With The Fantastic Four: First Steps set in an alternate reality, we only expect to spend one movie on their world before Marvel's First Family moves to Earth-616 (Marvel Studios has already confirmed the team will appear in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars).
Before that happens, we expect to see the team cross paths with many familiar foes, likely in a montage showcasing their past adventures seeing as this movie is skipping their origin story.
There's already chatter online about John Malkovich playing the villainous Ivan Kragoff/Red Ghost, and we may now have confirmation that Mole Man will make an appearance.
The Cosmic Circus has spotted an update on IMDb revealing that MCU veteran Tony McCarthy is playing a "Moloid Person" in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. In the comics, the Moloids were created by the Deviants and reside deep beneath the Earth in Subterranea. When Mole Man discovered them, they became his willing army and pawns.
It's widely believed that Paul Walter Hauser is playing Mole Man and a city map shared by Marvel Studios confirmed that Subterranea lies beneath New York City.
McCarthy's previous MCU credits include "Prisoner" in Black Widow, "Policeman" in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, "Humanoid" in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, "Alien" in Secret Invasion, and "Palace Courtier" in The Marvels.
Mole Man, also known as Harvey Rupert Elder, was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby and first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 in 1961.
Elder was once a skilled scientist who became obsessed with discovering the legendary land at the Earth's core. After being ridiculed and rejected by his peers for his theories, Elder ventured into the depths of the Earth and encountered a subterranean race known as the Moloids. He was hailed as their ruler and adopted the moniker "Mole Man."
Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing) will lead The Fantastic Four: First Steps cast.
We'll also see Ralph Ineson as Galactus, Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer, and Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, and Natasha Lyonne in mystery roles. The story sees Galactus and Silver Surfer target Earth for destruction.
Director Matt Shakman worked with both Avatar: The Way of Water co-writer Josh Friedman and WandaVision's Cam Squires on The Fantastic Four: First Steps' screenplay, with Eric Pearson (Black Widow) later coming on board for a final polish.
The movie is set to be released in theaters on July 25, 2025.