The Fantastic Four: First Steps have finally arrived in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and they have some big challenges to overcome. While the world devourer, Galactus, and his herald the Silver Surfer, have been front and center in the movie’s marketing, Marvel comic book fans might be shocked to learn about some of the other antagonists that are either shown or hinted at during the film’s runtime. Luckily, we’re here to document the characters that make some sort of appearance while giving you background about their history in the comics, and how they fought against Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben. Obviously, be forewarned that this article will contain massive spoilers.
1) Galactus & The Silver Surfer
Let’s get the biggest villains of the movie out of the way. The world devourer, played by Ralph Ineson, is finally given a comic book accurate look on the big screen, while his herald is given quite the makeover for First Steps. Rather than being introduced as Norrin Radd, the traditional male iteration of the character, the Silver Surfer is Shalla-Bal, Radd’s love interest. While Bal has been the Silver Surfer in the comics, this portrayal is quite the change from the traditional take on the galaxy-soaring hero. With Galactus wanting Franklin Richards to replace him as a world devourer, the cosmic duo are on a crash course with Marvel’s First Family.
2) Dr. Doom
Victor Von Doom is never referenced by name in The Fantastic Four: The First Steps but his homeland, Latveria, makes an appearance here and there. When the United Nations is shown in the film, Latveria is given a spot at the table, with Doom absent from any of the speeches featured, mostly delivered by Sue Storm. Of course, Doom does eventually make an appearance in the post-credits scene, featured from the back as he drops into the Four’s home to seemingly swipe Franklin Richards. Taking off his mask and letting young Franklin see his face, First Steps clearly sets the stage for what is to come in Avengers: Doomsday. Ironically enough, a Doombot is shown during the final, animated post-credits scene, hinting at the idea that the Fantastic Four have fought Doom in the past.
2) Mole Man
The Mole Man was the earliest villain that the Fantastic Four fought in the comics and he has a big presence in the MCU entry thanks to actor Paul Walter Hauser. In the first five minutes of the movie, the subterranean ruler and his monster, Giganto, are featured, losing to Marvel’s First Family. Later on, Mole Man helps aid New York City in sheltering surface dwellers from Galactus’ arrival, though it isn’t easy in convincing him to do so. While not having nearly as much screen time as Galactus and Silver Surfer, Mole Man might be one of the breakout stars of the film from the little time he has.
4) The Red Ghost & His Super Apes
Ivan Kragoff and his Super Apes have long been some of the Fantastic Four’s most bizarre villains. In an attempt to beat America in the “space race”, the “Red Ghost’ collects three apes to join him on a trip to outer space, but much like Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny, they gain cosmic powers thanks to the trek. The Red Ghost can turn intangible, with his apes each having distinct powers of their own. Igor the ape can shapeshift, Mikhlo the ape has super strength, and Peotr can use telekinesis to move objects. Kragoff was actually supposed to be played by legendary actor John Malkovich but was left on the cutting room floor. Luckily, the Four can be seen fighting the apes in the first five minutes of the film, which can currently be watched online.
5) The Mad Thinker
While never shown in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the Mad Thinker is referenced in the early moments of the film as attempting to destroy New York. Luckily, the super-powered family is able to stop him. While not having the ability to manhandle the Thing, the Thinker has an intellect that rivals Reed Richards and has created plenty of artificial beings, such as the Awesome Android, as backup. The Mad Thinker is one of those villains that has almost “outgrown” the Fantastic Four in that he is routinely bouncing around the comic book universe, becoming a hassle for quite a few superheroes along the way.
6) Diablo
With Franklin Richards set to be born, Reed makes sure to “baby-proof” not just the Baxter Building in the film, but New York as a whole. One of the ways Mr. Fantastic does this is by taking down three “criminal organizations” led by some classic villains. The first we’ll mention is that of Diablo, a villain who bases his powers on alchemy. Holding a distinct supernatural origin in which he gains immortality by selling his soul to Mephisto, the alchemy-based antagonist uses a variety of potions and elixirs to hassle the Marvel Universe at large. While not shown in live-action, Diablo does make an appearance as an animated character in the final post-credits scene of the film.
7) Puppet Master
Father of Ben Grimm’s love interest, Alicia Masters, in the comics, the Puppet Master is part of the trio that Reed Richards busted in the recent Marvel Cinematic Universe entry. In the source material, Phillip Masters, aka Puppet Master, uses radioactive clay to take control of the minds of whomever he creates a clay duplicate of. This allowed him to take control of the Fantastic Four on more than one occasion. Needless to say, he was never too keen on Ben and Alician having a romantic relationship, though he has sometimes pulled back from the villainous side of the equation in the comics.
8) The Wizard
The third and final crime lord to get defeated by Reed Richards in the movie is “The Wingless Wizard”, aka Bentley Wittman. Much like the Mad Thinker, Bentley relies on his superior intellect to help in his villainous plots, with his key technology remaining to this day, anti-gravity discs. On top of routinely causing a headache for the Fantastic Four, one of the most notable things the Wizard has done is create his own villainous super group known as the Frightful Four. Originally seeing the Wizard team up with the Sandman, the Trapster, and Medua, the team has varied its membership over the years, though normally, the Wizard is front and center.
9) Dragon Man
Dragon Man, aka Draconus, is an android who was originally created by Professor Gregson Gilbert during the Fantastic Four’s early career. While not initially created as a tool of evil, the villainous Diablo helped bring him to life and for quite a long time, the automaton was used for evil by various villains, including Wilson Fisk the Kingpin. Eventually, Dragon Man would be given a far more altruistic personality and would hang out with the children who made up the Future Foundation during Johnathan Hickman’s comic book run. Dragon Man doesn’t get a name drop, but he is featured fighting the Human Torch in the animated post-credits scene.
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