The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Ending Change Revealed (& Why It Was Cut)

The Fantastic Four: First Steps has arrived as a major success for Marvel Studios, marking a significant turning point after a period of commercial and critical inconsistency. The film launched with a strong $118 million domestically and has already amassed $218 million globally in its opening weekend. This much-needed win is bolstered by widespread critical praise, earning the movie a “Certified Fresh” 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and a solid A- CinemaScore from audiences, the highest marks for any Fantastic Four film to date. However, behind this success is a story of significant changes during production. The final version of the film that audiences are seeing is vastly different from earlier cuts, with the role of John Malkovich as the villain Red Ghost being entirely removed. Now, new details reveal these cuts were even more substantial than previously known, as the entire third act of First Steps was fundamentally altered before its theatrical release.

Warning: Spoilers below for The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

During a set visit attended by CBR, the outlet witnessed the filming of a key sequence from the movie’s climax that played out very differently than in the final version. In the theatrical release, the Fantastic Four orchestrate a global plan to construct massive teleportation towers called Bridges, intending to move Earth to a new solar system to save it from the world-eater, Galactus (Ralph Ineson). Just as the plan is about to be activated, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) reappears and uses her powers to destroy the Bridges, thwarting the rescue effort.

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However, the scene filmed during the set visit featured a different saboteur. As CBR describes it, when Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) initiated the final countdown, a voice with a heavy Russian accent interrupted over the communication systems, taunting him. This prompted Pascal’s Reed to scream, “Ivan, no! You can’t! Not now!” The line is a direct reference to Ivan Kragoff, the Red Ghost, who was originally intended to be the one to destroy the Bridges and doom the planet.

“There was, yeah, we had a different idea of how those bridges could go awry early on,” director Matt Shakman confirmed during a press event for the film. “And then, when we were putting the film together, it just made more sense to have the Surfer come back. It stayed more on story with the antagonist we knew, and were spending the most time with.”

Will John Malkovich’s Red Ghost Ever Appear in the MCU?

The removal of Malkovich’s role became a point of speculation for months, with fans noticing his absence from final cast lists despite his appearance in the first teaser trailer. Director Shakman eventually confirmed Malkovich was cast as the classic villain Ivan Kragoff, the Red Ghost, and that his role was part of a larger sequence cut from the beginning of the movie. This opening was meant to be an action-packed montage showcasing the Fantastic Four’s established career, including a full battle against Red Ghost and his Super-Apes.

“We had an opening that involved a lot of action about the Red Ghost,” Shakman explained. “We had Red Ghost trying to steal a rocket ship with his apes, Reed trying to defeat him and outwitting him, they had a lot of really fun stuff.” The director stated that the sequence, while containing an “incredible performance from John Malkovich,” was ultimately trimmed for pacing to get to the main story faster. Snippets of this fight, including Reed kicking a Super-Ape, were repurposed for the brief origin montage seen at the start of the final film.

The decision to cut the character was heartbreaking for the director, but was deemed necessary to balance the introduction of the four main heroes, their family dynamic with Franklin Richards, and the world-ending threat of Galactus. Despite his scenes being cut, the character’s presence is still felt, and his future in the MCU remains a possibility. The most significant evidence is The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ post-credits scene, which features the in-universe Fantastic Four cartoon TV show, complete with villains like Red Ghost and Dragon Man. Given the movie’s success, Marvel Studios can still repurpose the original opening scenes into a series of shorts, giving fans a detailed glimpse into the First Family’s MCU career.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now playing in theaters.

Do you think the filmmakers made the right choice by changing the ending, or would you have preferred to see the Red Ghost’s version? Let us know in the comments!