Tacky Marvel cartoon sequence exist in our world as properly, most famously the oft-memed Spider-Man sequence from 1967. The Fantastic 4 had a cartoon present across the identical time, releasing 20 episodes between 1967 and 1968. You would possibly assume that the cartoon theme we see within the film is a variation of that sequence, nevertheless it’s not. The opening to the 1967 sequence confirmed the FF’s origin and some of its enemies, however didn’t embody a catchy jingle with lyrics. Nor did the 1978 sequence, which simply defined the group’s origin in voiceover.
As a substitute the fake cartoon credit that finish First Steps have extra in frequent with a cartoon sequence that featured many Marvel heroes, however not the FF. As a result of in 1966, the corporate made its first foray into animation with The Marvel Tremendous Heroes, a set of shorts starring Captain America, Iron Man, and the Hulk. Even in an period of low-effort tv animation, The Marvel Tremendous Heroes felt janky, including simply the slightest little bit of motion to Jack Kirby panels from the comics.
Nevertheless, the sequence did give every hero actual ear-worm jingles, together with an excellent tune about Captain America throwing his mighty protect. Sadly the FF by no means acquired their very own track on this technique, which makes Earth-828 barely higher than our actuality.
Doomsday Eve
The most necessary post-credits second halfway by way of the names scroll, nevertheless, when First Steps catches as much as the group 4 years later. We start with Vanessa Kirby’s Sue studying a guide to Franklin, now a precocious child. The digicam stays on Sue as she leaves the room to get a distinct guide, and we see her energy up when she hears a noise coming from Franklin’s route. The digicam then takes Sue’s perspective as she slowly turns the nook to see a determine in a inexperienced cloak kneeling subsequent to Franklin, who softly holds his hand and seems to be touching his face.
That’s after all Physician Victor Von Doom, the arch-enemy of the Fantastic 4 and the first villain of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Earlier than this second, First Steps hinted at Doom’s absence all through the image, passing by scenes of delegates at a United Nations convention to point out an empty seat beneath the flag of Latveria, the fictional nation dominated by Doom. However not even the mid-credits scene exhibits us Doom’s face, masked or unmasked, which implies that we don’t see Robert Downey Jr., who has returned to the MCU to painting the Latverian despot. As a substitute we see wee little Franklin touching the unmasked face of a cloaked, kneeling determine. Given how notoriously shy Doom is of exhibiting his face within the comics, this speaks volumes.
Whereas some is perhaps disillusioned that we don’t get an opportunity to see how RDJ interprets the basic baddie, the mid-credits scene does present the clearest connection between First Steps and Doomsday. We all know that Doomsday will contain the incursions which were teased within the MCU since Physician Unusual within the Multiverse of Insanity, situations through which Earths from throughout the Multiverse collide and destroy each other. Because the Chief warned within the post-credits for Captain America: Courageous New World, a few of these worlds have their very own heroes, and people heroes will definitely attempt to save their worlds by destroying Earth-616, one thing we noticed within the comedian guide tales main as much as Secret Wars.