2025 Fantastic Four Movie's Biggest Casting Mystery Just Got Solved

The Fantastic Four: First Steps' latest casting announcement revealed who Marvel Studios cast as one of the film's "important" characters.

Even though the MCU's long-awaited reboot of Marvel's first family arrives in theaters on July 25, there's still a lot of secrecy concerning the Phase 6 film's full cast. But one mystery has finally been solved concerning a key character who's been part of The Fantastic Four's marketing from the start.

Voice actor and sound editor Matthew Wood is voicing HERBIE, The Fantastic Four: First Steps retro robot, a droid created by Pedo Pascal's Reed Richards and who director Matt Shakman claims (via Empire) is "as important and as alive as any other member of the cast:"

“He’s absolutely as important and as alive as any other member of the cast. He’s sometimes a slightly put-upon robot, but he is definitely a member of the family. He’s just so charming and adorable.”

Casting Matthew Wood as this intergal member of The Fantastic Four makes perfect sense since Wood has a history of voicing mechanical characters under the Disney umbrella. 

The legendary Lucasfilm sound editor voiced General Grievous in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and the Battle Droids in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. In the years since, he's also lent his vocal talents to projects ranging from Star Wars: The Force Awakens to Marvel Studios' X-Men '97 and What If...?

Three Fantastic Four: First Steps Mystery Characters

While Wood's casting solves one Fantastic Four casting mystery, others remain unknown. For instance, Marvel Studios has confirmed several well-known stars have roles in the Phase 6 film, but fans still don't know who they're playing. These actors have either been hidden in the film's marketing or their presence has been limited at best.

The following is a list of stars cast in The Fantastic Four: First Steps whose roles are being kept under wraps:

John Malkovich

Known for Dangerous Liaisons and Being John Malkovich, the Academy Award-nominated actor was revealed in the first official trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. However, his brief, bearded appearance did little to clarify who his character is.

While some fans have speculated he's playing an older Nathaniel Richards, one of the leading theories is that Marvel Studios cast John Malkovich as the Red Ghost. First introduced in January 1963's Fantastic Four #13, the Red Ghost, or Ivan Kragoff, was a Russian scientist with an army of Super-Apes who gained his powers from exposure to cosmic rays. 

Natasha Lyonne

Another confirmed star for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Natasha Lyonne (Orange Is the New Black, Poker Face) recently voiced Byrdie, the strange but powerful offspring of Darcy Lewis and Howard the Duck, in What If...? Season 3. 

Whether Marvel Studios is bringing Byrdie into live-action through First Steps or casted her to play a new character is unknown. However, if the MCU is leaning toward the latter, there are theories that the actress may be playing Alicia Masters, Ben Grimm's love interest. 

Paul Walter Hauser

Rounding out The Fantastic Four's secret trio is Paul Walter Hauser from Cobra Kai and Inside Out 2. But fan curiosity is particularly high since he's reportedly playing a main character in the film, much like Matthew Wood's HERBIE. 

One of the leading theories is that Paul Walter Hauser may be playing Mole Man, an original Fantastic Four comic book villain, especially since Marvel Studios has already alluded to Mole Man's Subterranea, and the location was seemingly shown in a revealing Fantastic Four: First Steps set video. 

But despite the secrecy surrounding Hauser's role, the actor himself has been particularly bullish about the MCU movie, telling The Direct he believes The Fantastic Four will "go down in history:" 

"And I believe that this will go down in history as one of the ones that started a new tide of successful storytelling for the company. Sort of in the same way the 'Guardians of the Galaxy'  and 'Black Panther' hit. They both hit in a certain way. I believe we are about to hit."

Check out the best look yet of Galactus from The Fantastic Four: First Steps here!

The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters on July 25.