Marvel’s First Family is heading back to the big screen as the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps is one of the forthcoming Marvel movies that has generated a ton of buzz ever since it was announced. While much has been said about the core cast, one particularly intriguing addition is legendary actor John Malkovich. His involvement has been shrouded in mystery, with no official word on who he’s playing. But, now, Malkovich is finally offering some insight into his experience filming the highly anticipated superhero movie release.
John Malkovich recently spoke with Variety at the Los Angeles premiere of his upcoming A24 movie release, the horror thriller Opus. During the chat, Malkovich pulled back the curtain—just a little—on what it was like working on the set of Fantastic Four. While he didn’t give away any spoilers about his character, he did admit that shooting a massive superhero blockbuster was a unique experience, explaining:
Of course, it’s a very odd experience because nothing is really there except giant screens and 18 epic cranes. It’s quite odd in that way, but it was fun. The cast was fun. We’ll see how it goes.
It’s unsurprising to hear that the Seneca star found the experience unusual. Unlike the more grounded and often practical sets of his past projects, working on a big-budget Marvel movie usually means acting in front of green screens, surrounded by towering VFX rigs and motion-capture performers. For an actor who has said no to Marvel until now and has spent much of his career in more traditional dramatic and indie films, stepping onto an MCU production must have been a pretty surreal adjustment.
Still, despite the unusual environment, John Malkovich had nothing but good things to say about his time on set. He added:
It was a good experience. I liked the cast. It was fun. It was interesting.
That’s high praise coming from the two-time Oscar nominee, whose body of work spans everything from Being John Malkovich to Dangerous Liaisons to Red and beyond. As for the cast he referenced, the core characters are being played by Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Susan Storm/The Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/the Human Torch) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing).
While the Man in the Iron Mask star remained tight-lipped about the specifics of his role, online speculation has been running rampant. Some fans still hold out for a Spider-Man connection, though I doubt that will be the case. Here are a few of the top contenders for characters the Illinois-born thespian might more realistically be portraying:
- Puppet Master - Few of the Fantastic Four's villains have a more personal vendetta than Philip Masters, the Puppet Master. Using rare radioactive clay, he can control people like marionettes. His obsession often leads to conflicts with Ben Grimm, aka The Thing (played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach), due to Masters' adopted daughter, Alicia, having a close bond with him.
- The Red Ghost - One of the more popular theories, which gained traction after the Color Me Kubrick actor’s brief appearance in the teaser, is that he might be portraying The Red Ghost. This character was first introduced in Fantastic Four #13 in 1963. Ivan Kragoff is a Soviet scientist who acquires the ability to phase through solid objects following an experiment gone wrong in space. Additionally, he commands a trio of superpowered apes.
- Nathaniel Richards – If Marvel Studios wants to lay the groundwork for the Fantastic Four’s future in the MCU, the Ripley alum could be an ideal choice for Nathaniel Richards, the time-traveling genius and father of Reed Richards. In the comics, Nathaniel travels across timelines, delivering cryptic warnings and pivotal revelations that change Marvel's history. Malkovich's talent for playing enigmatic characters makes him a fitting candidate and, with MCU’s multiverse in play, introducing Nathaniel could lead to exciting storytelling opportunities.
- Franklin Richards – Some fans believe John Malkovich might not be a villain but a future version of Franklin Richards, son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby). Although the teaser doesn’t mention Franklin directly, his involvement isn’t ruled out. In Marvel Comics, Franklin is an incredibly powerful mutant capable of reshaping reality. With the MCU introducing mutants, having Franklin appear as an older version of himself could be a bold choice.
At this point, it’s all speculation, but that’s half the fun when it comes to new installments of the MCU. Whether Malkovich ends up playing a villain, a hero, or someone in between, one thing is for sure—it sounds like he had a good time on set which will only help him bring something memorable to the F4. With First Steps debuting amid the 2025 movie schedule on July 25 fans won’t have to wait too long to find out.
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