Is John Malkovich the true villain of The Fantastic Four: First Steps? A new rumor suggests the iconic actor will be playing a role nobody expected.
When John Malkovich was first cast in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, there were really only two options people expected when it came to his role: Galactus and Franklin Storm. Yet with Ralph Ineson landing the role as the MCU’s Devourer of Worlds, many fans were content with assuming that Malkovich would be playing the father of the Invisible Woman with little-to-no confirmation.
This assumption was thrown on its head recently with a new rumor from Murphy’s Multiverse that seems to reveal John Malkovich’s true role in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. According to the outlet, Malkovich won’t be playing Franklin Storm in the film. Rather, an obscure villain from the team’s comic roots named Ivan Kragoff.
Who Is Ivan Kragoff In The Fantastic Four?
Ivan Kragoff, better known as Red Ghost, is one of the Fantastic Four’s earliest villains. He’s a Russian scientist that attempted to recreate the accident that gave Marvel’s First Family their powers. Setting off to space with three monkeys, Ivan gained the power of intangibility, while also forming a team of Super-Apes to do his evil bidding.
Given The Fantastic Four: First Steps is taking clear aesthetic inspiration from the Cold War era, it’s not a shock that the film would include a villain from around that era of the comics. While it may be hard to imagine Marvel putting super powered apes in their long-awaited reboot, there’s no doubt that John Malkovich can find some way to make the role more memorable than his comic counterpart ever was.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens on July 25, 2025. Stay tuned for all the latest news regarding the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
