In a surprising move ahead of the July 25 release of Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” veteran actor John Malkovich will no longer appear in the film’s theatrical cut. Meanwhile, Paul Walter Hauser has emerged as the subterranean villain Mole Man, bringing fresh intrigue to the retro-futuristic MCU reboot.
READ MORE: Summer 2025 Movie Preview: 50 Films To Watch
Initially cast as the Soviet scientist Ivan Kragoff—better known as Red Ghost—Malkovich’s scenes were ultimately left on the cutting room floor for time, flow and purpose. Director Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”) described the decision as “heartbreaking,” explaining it was necessary to streamline the film’s pacing and narrative scope.
“There were a lot of things that ultimately ended up hitting the cutting room floor,” Shakman told Variety this week. “When we were building a ’60s retro-future world, introducing all of these villains, introducing these four main characters as a group, as well as individually, introducing the idea of a child — there was a lot of stuff to balance in this movie and some things had to go ultimately in terms of shaping the film for its final version.”
Malkovich had appeared in the teaser trailer, yet, as Shakman confirmed, his scene—a flashback featuring Red Ghost and his Super-Apes—didn’t fit into the final story rhythm and was ultimately dropped from the film.
Fans may still get to see his performance as Red Ghost in deleted scenes or future bonus content.
Meanwhile, as Red Ghost has disappeared, USA Today offered the first emergence and first look at Paul Walter Hauser’s take on Mole Man, the long-running Marvel villain known for ruling the underground realm of Subterranea. First-look images show Hauser in the character’s trademark green attire and iconic visor. Still, both Shakman and Hauser emphasized a more stripped-down and grounded version of the character rather than a cartoonish fantastical one as seen in the comics and cartoons.
He’s “really more of a union boss than a supervillain,” Shakman noted.
“He is living sort of in the shadows like a villain would, but he’s also taking care of an entire race of people and trying to live his life without being bothered,” Hauser explained, noting that his opposition to the Fantastic Four is political in nature. “It’s a power struggle, but within that, there are compromises and alliances made.”
While Mole Man is known as “vicious and heinous and unrelenting,” as Hauser puts it, this interpretation of the character actually echoes classic comic arcs, portraying Mole Man less as a cartoonish villain and more as a tragic leader fighting for survival beneath the Earth’s surface.
Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is clearly shaping up to prioritize emotional grounding and character depth over pure spectacle. While John Malkovich’s absence may disappoint some fans, adding Paul Walter Hauser’s Mole Man injects comic authenticity and thematic weight. If early glimpses indicate, Hauser’s performance could become one of the most talked-about turns in Marvel’s Phase Five.
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” arrives in theaters July 25.
