John Malkovich Cut from "The Fantastic Four: First Steps"
There’s been a lot of buzz around John Malkovich’s role in Marvel’s upcoming movie, The Fantastic Four: First Steps. However, it turns out he has been cut from the final version of the film. He was even featured in the teaser trailer, which raised expectations among fans. Malkovich was supposed to portray a classic Marvel villain but ultimately won’t be appearing in the reboot.
The Role That Wasn’t
Reports indicate that Malkovich was slated to play the villain Ivan Kragoff, better known as the Red Ghost. This character was intended to appear in an early action scene, which would have spotlighted his superpowered apes alongside the team. Unfortunately, director Matt Shakman confirmed that this scene needed to be removed to keep the story focused on the main four heroes. Malkovich’s performance was praised by Shakman, who described him as “brilliant” in the role.
Significance of the Red Ghost
The revelation about Malkovich portraying the Red Ghost is noteworthy. This follows predictions made by MovieWeb earlier about his secret role back in March 2024. The introduction of the Red Ghost suggests that the Fantastic Four may have faced some of their central villains even before encountering major threats like Galactus and the Silver Surfer. Alongside Paul Walter Hauser as Mole Man and whispers of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom from the alternate reality Earth-828, the film seems poised to create an interconnected universe.
Interestingly, the removal of the Red Ghost could also resemble a plot point involving similarly themed characters in Superman. While it’s unclear if this was a consideration, the overlap is intriguing.
Past Marvel Near-Misses for Malkovich
This isn’t the first time that Malkovich’s involvement with a Marvel character has ended unfinished. He had previously been cast as Adrian Toomes, aka the Vulture, in Sam Raimi’s canceled Spider-Man 4. Due to that film’s cancellation and the subsequent reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man, fans didn’t get to see Malkovich as a supervillain. The Vulture eventually appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming, played by Michael Keaton. Malkovich has been hesitant to join superhero films in the past, making his role in The Fantastic Four: First Steps feel particularly significant. Fans are understandably disappointed they won’t get to see him in action.
Concerns About the Movie’s Runtime
The runtime for The Fantastic Four: First Steps has been confirmed to be just 1 hour and 55 minutes, which raises some alarms among fans. This makes it one of the shortest films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Similar to past films like The Incredible Hulk and Thor: The Dark World, it raises the question of how much was cut.
In fact, there have been other situations where actors were entirely removed from films, like Rosa Salazar in Captain America: Brave New World, even after being involved in promotional campaigns. It begs the question: how much harm could that Red Ghost scene have caused to the movie’s pacing? It seems like a missed opportunity to add depth to the film.
Conclusion
While Malkovich’s exit from The Fantastic Four: First Steps is disappointing, it’s a decision made in service of the overall story. Marvel continues to navigate how to establish connections among characters while keeping the narrative streamlined. Fans will have to wait for the film’s release to see what this new installment of the MCU offers, minus one iconic actor. The anticipation remains, but so do the questions about what could have been.
