‘Thunderbolts*’ Post-Credit Scenes Hint at ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Setup
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Thunderbolts*.
By the conclusion of Thunderbolts*, the unlikely alliance of sidekicks and antiheroes saves New York. Bob (Lewis Pullman), a test subject enhanced with supersoldier serum, attempts to become the hero Sentry but succumbs to his powers, transforming into the villainous Void. Void imprisons innocent individuals within their deepest fears. Yelena (Florence Pugh) leads the charge to help Bob conquer his darker nature and liberate the city from Void’s grasp.
Val (name removed), who initially authorized the experiments on Bob, seeks to redeem herself by rebranding the Thunderbolts—comprising Yelena, Bob, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen)—as the New Avengers.
The two post-credits scenes depict the New Avengers striving to prove their worth as successors to the original Avengers, even if they are less powerful. They also analyze satellite imagery indicating the imminent arrival of the Fantastic Four on their planet.
Red Guardian’s long-held aspiration of being on a Wheaties box is finally realized. In a grocery store, he enthusiastically promotes a cereal box adorned with the “New Avengers” logo to a shopper. He poses beside the box, hoping to be recognized as a team member. However, the woman, preoccupied with her shopping, simply smiles and walks away.
Set fourteen months after the events of Thunderbolts*, the New Avengers are headquartered in the former Avengers tower in New York City. They are embroiled in legal issues—Captain America, Sam Wilson, is suing them for copyright infringement due to their use of the Avengers name. Bucky’s attempts to dissuade Sam have been unsuccessful. Red Guardian proposes renaming the team “New Avengerz,” complete with a jacket bearing the altered logo and various sponsorship patches.
The team laments their lack of media recognition and notes a “space crisis” that the government is keeping them in the dark about. Realistically, the team lacks the means to travel to space, as Bob, the only member with flight capabilities, struggles to control his powers, fearing the resurgence of his Void persona.
An alert signals the entry of an “extra-dimensional ship” into Earth’s orbit. Yelena examines satellite images and identifies the ship as bearing the Fantastic Four logo.
Why the Fantastic Four may be coming to the New Avengers’ universe
The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the next Marvel Studios release, is scheduled for July 25. The film’s creators have revealed that the Fantastic Four—Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and Thing—originate from a universe parallel to that of the Avengers movies and Thunderbolts*.
Multidimensional travel is already established in the MCU, as seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The question is, why would the Fantastic Four need to visit the Avengers’ universe?
Trailers for the upcoming film introduce the Silver Surfer, who arrives on Earth to warn the Fantastic Four about an impending cataclysm that threatens their planet. Perhaps the team fails to avert the destruction of their Earth and seeks refuge in a parallel timeline. Alternatively, they might succeed but feel compelled to warn other heroes about a different danger.
It’s likely that the Fantastic Four will encounter Yelena and the New Avengers either at the end of their movie or at the beginning of the next Avengers film, Avengers: Doomsday. Robert Downey Jr. is slated to appear in that movie not as Iron Man but as Dr. Doom, the Fantastic Four’s primary adversary. The cast list also confirms the participation of both the New Avengers and original Avengers members like Thor (Chris Hemsworth). Moreover, characters from the X-Men universe, such as Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Cyclops (James Marsden), will also be featured, indicating the merging of yet another parallel universe with the main Avengers timeline.
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