WARNING: There are Thunderbolts* spoilers ahead! A new preview image from The Fantastic Four: First Steps released on Wednesday shows Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) in space, perhaps answering a question left hanging at the end of Thunderbolts*. The photo — published by Fandango — shows the two in spacesuits with the Fantastic Four logo on them, and a larger emblem on the wall behind them. This likely means the team is heading to space after they have their powers and are established as superheroes. This could be the very same ship that we saw heading towards Earth-616 in the post-credit scene, and hopefully, it has the Fantastic Four on board.
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It’s no surprise to see Reed, Johnny, Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) in space. The group’s origin story is an experimental space flight where they were bombarded with cosmic rays, leaving them each with unique superpowers. However, we know that First Steps is not an origin story movie, and the team would not have its logo at the time of their origins anyway. Whatever this scene is, it takes place after the Fantastic Four are established as a team.
This confirms that the Fantastic Four already have the resources to return to space at the time of this story. From there, it’s reasonable to speculate that they may be in the very spaceship we see in the post-credits scene of Thunderbolts*. Hopefully, this means it’s the Fantastic Four themselves heading towards the MCU’s primary earth setting, though it could still be their ship with someone else on board — perhaps Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.).
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The set-up at the end of Thunderbolts* seems to be intentionally mysterious. We’re told explicitly that the scene takes place 14 months after Val declares the team the “New Avengers,” but we’re also told that they’re still at odds with Sam Wilson’s team. We then see a satellite image of a ship heading towards earth with the Fantastic Four logo painted on the side. The Avengers are not sure whether to regard it as a threat, and they’re watching closely. They have confirmation that the ship came from an alternate dimension, not just elsewhere in space.
First Steps takes place in a separate timeline from the rest of the MCU, and there are plenty of ways it could crossover into the main reality of Earth-616. The logo is a good hint that the Fantastic Four developed the interdimensional travel themselves, but it’s not clear why, nor why they’re targeting Earth-616. It’s also possible that the team developed this technology only to have it stolen by Doom, who might have some nefarious reason of his own to shift timelines.
It’s a mystery that’s likely to go unsolved until The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25th. Thunderbolts* is still playing in theaters around the U.S.
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