The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set to include a surprising second major villain. The next Marvel Studios film introduces the fantastic superhero family as they face off against the devourer of worlds, Galactus (played by Ralph Ineson). The movie, directed by Matt Shakman, will be the third major attempt to bring the Fantastic Four to the big screen and the first set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The first Phase 6 Marvel film is releasing on July 25 and has already confirmed a number of exciting characters and cast members, but the roster of villains is steadily expanding.
All the Villains in Marvel's The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Mole Man (Confirmed)
A surprising addition to The Fantastic Four: First Steps narrative is Mole Man, who will appear in the film, according to recent comments from cast member Joseph Quinn. Speaking to Omelete at CCXPMX 25, Quinn said the MCU film has "a lot of fantastic characters," adding that one of them is Mole Man, but declined to reveal who the actor behind the villain is (although rumors suggest this is Paul Walter Hauser's undisclosed role):
"It's certainly a very stacked cast. We've got a lot of fantastic characters in there. There's also Mole Man, who's wonderful in it. But Galactus is the big bad."
In Marvel Comics, Mole Man (aka Harvey Rupert Elder) is a recurring enemy of the Fantastic Four and is notably the first villain the team faces. In the comics, Elder is a nuclear engineer and conspiracy theorist shunned by his colleagues for his beliefs in a Hollow Earth. After falling down a crevasse into Subterrania, he became the ruler of the Moloids (creatures created by the Deviants). He then engineered a series of attacks on the surface world, hoping to rule it with his Moloids someday.
When the MCU film begins, the Fantastic Four are already established heroes. Still, the movie may choose to show the superhero quartet in action, fighting their formidable first villain, Mole Man. Videos from the set of The Fantastic Four: First Steps have teased a mining location, which could hint at Mole Man's subterranean lair. This suggests Mole Man might be one of the first supervillain fights in the film, before the arrival of Galactus.
Galactus (Confirmed)
The Fantastic Four: First Steps has not been subtle about its biggest (physical and metaphorical) villain. The planet-eating Galactus has been shown stomping through the team's alternate Earth, with his herald, the Silver Surfer, warning that their world has been marked for death. While the character is a CGI creation of necessity due to his unbelievable scale, Ineson did perform the Galactus practically with motion capture.
Galactus is one of Marvel Comics' most formidable supervillains, with the character easily snuffing out entire worlds. How (or if) the Fantastic Four team will be able to save their planet from Galactus is the biggest question going into the movie, and the answers could be the thing that links them to their roles in Avengers: Doomsday.
Red Ghost (Reported)
Another Fantastic Four comics villain who may appear in First Steps is Ivan Kragoff, aka Red Ghost, a Russian scientist who attempts to replicate the event that gave the Fantastic Four their powers (with an army of apes at his side).
Rumor has it that this is John Malkovich's secret Marvel role, which provides a way to introduce the Russia vs USA space race into the MCU's 1960s-inspired retro-futuristic alternate Earth.
Doctor Doom (Expected)
Fans are eager to see Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. return to the MCU in his new role as Victor von Doom, but the question is, will Marvel Studios wait until Avengers: Doomsday to reveal him?
Doctor Doom is the Fantastic Four's most famous adversary and has been their on-screen rival in both previous Fantastic Four film adaptations.The Fantastic Four: First Steps seems to be taking a different approach by making Galactus the major villain in the movie, which director Matt Shakman leaves little room for Doctor Doom to appear.
Still, it is heavily speculated that Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom will appear somehow in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, possibly in the film's post-credits sequence.
Bonus: Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is more morally grey than the typical hero or villain. The character is typically known as a servant of Galactus, who heralds his arrival on different planets, resulting from the Surfer's own planet becoming a victim of the Devourer of Worlds.
While this initially puts the Silver Surfer (played by Julia Garner in The Fantastic Four: First Steps) at odds with the Fantastic Four heroes, there is a chance for the character's redemption in the movie, which may transition her from villain to hero.
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