For those who may not be familiar, @MyTimeToShineH is known for sharing purported leaks that have had a mixed track record in terms of accuracy. Although some of their claims have been directly refuted by industry heavyweights like James Gunn, the account has also provided enough accurate information in the past to warrant a degree of attention, if not full trust.

The latest buzz from @MyTimeToShineH suggests a surprising twist involving the Fantastic Four’s interdimensional ship, which made a brief appearance in the post-credits scene of “Thunderbolts*”. According to the insider, this ship is not only ferrying Marvel’s first family, but also Thor and Steve Rogers, along with Doctor Doom, before they make their return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). If true, this indicates that the ship has made several stops before entering the familiar Earth-616 timeline.

With nearly a year to go before the film’s release, it’s the perfect time to explore the implications of this rumored revelation and how it might align with what we currently know about “Avengers: Doomsday”.

So far, Disney has unveiled four brief trailers for the film. One highlights Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) living a peaceful life with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and their daughter after the events of “Endgame”. Another focuses on Thor (Chris Hemsworth) as he seeks the strength for one final confrontation. A third teaser features the iconic X-Men characters: Xavier (Patrick Stewart), Magneto (Ian McKellen), and Cyclops (James Marsden). Lastly, the fourth trailer showcases a meeting between the Wakandans, including Black Panther Shuri (Letitia Wright), and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) from the Fantastic Four.

At the time of writing, Disney has rolled out four short “Avengers: Doomsday” trailers – one focusing on Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) in his post-“Endgame” life with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and their daughter, another showing Thor (Chris Hemsworth) praying for the strength to fight one more battle, a third featuring Xavier (Patrick Stewart), Magneto (Ian McKellen), and Cyclops (James Marsden), and a fourth where the Wakandans, including Black Panther Shuri (Letitia Wright), meet Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) of the Fantastic Four.

That last teaser takes place in a desert environment and also features Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía) and the Talokanil. Steve’s seems to take place in an alternate timeline, and Thor’s shows him in a forest and a cozy home with his adopted daughter (India Rose Hemsworth) from “Thor: Love and Thunder.” The X-Men trailer shows Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters in a state of disarray, followed by a chess match between Charles and Magneto and an action flash of Cyclops.

Taken all together, it’s little more than a hodgepodge promising the return of fan favorites. In addition to the teasers themselves, we have the basic premise — a version of Doctor Doom played by Robert Downey Jr., and an ensemble that includes everyone from Tom Hiddleston’s Loki to Alan Cumming’s Nightcrawler. But how does it all play into this new rumor about the Fantastic Four’s ship?

As of now, there is no formal confirmation as to who’s on the Fantastic Four-branded ship that appears at the end of “Thunderbolts*.” The natural assumption is that the Fantastic Four are traveling across dimensions to either warn the heroes of Earth-616 of Doom or enlist them in the fight against him. Another popular theory is that Doom himself is the one aboard the ship.

According to @MyTimeToShineH, it’s all five. The final tag in “Fantastic Four: First Steps” shows Doom infiltrating the Fantastic Four’s headquarters and bending over Franklin Richards, infant child of Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue (Vanessa Kirby). But is he there as a kidnapper? Or masquerading as an ally?

The key to understanding all this may be in Franklin himself, who wields significant cosmic power. The “Secret Wars” storyline, which is the namesake of the upcoming 2027 “Doomsday” sequel, play heavily in the multiverse/crossover space, and the Russo brothers have referred to the pair of new “Avengers” films as a “new beginning.” In other words, these will wrap up the messy Multiverse saga of Phases 4-6 and condensing the sprawling franchise moving forward, likely with some sort of universal reboot.

Will that all spawn from a Doctor Doom plot involving Franklin’s powers? If the rumors are true, it’s most likely that Doom is either holding Franklin hostage, or that he has deceived Reed into kicking off some major multiversal mayhem.

Doctor Doom being aboard the Fantastic Four ship is an easy conclusion to come to, as his connection to the superhero team and his appearance at the end of “First Steps” tie him in directly. But what about the part that says Steve Rogers is also present? When we see him in his “Doomsday” teaser, he’s clearly in the post-“Endgame” timeline where he lived out his days with Peggy Carter. Presumably, the baby we see him holding there is theirs as well.

The Russos have confirmed that Steve will be central to the story of “Doomsday,” and many fans have assumed that this will involve the alternate timeline he created by staying with Peggy in the past. Since the film and its sequel are wrapping up the Multiverse Saga, that would pull him into the main plot and could explain his potential presence aboard the Fantastic Four’s ship.

There still isn’t a decisive canonical answer about Steve’s “Endgame” epilogue, with writers giving conflicting answers on whether or not Steve actually created a new timeline. At the time, it likely wasn’t meant to be that deep. But now, with Steve returning, the lore may be shifting. If Steve is indeed aboard the ship when it arrives at the end of “Thunderbolts*”, then it seems almost certain that he originates from an alternate reality — one created by his own actions.

Yes, it’s all a bit confusing.

We can finagle some theories as to how Steve Rogers ends up aboard the Fantastic Four ship, but Thor is a tougher nut to crack. The last time we saw him, at the end of “Thor: Love and Thunder,” he was fighting aliens and defending others alongside his adopted daughter, Love. But the flashes of his life seen in his “Doomsday” teaser trailer look a lot like New Asgard, which is in Norway.

If Thor is still mainly based on Earth, then why would he be on the Fantastic Four ship? Maybe he’s out in space when the story starts, and gets picked up early. But what exactly makes him so important for Doom’s plot, when he’s been largely uninvolved in the Multiverse Saga? Could it have something to do with his brother, Loki, who has been central to the tangled timelines?

To be honest, there are some other things about the Thor teaser that don’t quite add up. In his prayer to Odin (Anthony Hopkins), he pleads for a normal life free of fighting for his daughter, seemingly forgetting that he was taking her on alien war field trips and training her to wield Stormbreaker not too long ago. This can likely be written off as soft retcons between different creative teams, but it’s still odd.

If the rumors that Thor, Steve, and Doctor Doom being aboard the Fantastic Four ship are true, could the X-Men be there as well? It would be an awfully crowded ride, given how many mutant characters are slated to appear in the film. Taking the supposed leak at face value, however, the answer should be no, as @MyTimeToShineH only mentions those select characters.

The trio of Charles, Magneto, and Cyclops glimpsed in the “Avengers: Doomsday” teaser trailer are set to be joined by Nightcrawler, Mystique (Rebecca Romijn), Beast (Kelsey Grammer), and Gambit (Channing Tatum). That would double the manifest of the interdimensional vessel, and given how untethered the X-Men are to the MCU, it would make more sense for them to find their own way in, via advanced tech of their own, Doom’s hand, or some accidental multiverse shenanigans.

We won’t know whether or not this “Avengers: Doomsday” rumor is true until the end of the year. But for now, there’s certainly plenty of grist for the fan theory mill. Though the Multiverse Saga has been mired in poor planning, an overabundance of projects, and mid-saga story changes like the removal of Jonathan Major’s Kang the Conqueror, it’s undeniably interesting to see the Russos’ attempt to funnel it all into a cohesive, singular finale.

The biggest mystery remains Doom himself, and why he has a face that everyone on Earth-616 will recognize. Many believe that for both narrative and logistical reasons, Robert Downey Jr. will be more of a placeholder Doom, possibly paving the way for a different actor to take the role in a more long-term capacity. The timeline chaos of “Loki,” the variants and parallel realities, the different film universes — it’s all coming to a head, one way or another. Let’s just hope that this pair of “Avengers” films is as comprehensive and satisfying as the last one.