The Fantastic Four: First Steps: John Malkovich's Scenes Have Been Cut

Posted in: 20th Century Studios, Marvel Studios, Movies | Tagged: the fantastic four: first steps

The Fantastic Four: First Steps: John Malkovich's Scenes Have Been Cut

John Malkovich's scenes as Red Ghost in The Fantastic Four: First Steps have reportedly been cut from the film's final cut.

Published Wed, 16 Jul 2025 18:47:03 -0500
by Kaitlyn Booth
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Article Summary

• John Malkovich's scenes as Red Ghost have been cut from The Fantastic Four: First Steps final cut.
• Director Matt Shakman explained the decision was made for pacing and to balance the film's many elements.
• Malkovich did appear in early teaser footage, suggesting the cut was made late in post-production.
• The film juggles introducing Marvel's First Family, Galactus, Silver Surfer, and its 1960s retro-futuristic world.

If it seems like there is quite a bit going on in the footage we've seen so far for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, that's because there very much is. This film is doing a lot very quickly and in what appears to be a brisk runtime. The movie has to introduce a new world that looks at superheroes differently. We can skip most of the Fantastic Four origin story. However, it seems like we'll see some of it, and the film has to dedicate enough time to Marvel's First Family, the Silver Surfer, and Galactus so they all feel like fully formed people and threats that we're invested in. When all of that is going on, there are going to be a couple of things that end up getting cut, and some things even feature some major stars.  John Malkovich joined the cast as the villain Red Ghost in May 2024, though his role wasn't confirmed. However, Malkovich's part in the film is one of the things that had to get cut for balance purposes, according to director Matt Shakman in an interview with Variety.

"It was heartbreaking not to include him in the final version of the movie because he's one of my very favorite humans and one of my biggest inspirations," Shakman said. "As a person who walks the line between theater and film and television, there's no one who is more inspiring than the founder of Steppenwolf Theater Company. What he's done on stage as an actor and what he's done as a director in theater as well as in film, and as just a film actor of incredible ability — I was honored he came to play."

Malkovich can be briefly seen in the very first teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which was released five months ago, so this must have been one of the last-minute edits, and that makes sense. Malkovich is a pretty big name, and cutting a character that has been revealed in trailers is one of those moves that fans do not like. However, as Shakman explained, "There were a lot of things that ultimately ended up hitting the cutting room floor. 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."

People can say until they are blue in the face that they want longer movies, but nothing will suck the fun out of an experience than the structure and pacing making a two-hour film feel like four. It's a failure on the creative side and a failure to deliver a well-paced and well-structured piece of work to the audience. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is essentially doing what the first Thor movie had to do, which was opening up an entirely new world, and it would take a little time to explain and establish it. Some things had to be cut, and Malkovich as Red Ghost is one. Maybe they'll release the deleted scene. 

The Fantastic Four: First Steps – Summary, Cast List, Release Date

Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel's First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus' plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren't bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal. The action adventure also stars Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles. Directed by Matt Shakman, produced by Kevin Feige, and executive produced by Louis D'Esposito, Grant Curtis, and Tim Lewis, Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens in theaters July 25, 2025.

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