Reed Richards and Co. are going to have their hands full when they make their Marvel Cinematic Universe debuts in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The Silver Surfer is coming to Earth to prepare the planet for Galactus’ arrival, and the team is going to be distracted because Sue Storm is pregnant. The world is counting on them, though, so they’ll have to hunker down and get to work to find a solution to the Devourer of Worlds’ hunger. However, even if the Fantastic Four are able to send Galactus packing, they won’t have much time to relax because Doctor Doom is waiting in the wings to strike in Avengers: Doomsday.
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Facing their two most iconic villains is sure to test the Fantastic Four’s resolve. But it turns out that there’s another bad guy they have to worry about, Mole Man. Despite being left out of all of First Steps‘ marketing, the villain has a role in the movie, and a notable actor is bringing him to life.
Marvel Comics is gearing up to release The Fantastic Four: First Steps #1, a tie-in comic that will explore the origins of Marvel’s First Family in the MCU. Panels from the book are already making their way online, with some of them revealing the team’s mission to space that gives them their powers. However, that’s small potatoes compared to the image of Mole Man, who bears a striking resemblance to Paul Walter Hauser.
Hauser is best known for his roles in movies like Cruella and Richard Jewel. He also just wrapped up playing Stingray in the Netflix Karate Kid follow-up Cobra Kai. All of the actor’s hard work is clearly paying off, as he’s now part of Marvel Studios production, and while the powers that be had been keeping his role under wraps, the mole is finally out of the bag.
Mole Man Is One of Marvel’s Oldest Villains
Harvey Rupert Elder, aka Mole Man, has the honor of being the first villain the Fantastic Four ever fought. He was once a scientist who tried to convince his colleagues of the Hollow Earth theory. They thought he was out of his mind, and they also made fun of him for his appearance. Without any friends on the surface, Elder began exploring everything below it and stumbled upon Subterranea, a mysterious place home to creatures known as Moloids.
It didn’t take long for Elder to embrace his new Mole Man persona and declare war on the surface. With his knowledge of nuclear energy, he targeted power plants around the world, which the Fantastic Four didn’t appreciate. The newly formed team took down the villain and caught the world’s attention. Mole Man’s origins in the MCU are sure to borrow a lot from the source material, but he’s not going to have a major role in First Steps.
At a fan expo in June, Human Torch actor Joseph Quinn revealed that Mole Man is in the upcoming Marvel movie. While he didn’t say anything about Hauser playing him, he made it clear that the villain isn’t going to steal the show from Galactus.
“Certainly, a very stacked cast we have a lot of fantastic characters in there,” Quinn said. “There is also Mole Man, who’s wonderful in it, but Galactus is the big bad.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25, 2025.
Are you excited to see Mole Man in The Fantastic Four: First Steps? What kind of impact do you think he will have in the movie? Let us know in the comments below!
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Courtesy of Warner Bros.
