Wow. That was fast. Kevin Feige is already pretending Thunderbolts and the so-called “New Avengers” don’t exist?
Following Thunderbolts basically ending its box office run as the second-lowest grossing MCU movie ever—only better than The Marvels—Feige has already moved on.
Fantastic Four Now Sets Up Doomsday
At CineEurope, Disney screened a new trailer for Fantastic Four: First Steps, with Feige introducing the footage. But instead of acknowledging how Thunderbolts was supposed to lead into the future of the MCU – per Bob Iger – Feige has shifted the narrative. Via Deadline:
Exhibitors were also shown a new trailer for Fantastic Four: First Steps, introduced by Marvel boss Kevin Feige, who also teased Avengers: Doomsday now shooting in London and due for release in December 2026. The events of F4, Feige said, will lead directly into Doomsday.
Fantastic Four Was Supposed to Lead to New Avengers
Recall the Thunderbolts post-credit scene features the “New Avengers” discovering the Fantastic Four ship. So that means, Fantastic Four directly leads to Thunderbolts and New Avengers.
However, Feige is touting that Fantastic Four will now directly lead into Avengers: Doomsday, which just started shooting in London and drops in December 2026.
Obviously, Feige is hoping that mentioning FF ties to Doomsday will give FF a big boost. Rather hilarious is that Feige is using Robert Downey Jr. to do the same thing with Ironheart. Talk about desperate.
Whatever Happened to Marvel’s New Avengers?
Following the opening weekend, Feige and Marvel rebranded Thunderbolts as New Avengers, despite the movie having nothing to do with the actual Avengers. The rebrand failed and the flick still bombed hard, grossing under $400M worldwide.
That post-credit scene? It featured Fantastic Four setting up a continuation of Thunderbolts, effectively making it part of the New Avengers. Why didn’t Feige mention anything about the New Avengers? It’s a big brand, right?
Now it sounds like Feige is conveniently acting like it never happened. Instead, he’s desperately trying to pivot Fantastic Four into the next major MCU launchpad and use the still-distant Avengers: Doomsday to generate hype.
Will Fantastic Four Be the Next MCU Disaster?
Let’s be real, Marvel has zero momentum right now. After a string of flops, Feige banking on Fantastic Four might be another massive mistake. Is he already rushing to erase Thunderbolts from the timeline, which isn’t just a bad look, it reeks of damage control?
And if Fantastic Four doesn’t deliver? Maybe that’s why they pushed the release dates for both Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars.
And are those rumors that Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier is actually directing X-Men true? Stay tuned.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens July 25.
