John Malkovich Was Cut From ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps.’ Here’s What He Said About Acting in His First Marvel Film

The Fantastic Four: First Steps isn’t out until next week, but we already know one familiar face won’t be making it into the final cut: John Malkovich.

The veteran actor, known for a career of esoteric fare, was set to appear in his first Marvel movie at the age of 71—though his character’s identity was never officially unannounced, we did get a glimpse of him in the movie’s teaser. But according to a new Variety interview with director Matt Shakman, “There was a lot of stuff to balance in this movie, and some things had to go. John is one of my favorite humans and one of my biggest inspirations. It was heartbreaking not to include him.”

Malkovich as the Red Ghost in The Fantastic Four teaser.

So what have we been robbed of? Also per Variety, “Malkovich’s scenes came early in The Fantastic Four, part of a lengthy sequence detailing the titular family’s early years as superheroes, including when they battled the Red Ghost”—né Ivan Kragoff, a Soviet scientist supervillain first introduced in the comics in 1963—“and his team of Super-Apes.” (Sorry to these Super-Apes too.)

These things happen, especially in productions this massive: just a couple weeks ago, it made news that actor Simone Ashley’s plotline was all but cut from F1.

While we won’t be able to see Malkovich’s take on the Red Ghost in the summer blockbuster—alongside Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Vanessa Kirby—GQ did previously get some insight about the actor’s experience filming The Fantastic Four: First Steps. In a profile of the actor published in our March 2025 issue, Malkovich told GQ’s Gabriella Paiella about his decision to act in his first Marvel movie after a nearly half-century long career. Comic book movies have long been divisive within the industry—depending on who you ask, they’re either not cinema or they’re the only thing keeping cinema alive. Malkovich’s take, interestingly—though not surprisingly—fell into a sort of third, much more pragmatic position.

Per the profile:

He said yes mainly because he wanted to work with the director Matt Shakman again after 2014’s Cut Bank. Malkovich mentions that he had been asked to do Marvel movies—which have become the subject of endless debate as they’ve come to dominate and, in the eyes of some, ruin the industry—a few other times in the past, but he declined each time.

“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,” he says. “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. You don’t want to pay me, it’s cool, but then I don’t want to do it, because I’d rather be onstage, or be directing a play, or doing something else.”

Though, after finally filming The Fantastic Four, he found that “it’s not that dissimilar to doing theater,” he says. “You imagine a bunch of stuff that isn’t there and do your little play.”

Alas, we won’t be seeing Malkovich’s “little play” after all. But we’re glad he still got paid!