John Malkovich’s deleted scenes from The Fantastic Four: First Steps have now been confirmed by director Matt Shakman, but we’ll probably never see this full sequence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Fantastic Four: First Steps finally hit theaters on July 25, 2025, and marked a strong start for Phase 6 of the MCU after the divisive Phases 4 and 5. First Steps was jam-packed with family moments and high-octane action sequences, but not all of them were seen in the theatrical release. John Malkovich’s brand-new MCU villain became an unfortunate victim, and Matt Shakman has now explained why.
“We had an opening that involved a lot of action about the Red Ghost,” explained Shakman during an interview on the Phase Hero podcast. “We had an incredible performance from John Malkovich. It was just so much material when we were trying to get to that present-day moment when [the Fantastic Four’s] world changes and Franklin’s arrival becomes imminent.” This implies that the opening montage that quickly explains the Fantastic Four’s MCU origin story would have featured their full battle against Red Ghost and his Super-Apes, but this broke momentum and pace.
“We had Red Ghost trying to steal a rocket ship with his apes, Reed trying to defeat him and outwitting him, they had a lot of really fun stuff,” Shakman continues, explaining what this sequence would have explored. “We used snippets of it in that montage you see where [Reed’s] kicking one of the Super-Apes into the water.” This fight takes place on the launchpad of the Excelsior, the Fantastic Four’s spaceship, and Shakman’s comments reveal that Red Ghost was planning on stealing this impressive vessel for his own purposes.
Ivan Kragoff’s Red Ghost was first seen back in 1963’s Fantastic Four #13, in which the Russian scientist planned to pilot himself and three apes to the Moon in hopes of repeating the same accident that gave the Fantastic Four their powers. This experiment works, transforming Kragoff into the intangible Red Ghost, and imbuing his apes with superpowers, too. This story marked the debut of the Watcher in Marvel Comics, as he resides on the blue side of the Moon, and he forms a close bond with Marvel’s First Family after they manage to defeat Red Ghost and the Super-Apes.
Unfortunately, Matt Shakman has suggested that we might never see these deleted scenes, given the fact that so much VFX was needed and unfinished, so they’re not exactly fit for viewing. Nevertheless, the appearance of Piotr the orangutan in The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ opening montage and the focus on the titular team’s battle against Red Ghost and the Super-Apes in The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ post-credits scene implies John Malkovich could still play the villain in the MCU’s future. We certainly hope to see Red Ghost make his live-action debut soon.
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