The movie “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” produced by Marvel Studios, is all about family. It introduces us to the first family of Marvel – Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (portrayed by Pedro Pascal), Susan Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), her brother Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and their solid foundation, Ben Grimm/the Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). The recently unveiled first trailer hints at a mysterious character, played by two-time Oscar nominee John Malkovich. He makes a brief appearance with a long beard and wild white hair, and it seems he might be in prison.
John Malkovich is among several actors yet to be revealed in their roles, despite not appearing in the 97-second trailer. These include Paul Walter Hauser from “Inside Out 2”, Sarah Niles of “Ted Lasso”, Natasha Lyonne known for “Poker Face”, Julia Garner starring as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer in “Wolf Man”, and Ralph Ineson, famous for his role in “Game of Thrones”, portraying the planet-devouring Galactus.
In our musings, it’s possible that Hauser is actually Harvey Elder, also known as the subterranean villain, the Mole Man. Similarly, Lyonne might embody Alicia Masters, a blind woman who develops feelings for the Thing and takes care of the Silver Surfer upon his arrival on Earth, marking Galactus’ approach. Now that we have the initial glimpses from “First Steps“, let me share three hypotheses about Malkovich’s Marvel character in “The Fantastic Four“:
1. Malkovich’s character could be a mentor or ally to the Fantastic Four, much like Professor Charles Xavier serves as an advisor and guide for the X-Men.
2. His role might involve a significant transformation, similar to how Reed Richards gains his elasticity after exposure to cosmic rays.
3. Lastly, Malkovich’s character could be connected to an event or entity that is crucial to the plot of “The Fantastic Four“, like the arrival of Galactus or the emergence of another cosmic threat.
Dr. Franklin Storm
In 1964, the character of Dr. Franklin Storm was first introduced in Fantastic Four #31 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. He is the runaway parent of Sue and Johnny Storm. When the Mole Man resurfaced again, this time in issue #1 and later in #22, he returned with his army of Moloids. His subterranean subjects captured Sue and brought her to his underground kingdom. Reed Richards, Johnny, and Ben Grimm managed to rescue Sue, but she was left critically injured from an explosion.
Medical professionals informed the trio that only one man could perform the operation needed to save Sue’s life, but he had recently escaped from prison. Upon learning about his daughter’s predicament, Dr. Storm emerged from hiding, shocking his son who thought him to be deceased. The surgery was a success, however, Dr. Storm was immediately apprehended.
Issue #32 of the Fantastic Four series unveiled Dr. Storm’s heartbreaking past. This distinguished surgeon lost his wife, Mary, due to complications from a car accident he couldn’t save her from. Overwhelmed by grief and despair, he turned to gambling and alcohol to numb his pain. One fateful night, when an underworld loan shark arrived to collect on his debts, Dr. Storm, consumed by guilt and remorse, ended up taking the loan shark’s life accidentally. Convicted of manslaughter, Dr. Storm was sentenced to serve 20 years to life in prison.
After this disclosure, Kl’rt, also known as the shape-shifting Super-Skrull, disguised himself as Dr. Storm and expelled him to outer space under the guise of “Invincible Man.” The Fantastic Four subsequently overcame the Super-Skrull, who was masquerading as Dr. Storm on Earth. However, the deception included a device intended to eliminate the Four, which ended up killing Dr. Storm instead. With his children present, he passed away. Sue and Reed later named their firstborn child Franklin, in memory of this event.
Nathaniel Richards
Apart from the Storm siblings, other members of the Fantastic Four also have a missing father. In the 1984 edition of Fantastic Four comic book #272, it was unveiled that Reed’s scientist dad, Nathaniel Richards, was actually a time traveler who developed a time machine.
Following years of utilizing his inherited fortune for the space expedition that turned Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben into the Fantastic Four, Reed eventually met his father again in the year 1127 on an alternate Earth. During their travels through this future timeline, they encountered each other. Reed had a son named Arthur Richards and a daughter, Tara, with Cassandra, the Other-World warlord, and upon her passing, he took over as ruler.
In the year 1993, Nathaniel made a trip through time, appearing in the present day (dressed in advanced armor) for the first encounter with his grandson, Franklin Richards, in issue #375 of Fantastic Four. He forewarned of a grim future – Earth-811, a timeline where the majority of mutants were wiped out by the Sentinels as depicted in X-Men: Days of Future Past. It was later disclosed that his true objective was to safeguard the universe by eliminating Franklin from the timestream due to his escalating powers.
Nathaniel and Franklin vanished into the time stream together, but their son reappeared immediately, having grown older during the time Nathaniel spent training Franklin and Tara to become warriors in Elsewhen. A surprising turn of events also exists within the Richards family history: the man claimed as a descendant is none other than the alternate Nathaniel Richards, the time-traveling villain Kang the Conqueror from the 30th century.
Red Ghost
John Malkovich’s long-haired appearance is reminiscent of Dr. Ivan Kragoff, better known as the Red Ghost, a Soviet scientist and Communist character who debuted during the Space Race and Cold War period between the U.S. and the USSR in the 13th issue of Fantastic Four from 1963.
With ambitions to assert control over the Moon for the Communist Empire, Kragoff sent a spacecraft carrying him and his fellow apes, Igor, Miklho, and Peotor, in a mission to be exposed to the same cosmic rays that bestowed superhuman abilities upon the Fantastic Four.
Cosmic radiation dramatically changed Kragoff and his genetically enhanced apes: Igor, the baboon, gained shape-shifting abilities; Miklho, the gorilla, became incredibly strong; Peotor, the orangutan, developed the power to project magnetic and electric energy; while Kragoff himself could turn himself intangible at will as the Red Ghost. Over time, Kragoff would become a regular adversary for the Fantastic Four, frequently joining forces with the villainous quartet known as the Frightful Four, as well as the Intellectuals, an organization of brilliant evil minds such as M.O.D.O.K., the Leader, the Mad Thinker, the Wizard, and Doctor Doom.
Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens in theaters on July 25.
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2025-02-05 01:43