Who Is John Malkovich Playing in Fantastic Four: First Steps (and Why It Matters)?

The first trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps has given fans a tantalizing glimpse of John Malkovich’s mysterious character. In the trailer, Malkovich emerges from the shadows with flowing white hair, a significant bald patch, and an unkempt beard. While Marvel Studios hasn’t officially confirmed his role, rumors say that Malkovich is portraying Ivan Kragoff, better known as the Red Ghost, one of the Fantastic Four’s earliest adversaries. The character’s white hair and bald patch have been distinctive traits since he first appeared in Marvel Comics in April 1963. This potential casting carries significant weight for the film’s 1960s setting and broader connections to the Space Race era that defined early Fantastic Four comics.

If Malkovich does end up playing the Red Ghost, his MCU version will be somewhat different from the villain’s beardless comic book counterpart. However, the essence of Ivan Kragoff – a brilliant but ruthless Soviet scientist – is perfectly suited for Malkovich’s intense screen presence. While Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) are confirmed as the film’s primary threats, Kragoff’s inclusion would ground the Fantastic Four: First Steps’ cosmic story in the same Cold War tensions that served as background for the First Family’s early adventures.

[RELATED: How the Fantastic Four: First Steps Teaser Does (and Doesn’t) Set Up a Comics Accurate Origin]

In the comics, Ivan Kragoff first appeared in Fantastic Four #13 as a Leningrad-born scientist obsessed with claiming the Moon for the Soviet Union. What made Kragoff unique was his twisted methodology, as he deliberately exposed himself and three trained apes (Mikhlo the gorilla, Igor the baboon, and Peotr the orangutan) to cosmic rays, replicating the accident that created the Fantastic Four. The experiment granted Kragoff the power to become intangible and invisible, while his “Super Apes” gained various abilities, including super-strength, shape-shifting, and magnetic powers. While Ivan’s Super Apes could be too much for MCU sensibilities, his scientific background could still play a significant role in First Steps.

The Red Ghost Embodiment of Cold War Science Fits The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Setting First Steps in the 1960s aligns with Kragoff’s comic book origins, as this was an age when scientific achievement meant national pride and military superiority. Furthermore, the character represents everything Reed Richards could have become if driven by ideology rather than curiosity. Both men sought to push human achievement through space exploration, but their paths diverged dramatically in their methods and goals. These dynamics could serve the movie by showing how individual choices, not cosmic powers, lead people like Reed to become heroes. After all, Richards’ accident led him to protect humanity, while Kragoff’s deliberate exposure to cosmic rays showed his willingness to sacrifice anything for Soviet supremacy. 

In the comics, Reed and Ivan’s ideological battle played out across several Moon-based confrontations that eventually drew the attention of Uatu the Watcher. While it’s unlikely First Steps would copy the comic book story of the Red Ghost, these elements could still tie directly into the movie’s larger narrative about humanity’s place in a cosmic universe, especially with Galactus threatening Earth. 

Finally, rather than depicting the Red Ghost as a Cold War caricature, Malkovich could deliver a more nuanced portrayal exploring the human cost of unchecked scientific ambition. This theme resonates strongly with the Fantastic Four’s origin story, potentially adding depth to a film that balances cosmic threats with human drama.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters on July 25th.