For a guy who once climbed inside his own head for a movie, any other project would be pretty standard by comparison. However, John Malkovich has admitted that working on an MCU film has been challenging, which is expected from a franchise that often tampers with reality. Set to appear in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the legendary actor's role remains a mystery in the First Family's first big adventure in the MCU. After catching a glimpse of him in the new trailer, fans have been theorizing that he might be playing Ivan Kragoff, aka Red Ghost, one of the team's known villains who creates a band of super apes in an attempt to replicate the accident that granted the Fantastic Four their powers.
Speaking to Variety about the role, Malkovich said, “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.”
In the film, he will share the screen with Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as The Invisible Woman/Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing. This talented quartet has thankfully gained Malkovich's approval, even if he may potentially cause them problems for most of the film. “It was a good experience. I liked the cast. It was fun. It was interesting.”
- Fantastic Four star John Malkovich reveals he's turned down Marvel before because of bad pay: "If you're going to hang from a crane in front of a green screen for six months, pay me"
- John Malkovich's Fantastic Four: The First Steps character might be The Red Ghost, a Russian cosmonaut who hangs out with three super-powered apes - and I couldn't be more excited
Malkovich has been on Marvel's wish list for some time now, with the actor revealing to GQ that he had turned down previous offers to join the franchise before participating in First Steps. “The reason I didn’t do them had nothing to do with any artistic considerations whatsoever. I didn’t like the deals they made at all. These films are quite grueling to make. If you’re going to hang from a crane in front of a green screen for six months, pay me.”
We'll see how he fares being hung by potentially 18 of them when The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25, 2025. Discover everything we know about the superhero team here.
