Will Doctor Doom be in The Fantastic Four: First Steps?
Fans are eager to see the Robert Downey Jr villain.
It's been a long time coming, but it's finally almost time to welcome Marvel's first family in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
The upcoming film has been teased for a long time, but fans were finally treated to a trailer, introducing cast members Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing.
But, with the trailer focusing on villain Galactus, voiced by Ralph Ineson, fans are wondering if the next big bad of the MCU, Doctor Doom, played by a returning Robert Downey Jr, will appear.
Here's everything we know so far.
Will Doctor Doom appear in The Fantastic Four: First Steps?
While there's not been an official confirmation, yes, we'd expect Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom to appear in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
However, the film is clearly focused on Galactus as its main antagonist so we'd only expect Doom to play a small role, or even have a cameo appearance, as the setup begins for Avengers: Doomsday.
Our guess would be that Doom will appear in a mid-credits or post-credits scene, much like Thanos did when he was teased as the big bad for the Infinity Saga.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps will take place in a different universe to the main MCU timeline (the "sacred timeline" if you will), and we know that Doctor Doom also hails from a different timeline - so could these two timelines be the same one?
Who plays Doctor Doom in the MCU?
Of course, Robert Downey Jr will take on the role of Doctor Doom in the MCU.
The news was announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. Downey took to the stage in Hall H wearing the Doctor Doom mask and outfit in front of hundreds of stunned Marvel fans, going on to say: "New mask, same task."
It was also revealed that Infinity War and Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo will return to helm the two new Avengers movies, with the former of the films retitled from The Kang Dynasty to Doomsday.
In the past Doctor Doom has been played by Julian McMahon in the 2005 film and its 2007 sequel, and Toby Kebbell in the 2015 film.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is coming to cinemas on 25th July 2025.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.