While Marvel revealed the actors who would play the heroes in The Fantastic Four: First Steps back in February, the studio has yet to discuss the villains. Reports about Julia Garner playing the Silver Surfer and Ralph Ineson voicing Galactus surfaced after Marvel’s announcement, but the studio refrained from commenting. Months later, Marvel has quietly confirmed both castings in an official synopsis that made its way online this week.
Here’s the full synopsis for The Fantastic Four: First Steps from Marvel Studios:
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 profile featuring the synopsis also notes that Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles are in the cast. Matt Shakman (WandaVision) is directing, Kevin Feige is producing, and the music is by Michael Giacchino.
If you’ve been keeping up with all of the news surrounding the Fantastic Four reboot, this won’t reveal anything new. This does make it abundantly clear that Galactus, Devourer of Worlds, will take center stage as the main antagonist. We do still expect Reed Richards’ true arch-nemesis, Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.), to make his debut in this movie.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is scheduled to hit theaters on July 25, 2025. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has already confirmed that the Fantastic Four will return in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, which are slated to premiere in May 2026 and May 2027, respectively. We also wouldn’t be shocked to see Marvel’s First Family embark on another adventure or two in the Mutant Saga once Phase 6 of the MCU wraps up.
