Is Doctor Doom going to wipe out Kang’s variants in Fantastic Four post-credit? Rumor explored

Robert Downey Jr.'s casting as Doctor Doom in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sent ripples down the fandom. After it was confirmed that the character will be headlining the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, the new big bad of the current MCU saga was finally revealed. However, the character's upcoming debut came with a major change as well.

Before Robert Downey Jr. was cast as Doctor Doom, Jonathan Majors was set to headline Avengers 5 as Kang the Conqueror, which was previously titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. However, following Majors' conviction in a domestic violence case, the actor was dropped from the film and let go from Marvel.

With Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania setting up Kang in a huge way as the film's post-credits included the Council of Kangs, it certainly looks like that storyline won't be going forward anytime soon. However, a recent rumor might hint at exactly how Marvel Studios might be dealing with writing Kang off in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A new rumor that was posted by @Updates4Marvel on X stated that the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps will help answer what's to happen with Kang. And it looks like Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom will play a major role in the film's post-credits scene by wiping out the Council of Kangs.

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Exploring how Doctor Doom might help write off Kang the Conqueror

Ever since the first season of Loki, Marvel Studios has been building up Kang the Conqueror as the next big bad of the MCU after Thanos. The story was building up to him being the Multiverse Saga's final boss, and it wasn't just going to be the one Kang, but rather variants of him scattered throughout the multiverse.

This was set up at the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where in one of the post-credits scenes a Council of Kangs led by Immortus can be seen discussing the death of the Kang variant killed in the film. However, following the domestic abuse case filed against Majors and the subsequent trial, Marvel Studios dropped the actor from the role.

This eventually led to Marvel Studios completely pivoting from Kang and casting Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. With The Fantastic Four: First Steps seemingly set to take place in an alternate universe, it can be certain that to establish himself as the new big bad of the MCU, Doctor Doom could make his first appearance in the upcoming film.

And what better way to establish this new villain's threat by having him wipe out the entirety of the Council of Kangs. This hasn't been confirmed as of yet, as Doctor Doom hasn't been revealed to be in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, it would be recommended to take this rumor with a grain of salt right now.

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When does Avengers: Doomsday release?

Avengers: Doomsday is set to hit theaters on May 1, 2026. Currently, details on the film are sparse, but it's confirmed to feature Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. Doomsday will also see the return of the Russo Brothers to the MCU as they will helm the film.

Alongside that, it's also confirmed that the Fantastic Four will appear in the movie. For more updates on the upcoming movies, stay tuned with us.