Secret Wars Starring Only Two Actors

While it is still a year away, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is one of the most eagerly anticipated upcoming films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, largely because the film will deliver Marvel’s First Family into the MCU. Anticipation for the film keeps rising, with production underway and fans starting to get glimpses of the film. This week, set photos excited fans with the possibility of the most comic-accurate take on The Thing to date. But fans are also excited about how the Fantastic Four will fit into the larger MCU, especially with major movies coming after it, like Avengers: Secret Wars.

While much about The Fantastic Four: First Steps remains under wraps, it’s known that the Fantastic Four will feature in both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. The Fantastic Four film could set the stage for Secret Wars with just two actors: Ioan Gruffudd and Miles Teller.

We already know that The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set in a retro-futuristic version of the 1960s in a different world from most of the MCU. Given the established MCU Multiverse, there’s an opportunity to have previous incarnations of Reed Richards appear as part of the Council of Reeds. Gruffudd played Reed in 2005’s Fantastic Four and 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, while Teller played Reed in 2015’s Fantastic Four. This move wouldn’t necessarily have to impact the primary plot of The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

All The Fantastic Four: First Steps needs to do is what the MCU often does: utilize post-credits scenes to set up future franchise installments. One of these post-credits scenes could introduce the Council of Reeds, with Pedro Pascal’s Reed meeting Gruffudd’s and Teller’s versions. In the comics, the Interdimensional Council of Reeds is a group of various versions of Reed Richards from across the multiverse who come together to “solve everything,” including significant threats like Galactus and Doctor Doom.

Of course, Avengers: Secret War isn’t the only future Marvel film that The Fantastic Four: First Steps could set up in a post-credits scene. The film could also introduce Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. Victor Von Doom just so happens to be a major enemy of Marvel’s First Family, so his appearance in their film would make a lot of sense. It would also help set the stage for Avengers: Secret Wars.

With the Fantastic Four set to appear in both upcoming Avengers films, using post-credits scenes to lead into these future films seems logical. It would bring the whole Multiverse Saga together, leveraging the Fantastic Four’s introduction.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 25, 2025. The film is directed by WandaVision‘s Matt Shakman and stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing. The cast also includes Ralph Ineson as Galactus and Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal, a version of the Silver Surfer. Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne, and John Malkovich also appear.

Source: ComicBook