Fantastic Four post-credit scene: what Doom and Franklin tease

The post-credit scene for the Fantastic Four leaked across social media, and I think it holds three major Easter eggs that foretell things for both Franklin Richards and Doctor Doom. Major spoilers follow, because I'm going to describe exactly what happens in the scene.

The scene opens in the den of the Baxter Building, where Sue Storm sits on the couch reading to Franklin Richards. The butterfly Sue and Franklin talk about, a gag about Charles Darwin and Doom kneeling in front of the baby are the three details I think are foreshadowing what's ahead.

Talk of a Butterfly Points to Franklin Richards and a New Beginning for the MCU

The first Easter egg is what Sue and Franklin say out loud: a butterfly. Sue confirms that's what they're talking about. The next shot is a close-up of Franklin's face as Sue kisses him on the cheek before getting up to grab another book. That moment matters because of what a butterfly represents. Typically, and metaphorically in literature, butterflies stand for a new beginning.

It's the chrysalis. A caterpillar goes into a cocoon, turns to complete liquid, reassembles into a butterfly and emerges with beautiful wings. That's what the story stands for. Most specifically, the image stands for "transformation, growth, and new beginnings."

Kevin Feige said at a press conference that Avengers: Secret Wars is meant to be a new beginning for Marvel Studios and the MCU as a singular timeline. With that in mind, I think this is very clearly foreshadowing Franklin coming into his full potential. I see the butterfly as twofold. On one level, it's Franklin, an Omega level mutant, emerging with butterfly wings. On another, it's about the MCU itself, with Franklin at the center of that transformation as the MCU becomes one new singular timeline after Secret Wars.

H.E.R.B.I.E.'s Copy of Origin of Species Marks Franklin as the Next Step in Evolution

Sue heads into the kitchen looking for a new book and asks whether H.E.R.B.I.E. has seen the one Franklin really enjoys. H.E.R.B.I.E. picks up and presents Charles Darwin's Origin of Species, and Sue confirms Franklin loved that one. The obvious joke is that the book should be way beyond Franklin's understanding or reading level. He shouldn't be able to get through all of Darwin's Origin of Species.

The deeper level is what it says about what Franklin is. Origin of Species is the book that talks about evolution and natural selection. Because Franklin is a mutant, and an Omega level mutant at that, he is that natural selection. He's the next step in human evolution. If he understands that, then of course he would love the book.

Going one step further, I think the title is also meant to foreshadow the saga I expect after Avengers: Secret Wars, the X-Men and the Mutant Saga. That's where I'd expect to see this play out, along with the otherness mutants feel as that next step in evolution. That one specific title foreshadows quite a bit.

Franklin Richards Reaches for Doctor Doom's Face Under the Hood

After the Darwin joke, Sue hears something from where she's standing between the kitchen and the den. It sounds like a portal, as if someone may be phasing into the room. She realizes something's up, comes around the corner very cautiously and even starts using her light powers with her left hand.

As she approaches the den, all we see is a green cloaked figure from behind. He has his mask off, and you can clearly see it in his hand. Baby Franklin has his left arm extended. He's standing close enough to a kneeling Doctor Doom to reach up and touch his face, and his arm disappears underneath the hood.

I think this is clearly invoking the disfigurement on Doom's face. Would a kid reach out and touch a person's face? Maybe. He's a young child, and they do that sometimes. But I think the intrigue of the way Doom's face looks is why Franklin reaches out to touch it in the first place. I think this is hinting that we're going to get a classic scarred Doctor Doom underneath the mask.

Why I Understand Marvel Keeping Robert Downey Jr.'s Doom Hidden

The other post-credit scene is an animated short, a montage of the team fighting villains. This is the post-credit scene that was directed by the Russos. Like the post-credit scene in Thunderbolts, which seems very disconnected from this one and leaves much to be interpreted in between, we can assume it might be part of the beginning of Avengers: Doomsday.

I like that they didn't use Robert Downey Jr.'s voice or show his face, saving that for Doomsday because it needs a lot of explaining. They probably want to set it up properly and with major reveals. I get it. We might want to see it through the eyes of the Avengers he's revealing his Tony Stark likeness to. That's understandable.

Some people are disappointed, thinking Marvel should have shown his face or given us some dialogue, as some of the recent leaks said. I think it very likely that the Russos, while not having a finished script, have a very clear plan for how they want this introduction to go. Maybe they haven't gotten to the exact heart of it yet, so there's no reason to blow it in the Fantastic Four post-credit scene. We can wait for the reveal when it's done the right way, and I think they're probably thinking the same thing.

Maybe it wasn't even Robert Downey Jr. underneath that cloak. It could easily have been a stand-in, and that could have been the sole reason alone. Don't be surprised if it comes out in an interview that he had a scheduling conflict and couldn't make it.

Doctor Doom Has Had Far Less Setup Than Thanos Before Infinity War

Still, Marvel Studios did the least with Doctor Doom. We complained that Thanos maybe didn't have enough screen time and setup before we got to Infinity War, and Doom has had far less than that. It's crazy to think that within one movie of us being introduced to him, he'd go from Victor von Doom to God Emperor Doom.

I imagine they've got a way of letting us know just how powerful Doom already is. He's standing face to face with Franklin. If he realizes how powerful Franklin is, which is probably the impetus for why he wants to kidnap him in the first place, there's a good chance he's already competent in his powers.

Still, Marvel Studios did the least with Doom. By the time we got to Infinity War, we at least had the scenes in Guardians of the Galaxy plus several post-credit scenes. For Doom, we've got nothing but a figure underneath a cloak, and it probably wasn't even Robert Downey Jr.