Initial Sketches for the New Fantastic Four Reveal Pedro Pascal's Cut Scene, Highlighting the Immense Portrayal of Galactus
John Malkovich's Deleted Scenes as Red Ghost in "The Fantastic Four: First Steps"
In the recently released film "The Fantastic Four: First Steps," a significant subplot featuring John Malkovich as the villainous Red Ghost was unfortunately cut. The deleted scenes revolved around a sizeable sequence where Red Ghost and his apes attempted to steal the Fantastic Four's ship, and a later scene of Reed Richards visiting Red Ghost in prison, offering him a work release program to help build one of the teleportation bridges.
Director Matt Shakman revealed that these scenes were intended to establish the Fantastic Four's history, showcasing past battles against villains like Red Ghost, Mad Thinker, and Mole Man. This would create a "lived-in" sense of their world and family growth over four years. However, due to time constraints and the desire to focus on the present-day story involving the family dynamic and the arrival of Franklin Richards, these stories proved untenable.
The deletion of these scenes was a disappointment, as Malkovich's performance was reportedly strong. However, the scenes added too much length and detracted from the core narrative. Other deleted content linked to Red Ghost included an initial opening for the film featuring a special called "Fantastic Four Day" instead of Reed and Sue's pregnancy reveal, and deeper encounters with the Fantastic Four's rogues gallery before the main story.
At present, it appears unlikely that these deleted Red Ghost scenes will ever be officially released. The film's upcoming digital and disc releases have not yet confirmed inclusion of these cut scenes, though some other deleted footage is expected.
In the film, Reed Richards was depicted being aggressively stretched by Galactus during the final battle. Concept art also showed Reed Richards engaging with Red Ghost's minions and being pulled by one of the powerful primates. The artwork for "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" resembles a panel from a comic book, with Galactus' enormous figure in comparison to Reed Richards, who appears small.
Fans can stream other Fantastic Four films with a Disney+ subscription, and the artwork for "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" will be featured in an upcoming art book. For those who prefer an ad-free experience, an ad-free plan is available on Disney+ for $15.99 a month, and a year's subscription can be pre-paid for $159.99, saving 16%.
Despite Malkovich's absence from the final cut, fans of the actor and the Fantastic Four can look forward to the upcoming release of "Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps - The Art Of The Movie Slipcase" on November 18. Ralph Ineson portrays the Marvel villain in the film, and while a director's cut of Malkovich's work is unlikely to be shown, fans can still enjoy artwork from the deleted scenes shared by artists such as Wesley Burt and Ryan Meinderding on Instagram.
- The deleted scenes of John Malkovich's Red Ghost character in "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" would have added a daily blend of entertainment, featuring movies-and-tv-related content like Red Ghost's attempts to steal the Fantastic Four's ship and his prison visit by Reed Richards.
- The upcoming art book for "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" will feature various entertainment elements, such as artwork from the deleted scenes of Red Ghost, offering fans a deeper look into the movieland's imagination of these infamous Fantastic Four antagonists.
