Ever since Robert Downey Jr. blew our multiversal minds at San Diego Comic-Con last year when he revealed he was returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom, Marvel fanatics have been trying to figure out just when Victor Von Doom would appear. After the Thunderbolts* post-credit scene appeared to hint at Dr. Doom’s arrival in the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps, director Matt Shakman has emerged to slightly crush those dreams.
In an interview with Empire Magazine, Shakman plainly asserted that “Doom is not a part of my film, and therefore not a part of my purview.” That should be it, right? Wrong. Fans in denial (and delusion) are interpreting Shakman’s statements as technically true but not the full truth.
Some fans are focusing on how Shakman specifically mentioned that Doom is not part of his film or his purview. That sounds, they argue, like an attempt to establish plausible deniability, given how Marvel has separated certain duties on its films. After Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier revealed to ComicBook.com that the film’s post-credit scene was filmed weeks before the theatrical release, the Russo Brothers confirmed they were the ones who filmed it, rather than Schreier himself. That told Marvel fans that a film’s director doesn’t have to be involved with any post-credit reveals, which would align with Shakman’s assertion that Doom has nothing to do with his efforts on the film.
In the Thunderbolts* post-credit scene, the New Avengers get a notification that an unidentified aircraft had entered Earth’s atmosphere before we see the iconic “4" logo of the Fantastic Four emblazoned on the side of the ship. Doom has hijacked the Fantastic Four’s ship multiple times in the comic books, so it’s not far-fetched to believe he might do the same in the MCU.
We’ll have to wait until July 25 to see if these theories are anything more than just fanboy fantasies.