Doctor Doom was absent in the eagerly anticipated Fantastic Four: First Steps teaser trailer. 2025 is poised to be a massive year for Marvel, especially on the big screen. However, First Steps stands out as the most anticipated project for Marvel Studios this year.
The decades-long wait for the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom in the MCU is almost over, as the film will hit theatres in the summer. Marvel Studios is set to make a big splash after taking a break last year, aside from box office smash Deadpool & Wolverine. With Thanos gone, Doctor Doom is set to be the next big bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Doctor Doom Featured in Fantastic Four Trailer
Things are shaping up for the MCU thanks to the newly released teaser trailer for the film. The franchise has high expectations this year, reintroducing Marvel’s first family. Not only that, the film has a star-studded cast with the likes of Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Julia Garner, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ralph Ineson, and John Malkovich. Additionally, the film will be a period piece, according to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. For the Super, Marvel showed the trailer for Thunderbolts, which picked up after the events of Avengers: Endgame.
The teaser gives a closer look at the four heroes and a glimpse of the main antagonists, Malkovich’s character and Galactus (played by Ineson). However, the main question is, where is Doctor Doom? Marvel shook the world at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con with the reveal that Avengers 5 was renamed Avengers: Doomsday. Doctor Doom will be played by none other than Robert Downey Jr. Filming will begin soon in England to make the May 2026 release date. Despite the known history between Doom and Iron Man in the comics, it was still a shocking and unexpected move.
Naturally, fans wonder how the Fantastic Four film will establish Doom as the next significant threat to the Earth’s mightiest heroes. His absence may initially seem surprising, given his history with the superhero family in the comics. If anyone knows Marvel, they have quite a reputation for keeping things close to the vest.
The teaser doesn’t reveal any overt hints or references of Doom’s presence. He was the major antagonist in 2005’s Fantastic Four and 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer. This time, the MCU is doing things differently by downplaying Doom to keep focus on Galactus, Silver Surfer, and Malkovich’s character.
Since Doom is a Fantastic Four villain, fans can expect First Steps to ultimately have some role in establishing him as a significant Avengers-level threat. Marvel has to tease Doom in many ways, right? After all, the Infinity Saga had small teases of Thanos leading up to Infinity War and Endgame. One main factor to consider is whether First Steps will address what universe Doom is in. He’s not from Earth-616, and Downey Jr. seemed to confirm that he won’t be playing a variant of Tony Stark.
Fantastic Four Will Have to Deal With Galactus
The teaser makes it straightforward to viewers that Galactus will take most of the Fantastic Four’s time in this film. The self-proclaimed Devourer of Worlds, voiced by Ineson, will be the main antagonist in the movie. Doctor Doom is never even mentioned in the teaser. Galactus debuted in 1966’s Fantastic Four’s #48. In that storyline, Galactus and Silver Surfer arrive to consume Earth, forcing the family to take desperate measures to fight back against their opponent.
Since then, he has traveled across the cosmos, searching to consume life-rich worlds to conquer his insatiable hunger. Devouring worlds plays into the death and rebirth of the entire Marvel Universe, and bad for anyone living on a planet targeted by him. First Steps seems to be taking inspiration from the Galactus trilogy, presenting the Fantastic Four as well-established with a huge fanbase. They will have their work cut out for them as they face a cosmic devourer looking to consume their home universe. This summer will be an interesting year for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
What will Reed and his family do to save their home planet from destruction? In the comics, Reeds threatened Galactus with the Nullifier, a weapon that can destroy and remake the entire Multiverse. It remains to be seen if we see the Nullifier in the movie. Considering what it can do, I can’t help but wonder if it will have a role in the Multiverse Saga and the phenomenon of incursions. First Steps makes it clear it is taking a comic-book-inspired take to Galactus. The film depicts the planet eater as like a cloud, whereas we can see him hovering over the Statue of Liberty in humanoid form.
Expect him to be a pivotal character rather than just some cosmic force, hence the move to cast Ineson for the role. A gender-swapped version of the Silver Surfer is also in the movie, played by Garner. Silver also debuted in Fantastic Four #48, which saw him as a scout searching for new planets for Galactus to feed on. Through time, Silver Surfer starts to have compassion on Earth and joins the Fantastic Four to protect the planet. His senses led him to become a hero in his own right. He became a regular in the Marvel Universe and eventually got his own solo comic book series.
Final Thoughts
It doesn’t look like Doom will appear in the movie unless Marvel has a surprise up its sleeve. However, the teaser mainly focuses on the Fantastic Four themselves. We see much of the family in the trailer, especially Reed, Susan, Johnny, and Ben. The teaser even gives a picture of the family’s robot, H.E.R.B.I.E, and family is very key in the movie. The movie will do a good job of emphasizing that the Fantastic Four are as much a family unit as a superhero team. Fantastic Four: First Steps will play a huge role in the Multiverse Saga, kicking off Phase 6 in the MCU.
