‘Fantastic Four: The First Steps’ Director Reveals Who Shot the Post-Credits Scene (Yep, It Will Be Super Important)

The director of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Matt Shakman, has revealed that he wasn’t the one who filmed the movie’s post-credits scene.

In a chat with ComicBook, Shakman explained that the scene was actually directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, the filmmakers behind Avengers: Doomsday. According to him, the Russos shot the stinger while they were working on Doomsday, which started filming earlier this year.

When asked if it felt strange handing things over to other directors, Shakman said he didn’t mind at all.

He spoke highly of the Russo brothers and their approach to working together. “Not at all, especially when I’m handing them off to the Russo brothers who are amazing at what they do and they’re lovely, generous people,” Shakman said.

He added, “They were very involved and as we were making this film, they wanted to visit our sets and watch scenes as they were coming together and get to know these characters so they could treat them well, do right by them in the next movie. They’re really good protectors of these characters as well. I often think of working at Marvel as like running a relay race. You pass the baton, you run as hard and fast as you can with it for that section of the race that belongs to you, and then you pass that baton. I passed it on to Joe and Anthony and they’re off and running, and that’s great.”

The way the post-credits scene was handled is similar to what happened with Thunderbolts’ end scene. In that case, although Jake Schreier directed the main movie, the Russo brothers shot the button scene.

That moment showed the New Avengers as they reacted to the Fantastic Four arriving on Earth-616. Schreier told ComicBook that this scene was put together pretty late in production and was filmed not long before the movie came out.

It makes sense that the Russos took over for First Steps‘s post-credits scene, since the Fantastic Four are going to be a big part of Avengers: Doomsday. Marvel often uses post-credits scenes to give fans a look at what’s coming next, and this scene likely sets up the Fantastic Four’s bigger role in future movies.

Plus, since the Doomsday movie was already being filmed and the Fantastic Four cast was probably on set, it was easier for the Russos to just film the stinger themselves. Some fans believe the post-credits scenes in both Thunderbolts and First Steps might actually be real scenes taken straight from Doomsday.

Rumors have also been going around that Robert Downey Jr. might show up as Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four: First Steps. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but fans are guessing the post-credits scene could include him.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is Marvel Studios’ latest superhero film. It’s based on the classic Marvel Comics team and marks the 37th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Matt Shakman, with a script by Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer, the film stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn as the Fantastic Four.

Other cast members include Julia Garner, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, and Ralph Ineson. In the movie, the Fantastic Four fight to save their retro-style 1960s-inspired world from Galactus, a massive cosmic villain played by Ineson.

The film is set to premiere at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles on July 21, 2025. It will hit theaters across the U.S. on July 25, as the first movie in Phase Six of the MCU. A sequel is already being planned.

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