Fantastic Four director reveals why ending didn't connect to major Thunderbolts* scene
The quartet's iconic space ship had previously been glimpsed in a post-credits scene.
One of the most exciting moments of the year for fans of the MCU was the Thunderbolts* post-credits scene – which ended with the first glimpse of the Fantastic Four's iconic space ship as it became visible to the "New Avengers".
Of course, it was a sighting which very much whetted the appetite for the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which has now arrived in UK cinemas to properly introduce fans to this latest incarnation of the iconic comic book characters.
But while the new film has broadly gone down well with both fans and critics – with our own 4-star review calling it a "vivacious, beautifully rendered and largely enjoyable comic book spectacle" – it notably didn't give us any more answers as to how the titular quartet end up where they do in that aforementioned post-credits scene.
Instead, the entire film takes place in a different continuity within the multiverse, on Earth-828, meaning that we're still waiting to find out how Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm will end up uniting with the rest of the MCU on Earth-616.
And speaking in a recent interview, director Matt Shakman explained why it was never the plan for his film to line-up with that glimpse from Thunderbolts* – which he didn't even know about until relatively recently.
“No, no, no, because the Thunderbolts* end credit scene was also created relatively late in my process too, so that was not something that I was familiar with," he told CinemaBlend. "Because it hadn’t been created at the time that I was working on my script, you know?"
He added that he liked to compare the process of working on projects within the MCU to running a relay race.
"You pass the baton, you run your section of it as hard and fast as you can, do the best you can with your version of Fantastic Four – Earth 828, this world – and then you pass the baton, in this case to the Russo brothers," he explained.
This lines up with what Shakman previously revealed during an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, when he said that thinking too much about the future of the franchise was "not for me to worry about".
"I was really trying to create a universe that felt completely unto itself, very special," he said. "You know, trying to build a universe for these characters. And then wherever they go, that's for them. That's for their journey."
He added: "And part of that's the fun, you know, in the same way that it was great to meet Captain America, Steve Rogers, back in World War Two.
"Then you see him a fish out of water in the present day, trying to figure out how he fits in with the Avengers. And so they will have their own fish out of waterness as they head off into meeting Avengers in the future."
While the film didn't link to Thunderbolts*, the post-credits scene did give us an interesting preview for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday – with a brief but tantalising look at antagonist Doctor Doom, who will be played by returning MCU stalwart Robert Downey Jr in the crossover film.
We can't wait to find out how it all adds up!
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is currently showing in UK cinemas.
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
