The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Posted in: Marvel Studios, Movies | Tagged: the fantastic four: first steps

The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman describes Galactus as “a humongous, 14-billion-year-old, planet-devouring cosmic vampire.”

Article Summary

Galactus debuts as the main villain in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, described as a “cosmic force.”

Director Matt Shakman reveals Galactus as a 14-billion-year-old, planet-devouring “cosmic vampire.”

Ralph Ineson details his unique preparation for embodying the scale and mentality of Galactus.

The film promises a comic-accurate Galactus design, avoiding past missteps like the infamous cloud version.

▶” style=”border: 0px;” allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; fullscreen;” loading=”lazy” src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/pAsmrKyMqaA?feature=oembed” title=”Youtube Video”>

People were already excited when they found out that The Fantastic Four were joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but when it was confirmed that Galactus would be the bad guy? It felt like a double redemption. The last time we saw Marvel’s First Family on the big screen was in a Fox adaptation riddled with so many reshoots you could tell what was or wasn’t a reshoot by Kate Mara’s terrible wig. And the last time we saw Galactus, he might have shown up with a very comic-accurate looking Silver Surfer, but he was a cloud. There’s no cloud this time around. We haven’t gotten a great look at Galactus in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, who is played by Ralph Ineson, but we have seen a shadow featuring a helmet that looked comic-accurate and a very large shoe clomping through the city. Galactus is massive on a scale that can be hard to wrap your head around, and Ineson explained to Empire that he took some interesting steps to try and get into that headspace.

“He’s a cosmic force. He’s a god, of sorts,” Ineson explained. “[That meant driving through the tunnels of Mont Blanc,] “just imagining that as his windpipe and his trachea,” he says. “I also went to a lot of tall buildings. We went to a wedding at the top of the Gherkin building in London, and I spent most of the afternoon just staring out, ruminating. I got in trouble with my wife — she was like, ‘You’ve got to say hello to the bride and groom at some point!'”

The MCU has had its fair share of gods and cosmic forces since it came into being in 2008, and the Celestials have been popping up all over the place since Knowhere appeared during Guardians of the Galaxy. We don’t know what kind of dynamic the Celestials have in the universe The Fantastic Four: First Steps takes place in specifically, which means we’re walking into this a bit blind. In terms of describing what Galactus is, director Matt Shakman said Galactus is “a humongous, 14-billion-year-old, planet-devouring cosmic vampire.”

Calling him a vampire specifically is interesting because that seems to imply that this version of Galactus is feeding on planets, as a food source, a way to survive, making him basically the ultimate apex predator. If the thing that can only eat planets needs to eat planets to survive, does that make the thing or its actions malicious? Unclear, but Ineson seems a bit on the fence for Galacus, replying “I don’t think Galactus is evil,” but not so much for his character, Chris Finchy, from The Office, “But Finchy’s a proper cunt.”

The Fantastic Four: First Steps – Summary, Cast List, Release Date

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. The action adventure also stars Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles. Directed by Matt Shakman, produced by Kevin Feige, and executive produced by Louis D’Esposito, Grant Curtis, and Tim Lewis, Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens in theaters July 25, 2025.