The Fantastic Four: First Steps Teaser- John Malkovich’s First Look Has Fans Convinced a Huge MCU Rumor Is True

Marvel Studios’ highly awaited superhero movie The Fantastic Four: First Steps is going to be the second reboot of the Fantastic Four film series. It stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, John Malkovich, and more. Filmmaker Matt Shakman is directing the movie from a screenplay by Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer, Josh Friedman, Erick Pearson, and more.

The story follows the team of Fantastic Four protecting their 1960s-inspired retro-futuristic world from being devoured by the cosmic being Galactus. The movie’s first trailer was recently released, and it has got the audience excited for what’s to come, but eagle-eyed fans have noticed how one huge MCU rumor is coming true with The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

What is John Malkovich playing in The Fantastic Four: First Steps?

The first trailer for Marvel Studios’ upcoming movie, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, was recently released. The movie stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing.

The trailer also included a brief shot of John Malkovich, who appears from the shadows with flowing white hair, a significant bald patch, and an unkempt beard. His identity has been kept under wraps as of now.

Back in November 2024, Comic Book Movie published that the actor was rumored to be playing one of the team’s oldest villains, i.e., Ivan Kragoff a.k.a. the Red Ghost.

In the comic book, Kragoff, a Russian scientist, had attempted to replicate the conditions that gave The Fantastic Four their powers. He gained the ability to become intangible, taking the supervillain moniker Red Ghost.

Ivan Kragoff first appeared in 1963’s Fantastic Four #13 comic book. It has been reported that since the Red Ghost was born in the 1960s, his abilities stem from the same course as Marvel’s first family. However, it should be noted that Malkovich’s character’s identity is one of the biggest mysteries heading into the movie.

Ardent fans of comic books describe the character as an ‘evil genius’ that has the ability to turn invisible, which leads to him being a tricky villain to deal with. The reports suggested that the actor could deliver a more nuanced portrayal exploring the human cost of unchecked scientific ambition.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps filmmaker reveals ‘it’s not an origin story’

Ahead of the release of the movie, filmmaker Matt Shakman, along with the cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, spoke to EW, where he revealed that the upcoming movie will not focus on the genesis of the team’s superpower. He said,

One of the things we decided early on was not to do an origin story. One of the ways we’re making it our own thing is we’re not telling the story of them going up and being changed and starting our story.

Shakman noted that they thought that they’d just start the story of The Fantastic Four: First Steps on a completely new foot.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who is famous for his work on Hulu’s The Bear, is playing The Thing in the movie and shared during the interview that he had not seen earlier adaptations of the movie. He said,

I haven’t seen those movies. When I got hired to do this, it didn’t feel that it would be protective to watch those movies. People ask me about it, ‘How is this different from those other ones?, and I don’t think it’s helpful to make something in opposition to something else.

Moss-Bachrach mentioned that with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, they are simply making it their own specific thing. He clarified that they are not in any way disrespecting the previously released movies and noted that for the new cast, the experience is new and interesting.

Pedro Pascal, who plays Reed Richards in the movie and leads the team, also echoed the same sentiment as Moss-Bachrach.

The authorship that we have as a family is what’s anchoring us to this experience, and the rest of it is all valuable information and inspiration.

Matt Shakman chimed in to clarify that ‘First Steps’ in the title partly has to do with the idea of exploration. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set to release on July 25, 2025.