Fans were finally able to get a first look at some of the main MCU characters who will appear in Avengers: Doomsday, and Franklin Richards was one of them. Notably, the image of Franklin depicted him as being quite a bit older than he was in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and even a bit older than he was in that movie's post-credits scene.
An official teaser featuring Avengers: Doomsday characters has not yet been released for the upcoming Marvel Studios film, as it recently wrapped production and is now ready for the post-production process. However, crew members who worked on the movie were gifted Avengers: Doomsday-themed bags (as shared via X by Daniel Richtman that included an array of characters who will be appearing in the movie, which revealed the official designs of each character.
In particular, Franklin Richards showed up at the bottom of the collage. Specifically, he is wearing a Fantastic Four-blue outfit and still has his blonde, wavy hair, but he appears to be much older.
In the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Franklin was four years old. Since he seems to be even older on the Doomsday merch, it is possible that the film will feature him when he is around the ages of five to seven.
In the Doomsday image, Franklin's hair is still long and wavy like it was in the First Steps post-credits scene. However, the Doomsday version of him appears to have hair that is even longer and thicker than it was in that particular scene, alluding that he is somewhat older.
For the majority of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Franklin was depicted as a newborn, as Sue Storm literally gave birth to him on-screen in the film.
In First Steps, Franklin's hair was very short, and he, of course, looked identical to a baby. Therefore, it is clear that he will be quite a bit older in Doomsday than he was in The Fantastic Four.
It is worth noting that the First Steps post-credits scene was shot on the set of Avengers: Doomsday and was directed by Joe and Anthony Russo (the directors of Doomsday), so it will likely be seen again within Avengers: Doomsday. If nothing else, it goes to show how the films are connected, and, since there was a time jump between the main movie and the post-credits scene, it wouldn't be a surprise if there was another one at some point in the upcoming film.
Avengers: Doomsday is expected to be released on December 18, 2025. The movie will feature Robert Downey Jr.'s return to the MCU, as he will be taking on the role of Doctor Doom. The upcoming title will be the first Avengers project to be released since 2019's Avengers: Endgame.
What Will Franklin Richards' Avengers: Doomsday Role Be?
It is no secret that Franklin Richards will play a massive role in Avengers: Doomsday. Certain insiders have revealed what that role could potentially be, but there is no question that, whatever it is, it will be extremely important.
Since Franklin was featured alongside Doctor Doom in the Fantastic Four: First Steps post-credits scene, fans can infer that he will be shown alongside Doom for at least a portion of the upcoming movie.
According to one rumor from an industry insider, Doom will be using Franklin to fix incursions that have happened in the Multiverse so that Doom will appear to be that universe's savior after everything is restored.
In the comics, Franklin was able to restore universes even after they had been subject to incursions, so that will likely be directly transferred over to Avengers: Doomsday.
It is unclear how long Franklin will be with Doom, but since it looks as though he will be at least a couple of years older in Doomsday than he was in the First Steps post-credits scene, it is possible he could be at Doom's side for quite some time.
