Next Wednesday, Marvel Comics will release The Fantastic Four: First Steps #1, a tie-in comic revealing the team's origin story in the MCU.
We'll also witness their first superhero team-up and, similar to their comic book counterparts, it'll be against Mole Man. The villain will also appear in the movie, but Marvel Studios has kept Harvey Elder—and the actor playing him—under wraps.
That's not overly surprising as The Fantastic Four: First Steps' supporting cast is mostly a mystery to us; the characters portrayed by Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles are all unknown or uncofirmed as of now (John Malkovich is thought to be Red Ghost, but may or may not appear in the reboot).
A leaked panel from the upcoming Marvel Studios-approved, canon comic has hit social media today, and it confirms that Hauser is indeed playing the MCU's Mole Man. The Cruella star's likeness has been used for the villain by artist Mark Buckingham, and we'd say this is some great casting on filmmaker Matt Shakman's part.
"I think, from what I’ve seen, and obviously I can’t say much about it, but I will say the short time I was on set, dude, they’re making a cool movie, man," Hauser said of The Fantastic Four: First Steps earlier this year. "This is a smart, chic Marvel movie that really focuses on family as part of the theme. And you really kind of fall in love with those characters, I think."
"And that’s what’s missing is sometimes if you don’t fall in love with these characters, and you keep putting them in peril, we don’t really care," the actor continued, sharing his take on what's hurt recent MCU titles. "You know, you got to make us care first. And I think Marvel’s hopefully getting back to some of that."
We'll be sharing a full breakdown of all The Fantastic Four: First Steps #1's biggest reveals next week, but you can get a glimpse at the team's official origin story in the preview pages we shared earlier this week.
How do you feel about Hauser playing the MCU's Mole Man?
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.
Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles have been cast in mystery roles. Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom is rumoured to appear, though that's surely a given with Avengers: Doomsday on the way.
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.