Following the loss of actor Julian McMahon, one Fantastic Four star has shared a tribute to the late actor. On the 4th of July, McMahon’s wife, Kelly, announced that the actor had passed away following a private battle with cancer. The Australian actor, best known for his roles in Nip/Tuck, Charmed, and the early 2000’s Fantastic Four movies, was only 56 at the time of his death. Now, one of the actors who starred opposite him as part of Marvel’s first family has spoken up.
Ioan Gruffudd, who starred alongside the actor in the Fantastic Four movies, took to his Instagram to honor the actor and their time together on screen as sworn enemies in the Marvel films. “This is terribly sad news about Julian,” Gruffudd wrote in a post with McMahon’s photo. “Even though we played each other’s nemeses, there was always so much lightness and laughter working together. Every encounter with him was a joy. It was an honor to be Dr. Richards to his Dr. Doom. My heart goes out to his wife and family. God speed Julian.”
In his Instagram post, which can be seen above, Gruffudd also shared a playful photo of the duo at what looks to be a premiere for Fantastic Four. He also shared an image of McMahon as Doom from the films.
Gruffudd was one of the four lead actors in Fox’s original Fantastic Four movies. The actor, who played Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, starred alongside Jessica Alba who played Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Chris Evans who played Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Michael Chiklis who played Ben Grimm/The Thing. McMahon starred alongside the heroes as their nemesis, Victor von Doom, for two films: 2005’s Fantastic Four and 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Unfortunately, due to poor box office performance and less-than-stellar reception among fans and critics, Fox opted not to move forward with another Fantastic Four movie.
Doom was not the last Marvel role McMahon would tackle in his character, though. When Marvel Television and Hulu teamed up to bring the fan favorite The Runaways comics to life on the small screen, McMahon was cast in the role of Jonah. The series ran for two seasons on the streaming network before it was ultimately cancelled. McMahon would keep busy following his work on The Runaways, going on to star in one of CBS’ most popular television franchises, FBI. The actor began as a guest star in the FBI series, before guesting in FBI: International, and eventually starring in FBI: Most Wanted. He would, however, leave the series and his role as FBI SSA Jess LaCroix in March 2022 in a surprising move.
McMahon’s most recent role on the big screen was as Ray in the film The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat. The movie focused on a trio of best friends known as The Supremes that tackles themes of friendship, heartache, and family. The actor’s most recent television role, and seemingly final role, was as Stephen Roos in Netflix’s The Residence, which is now streaming on the platform.
Per the actor’s wife, McMahon died peacefully on July 2nd after a battle with cancer. Along with asking for privacy during their time of grief, she went on to ask that fans that found joy in his work continue to find in life. She noted that the actor loved his work and his fans, and that his “deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible.”
Fans eager to rewatch McMahon’s work as Doctor von Doom alongside Gruffudd can stream both Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer now on Disney+. While the entire series of Runaways is also available to stream on both Hulu and Disney+.
The post Fantastic Four Star Shares Touching Tribute to Julian McMahon appeared first on ComicBook.com.
