Fantastic Four: First Steps news as it’s confirmed John Malkovich has been cut from the film, plus our first look at Paul Walter-Hauser’s Mole Man. Let’s begin with the news from Variety. As we rumored/speculated previously, John Malkovich’s role as Red Ghost has been cut from the final film.
‘Actor John Malkovich will no longer appear in Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” as Ivan Kragoff, aka the Red Ghost, one of the earliest villains to battle the superhero quartet in the comics. Director Matt Shakman confirmed the decision to cut Malkovich out of the movie in a wide ranging interview with Variety about his career and his experience making the film.’
“There were a lot of things that ultimately ended up hitting the cutting room floor,” Shakman said. “When we were building a ’60s retro-future world, introducing all of these villains, introducing these four main characters as a group, as well as individually, introducing the idea of a child — there was a lot of stuff to balance in this movie and some things had to go ultimately in terms of shaping the film for its final version.”
“It was heartbreaking not to include him in the final version of the movie because he’s one of my very favorite humans and one of my biggest inspirations,” the director said. “As a person who walks the line between theater and film and television, there’s no one who is more inspiring than the founder of Steppenwolf Theater Company. What he’s done on stage as an actor and what he’s done as a director in theater as well as in film, and as just a film actor of incredible ability — I was honored he came to play.”
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What do you think of John Malkovich being cut from The Fantastic Four: First Steps?
Additionally, we also have our first proper look at Paul Walter-Hauser’s Mole Man, check it out, per USA Today.
“He is living sort of in the shadows like a villain would, but he’s also taking care of an entire race of people and trying to live his life without being bothered,” Hauser says of his character.
“It’s a power struggle, but within that, there are compromises and alliances made.” adds director Matt Shakman: “He’s all about community, and that’s why Sue and Harvey have a good relationship and they get along. They understand each other.”
First look at Paul Walter Hauser as Mole Man in ‘THE FANTASTIC FOUR’
(Source: @USATODAY) pic.twitter.com/nr7BT5QnEm
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 17, 2025
Not sure about the green tracksuit look myself. However, I get less hung up on costumes than most fans. All I care about is whether it’s a good film and Mole Man is a good character.
What do you think of this first look at Paul Walter-Hauser as Mole Man In The Fantastic Four: First Steps? Leave any thoughts on either of these FF stories below.
