As production ramps up for Avengers: Doomsday, The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman says he’s more than ready to hand things over to Joe and Anthony Russo.
Shakman, who helmed Marvel’s upcoming 2026 reboot of the beloved superhero family, confirmed that the Russo brothers visited his set to familiarize themselves with the new version of the Fantastic Four ahead of their massive crossover epic.
“They were very curious about what we were doing. They came to tour our sets, they would watch scenes that we were cutting together,” Shakman told Deadline.
“They wanted to get to know these people as they were working on their story and their script, so that I could pass the baton to them and these characters would be well cared for.”
The Fantastic Four Take Flight
The Fantastic Four: First Steps stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing.
The story explores how the team gains their powers after a cosmic incident during a space expedition, eventually facing off against Ralph Ineson’s towering villain, Galactus, who poses a threat to Earth itself.
A Universe-Spanning Team-Up on the Horizon
Avengers: Doomsday, set for release on December 18, 2026, promises to be the biggest Marvel ensemble yet, bringing together the Avengers, New Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four to stop Doctor Doom’s destructive plans for the Multiverse.
While Ralph Ineson has no confirmed involvement in Doomsday beyond Galactus, he expressed excitement at the possibility of sharing the screen with Robert Downey Jr., who is set to return as a variant of Doctor Doom.
“I have no idea what Kevin Feige and everybody have planned… but if I got the chance to team up with [Downey Jr.] again, of course I would,” Ineson said.
Stacked Cast, Mysterious Plot
Joining the already star-studded lineup are Sir Ian McKellen (Magneto), Sir Patrick Stewart(Professor X), James Marsden (Cyclops), Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), Kelsey Grammer (Beast), and Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler).
They’ll appear alongside MCU regulars like Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Anthony Mackie (Captain America), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), and Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova).
Script Evolving On Set
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige confirmed that the script for Avengers: Doomsday is still being refined, even as cameras roll.
“There’s plus-ing happening every day on the Avengers: Doomsday set right now… what those filmmakers and actors are doing is amazing,” Feige said.
“You want to listen to their ideas. I wouldn’t want to change that.”
With the Russo brothers at the helm, fan-favorite heroes assembling across franchises, and a galactic threat looming, Avengers: Doomsday is shaping up to be the ultimate Marvel event film— and The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the cosmic launchpad.
