The Marvel Cinematic Universe is turning a new page, and it begins with The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025). But as the superhero team takes its long-awaited bow, director Matt Shakman is opening up about a surprising last-minute omission: the removal of an A-list actor from the film’s final cut.
After enduring an uneven Phase Four and the subdued close of Phase Five with Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* (both 2025), Marvel Studios has reoriented its trajectory. Enter Phase Six, which starts strong thanks to First Steps—a retro sci-fi epic that transports audiences to an alternate Earth and introduces Marvel’s iconic family with style.
Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm) headline the new team, joined by Julia Garner and Ralph Ineson as cosmic antagonists Shalla-Bal and Galactus.
Critics and audiences are responding with enthusiasm. With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 87% and an A– CinemaScore, First Steps is being celebrated as a fresh and emotionally resonant take on the Fantastic Four. Shakman skips the familiar origin tale and instead places the team at a pivotal point in their journey, already bonded and facing a changing future. The 1960s aesthetic, rich in detail, adds another layer of distinctiveness to the MCU’s latest chapter.
At the box office, the numbers speak volumes. Thursday previews alone earned $24 million—the highest of the year so far—and Friday added $57 million. Early projections place the film’s domestic debut between $115–135 million, with a global opening near $200 million.
Still, one headline-making casting didn’t make it to opening night. John Malkovich, long rumored to be joining the MCU and seen in early trailers, was confirmed to play Red Ghost before ultimately being cut from the finished film. In a recent interview, Shakman shared the creative rationale.
“We wanted to get the sense of history. We wanted these characters to feel lived in. We wanted the city to feel lived in. This is a real family, and they've been doing this for four years. Part of that was showing all the things they've done along the way,” Shakman told Brandon Davis of Phase Hero. “Building the Future Foundation, defeating Red Ghost, Mad Thinker, Mole Man…it was part of building the history for them so we could jump in and see them change as a family when a child is introduced.”
About the character’s trimmed role, Shakman explained: “We had an opening that involved a lot of action about the Red Ghost,” he said. “We had an incredible performance from John Malkovich. It was just so much material when we were trying to get to that present-day moment when their world changes and Franklin's arrival becomes imminent.”
He continued, “We had Red Ghost trying to steal a rocket ship with his apes, Reed trying to defeat him, and outwitting him. They had a lot of really fun stuff. We used snippets of it in that montage you see where he's kicking one of the Super-Apes into the water.”
A classic comic book villain introduced in 1963’s “Fantastic Four #13,” the Red Ghost—real name Ivan Kragoff—is a Soviet scientist who sought to eclipse the Fantastic Four through cosmic radiation. Alongside his trio of powered apes (each with their own outlandish ability), Red Ghost became a Cold War-era foil to Reed Richards, often portrayed as both dangerous and absurd in equal measure. While his appearances have become more sporadic, the character remains part of Marvel’s larger legacy.
Looking ahead, the team will return in Avengers: Doomsday (2026), recently moved to December. With Robert Downey Jr. stepping into the role of Victor Von Doom, excitement is building for what’s next. The Russo Brothers will then helm Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027.
Meanwhile, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man swings back into action sooner. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi), arrives on July 31, 2025.
What’s your take on Malkovich’s Red Ghost being left out of First Steps? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
