attention to these characters before the Avengers eventually take center stage again in Secret Wars. One thing is certain: the Fantastic Four are about to become a major force in the MCU, and it’s happening sooner than anyone expected.