After seeing The Fantastic Four: First Steps, I have crafted a theory that Avengers: Doomsday will repeat Infinity War‘s opening scene. Avengers: Doomsday‘s MCU story has been well and truly teased thanks to projects like Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. As far as upcoming Marvel movies go, Doomsday is perhaps the most important.
The post-credit scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps is proof of this, with the film teasing exactly what is to come in Avengers: Doomsday. Several Easter eggs throughout The Fantastic Four: First Steps did the same, from a Latveria reference to the powers of Franklin Richards.
Via these various teases, I have formed a Marvel theory that claims Avengers: Doomsday will recreate the opening scene of Avengers: Infinity War, eight years later.
Avengers: Infinity War Quickly Established Thanos As A Very Powerful MCU Villain
Thanos’ Introduction Wasted No Time
It is worth exploring what Avengers: Infinity War‘s opening scene was and what it achieved. The film opens with a distress call being sent out by the Asgardian ship from Thor: Ragnarok‘s ending before showing Thanos’ children, the Black Order, stalking over countless ᴅᴇᴀᴅ bodies. Thanos then appears for the first time, handling the most powerful Avenger like a rag doll.
Thanos defeats a hero like Thor before Avengers: Infinity War even begins, showing how powerful he truly is. He then fights the Hulk, easily dispatching the Avenger with the most raw, brute strength. The scene ends with Thanos killing Heimdall and Loki before leaving Thor to die, solidifying just how powerful he is as an MCU villain in only the film’s opening.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Teases What Avengers: Doomsday’s Opening Scene Will Be
Doctor Doom Is Here
As anyone familiar with the MCU knows, Doctor Doom will be the next Thanos-level villain in Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel, the story of Avengers: Secret Wars. Avengers: Doomsday will be released on December 18, 2026, and feature the first true debut of Doctor Doom in the MCU, establishing him as the climactic villain of the franchise’s Multiverse Saga.
Interestingly, The Fantastic Four: First Steps teased what the opening scene of Avengers: Doomsday could be. This tease came in the form of the former’s post-credit scene, which linked to Franklin Richards. The ending of The Fantastic Four: First Steps proved just how powerful Franklin Richards is, with this power being something that Doom is seemingly seeking for himself.
Doom clearly wants Franklin Richards for something, with Doomsday needing to outline exactly what…
In the film’s post-credit scene, Doom can be seen kneeling in front of Franklin. The latter touches the former’s scarred face, with the iconic metal mask of Doctor Doom facing towards the camera. As Sue Storm witnesses this, the scene cuts to black, and the words “The Fantastic Four will return in Avengers: Doomsday” appear on-screen.
After this scene, it is difficult to imagine Avengers: Doomsday starting anywhere other than here. Doom clearly wants Franklin Richards for something, with Doomsday needing to outline exactly what. Therefore, if the aftermath of this scene is shown in Avengers: Doomsday‘s opening, it could repeat the aforementioned Thanos scene with a new twist.
Avengers: Doomsday Opening With Doom Can Repeat Infinity War’s Best Trick
Doom’s Threat Can Be Shown From The Get-Go, Too
If this theory comes true and Avengers: Doomsday‘s opening picks up immediately after The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ post-credit scene, Doom’s threat as a villain can be shown immediately, just as Thanos’ was. If Doom does want Franklin and tries to kidnap him, Sue, Reed, Johnny, and Ben are not simply going to let this happen.
This could mean that Avengers: Doomsday starts with Doom defeating The Fantastic Four with relative ease and taking Franklin with him. This would be an excellent way to tease Doom’s motivations, give The Fantastic Four a reason to be involved in the fight against him, and establish the villain as one of Marvel’s most powerful via his defeat of four strong heroes.
If Doom does all of this and flees the universe, perhaps to Earth-616, Avengers: Doomsday would begin with the same impact that Thanos had on Avengers: Infinity War. After all, Thanos did defeat several established heroes, escape with an important plot McGuffin, and flee into space. Doom could do the same, only this time after defeating The Fantastic Four.
Thunderbolts*’ Post-Credit Scene Supports This Marvel Theory
Marvel’s Interconnectivity Is Back
Somehow, the post-credit scene of Thunderbolts* supports this theory. This scene shows the тιтular team, or as they are now known, the New Avengers, witnessing The Fantastic Four’s ship entering space. Many thought this was how The Fantastic Four: First Steps would end, but that was not the case, with the aforementioned Doom cameo wrapping up the film.
This means that there is a gap between The Fantastic Four: First Steps and what was teased in Thunderbolts*. With that in mind, the theorized scene in which Doom defeats the Fantastic Four and takes Franklin would be a perfect way to bridge the gap.
Not only would it allow for the aforementioned benefits regarding Doom’s threat level, but it would set up Doomsday even better. If Doom flees to Earth-616 with Franklin in Doomsday‘s opening scene, it would explain why The Fantastic Four follow him and end up there. This would then tie into Thunderbolts*‘ end-credit scene, thus beginning Avengers: Doomsday‘s story on a high note.
