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Move over, Galactus: Fantastic Four’s Joseph Quinn confirms there’s another unannounced villain in the Marvel movie
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Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four: First Steps press release has removed one major cast member, leaving fans to wonder if the character has been cut
Bradley Russell
27 June 2025
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(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney)
A new Fantastic Four press release has seemingly removed one cast member, leaving us wondering whether they’ve been cut from the finished version.
Accompanying the final Fantastic Four trailer is a plot synopsis on The Walt Disney Company website, as well as a run-through of the cast. Scroll down a little and you’ll see mention of “the action adventure also stars Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles.”
Notice the missing name? John Malkovich, previously listed as part of First Steps’ cast, is conspicuous by his absence.
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Fantastic Four director appears to rule out a Robert Downey Jr. Doctor Doom cameo before Avengers: Doomsday: “Doom is not part of my film”
Now, it could be a simple oversight by the marketing team, but the fact that his character (rumored to be classic villain Red Ghost) hasn’t been spotted in any trailers since the first Fantastic Four teaser back in February means there’s a chance Malkovich may have been left on the cutting room floor. This wouldn’t even be the first time Marvel has cut a character this year, with WWE Superstar Seth Rollins’ villainous role in Captain America: Brave New World falling by the wayside after reshoots.
Having said that, Malkovich remains in Marvel’s official Fantastic Four landing page – so the plot thickens.
We’ll have to wait until Fantastic Four’s release on July 25 to find out for sure.
Starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn as Marvel’s First Family, the Marvel Phase 6 opener also stars Ralph Ineson as the towering Galactus and Julia Garner as the Silver Surfer.
For more, check out the upcoming Marvel movies currently in production, including Avengers: Doomsday. Then dive into the Marvel timeline.
See more Movies News
Bradley Russell
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I’m the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you’ll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.
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Move over, Galactus: Fantastic Four’s Joseph Quinn confirms there’s another unannounced villain in the Marvel movie
Fantastic Four: release date, cast, director, and everything else we know
Fantastic Four director appears to rule out a Robert Downey Jr. Doctor Doom cameo before Avengers: Doomsday: “Doom is not part of my film”
Fantastic Four director says Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom is being saved for Avengers: Doomsday – “Doom’s a great character, but he takes up a lot of air”
Fantastic Four star Pedro Pascal recalls the “strange” way he got the Reed Richards role: “It changed the course of my life in a very sudden way”
New Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer shows off Silver Surfer, Reed Richards stretching, and even more of Galactus
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