When we first heard that Natasha Lyonne was set to appear in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, fans assumed that she'd be playing Alicia Masters (though the voice of H.E.R.B.I.E. was also a popular theory), but the Poker Face star was actually cast as an original character named Rachel Rozman.
Likely based on Debbie Green from the comics, the character's name is believed to have been changed as a tribute to Jack Kirby's wife, Rosalind "Roz" Goldstein.
In the movie, Rozman is an elementary school teacher Ben Grimm meets while entertaining a group of kids on Yancy Street. The two hit it off, but Rachel only appears in one other full scene in the third act. Now, we may know why Lyonne's role was reduced.
According to John Rocha on this week's episode of The Hot Mic, Lyonne's character was originally written as a rabbi, and had "a lot more to do in the movie." Though we can't be certain, it's assumed that this plot point would have allowed for more exploration of Ben's Jewish heritage.
Rocha speculates that Rozman may have been rewritten because Disney "got scared" due to the Israel/Gaza situation, and didn't want it to seem like they were "choosing a side." There could be another explanation, of course, and we'll hopefully learn more if and when Lyonne is asked about her role in interviews.
Director Matt Shakman was asked if Lyonne was originally going to play Masters in a recent interview with Cinemblend, but didn't mention anything about the size of her role or why it may have been reduced.
First Steps stars Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us, The Mandalorian) as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning) as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things, A Quiet Place Day One) as Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Punisher, The Bear) as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing, and Julia Garner (Wolf Man, Ozark) as the Silver Surfer.
Ralph Ineson plays Galactus, and Natasha Lyonne and Paul Walter Hauser are also on board in undisclosed roles. John Malkovich's Red Ghost has been cut from the movie.
"Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet.
Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal."
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now in theaters.