The Fantastic Four: First Stepsis set to be one of the biggest releases of July, marking Marvel Studios' introduction of the iconic team, which hasn’t had a feature film release in almost a decade. However, the movie won’t take place in the main MCU timeline—instead, The Fantastic Four will be a team of heroes who live in an alternate, retro-futuristic version of Earth. With this new backdrop comes fewer constraints about which characters can and cannot exist in this new timeline. A new report has been released, confirming that one classicFantastic Fourvillain is featured in the movie.
According to a report from the Cosmic Marvel account,Paul Walter Hauser, who recently starred inThe Luckiest Man in Americaand is also set to play a supporting role in the upcoming remake ofThe Naked Gun, will be playing the villain Mole Man. Hauser was announced to be part of the cast ofFirst Stepsas early as May 2024, during its production, and many had already speculated that he would be playing the villain.
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Trailer Brings the Most Powerful Marvel Character Into the MCU
Welcome to the family.
The prequel comic, which ties into the film, has provided confirmation that it is indeed the case. A short promotional video that was released a few weeks back had alreadyoffered a glimpse at the live-action version of the monstrous creaturebest known for being on the cover of the first issue of theFantastic Fourcomic. It’s in this same comic that the team fights Mole Man, making it only logical that he’d be in the movie.
‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Has Kept Characters Hidden In Its Trailers
The marketing forThe Fantastic Four: First Stepshas done an impressive job of keeping characters like Mole Man a secret. All the trailers released up to this point have primarily used the same set of sequences for their marketing, showcasing only brief glimpses of Galactus, the film’s antagonist. There has also been an emphasis on the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), the Herald of Galactus.
The post-credits scene forThunderbolts*had already provided a tease of a spaceship bearing the Fantastic Four’s logo entering the main MCU timeline. However, audiences won’t know for sure how that situation occurs or who is onboard untilFirst Stepshits theaters.Kevin Feige has also gone on recordas stating the importance ofFirst Stepsin relation to the upcomingAvengers: Doomsday, as the team will also be in the upcoming ensemble movie.
It will be interesting to see how big of a role Mole Man ends up playing in the film, especially as some scenes in the trailers have shown civilians taking shelter underground, presumably while Galactus attacks the city. Whether the character has some redemptive arc or is simply the opening act villain for the film remains to be seen. Paul Walter Hauser has proven to be a great character actor, and his appearance inFirst Stepscould also bring levity to the film as a less-serious villain.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
