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It might be time to go back and revisit the end of Thunderbolts* again. Specifically, that post-credit scene, which sneakily gets Avengers: Doomsday started early — because all may not be as it seems.

Yes, it’s a month old, but we’re still putting a spoiler warning for those who haven’t seen the end of Thunderbolts* just in case. Continue at your own risk.

The post-credit sequence shows the New Avengers — or New Avengerz, if you’re with Red Guardian and his sense of branding — discussing their status as Avengers, before they’re interrupted by the appearance of the Fantastic Four, ahead of the team’s debut in July’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Or… are they?

Talking to Empire magazine, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige drops a very strange comment. Asked if the ship in the sequence is the Excelsior — the name given to the FF’s ship in First Steps, as revealed way back in November 2024 — Feige said, “Well, the name of their ship is the Excelsior, and there is a Fantastic Four ship entering the MCU in the tag. But I’m not sure they’re the same ship.”

So… what does this mean, exactly? We can think of three possibilities Feige is teasing here:

1. It’s the same Fantastic Four, but a different ship
2. It’s a different Fantastic Four from the one seen in First Steps
3. That’s not the Fantastic Four at all, but it’s someone using a (different, non-Excelsior) Fantastic Four ship

The first one is, honestly, the least interesting — but the next two offer no shortage of possibilities. We know that Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will focus on the Marvel Multiverse, so the idea that it’s a different FF from elsewhere in the multiverse feels entirely possible, but what I’m wondering is… what if the ship is actually from the First Steps reality, but piloted by someone completely different. Say… Victor Von Doom…?

It’ll be awhile before we find out for sure… but I wouldn’t be too surprised if we get more of a hint when The Fantastic Four: First Steps reaches theaters July 25.

Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:

• How to watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe in release or chronological order
• The best Marvel Comics stories of all time
• All the MCU movies ranked from best to worst
• Our weekly Marvel insider's column, Marvel Matters