Late yesterday, The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that the MCU had finally found its next big bad. English character actor Ralph Ineson would play Galactus in next summer’s Fantastic Four. The news came as something of a shocker because for ages it had been reported that Oscar-winner Javier Bardem was being pursued for the intergalactic tyrant. Ineson wasn’t on anyone’s radar. However, when the news broke, cinephiles and Marvel nerds alike rejoiced. Why? Well, because Ralph Ineson as Galactus is one of the most inspired casting decisions Marvel has made in years â and it’s proof that all the reports that Kevin Feige and company are retrenching after a disappointing run might be more than just a PR line.
If you follow the world of superhero cinema at all, you’ll know that 2023 is widely considered the weakest year in Marvel Studio’s once flawless run. News broke just this week that The Marvels was the biggest box office bomb of last year, giving Disney a net loss of $237 million. Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter revealed back in February that Marvel boss Kevin Feige was “quietly retooling” the studio’s strategy after a few lackluster years, shifting away from a quantity over quality philosophy that many think got the MCU intro trouble in the first place. Bob Iger confirmed this on a February earnings call, admitting, âSome of our studios lost a little focus. So the first step that weâve taken is that weâve reduced volume…Weâve reduced output, particularly at Marvel.” To wit, the only Marvel movie coming out this year is the summer’s Deadpool & Wolverine and Disney+ is featuring series making bigger creative swings, like the super successful X-Men ’97.
So what’s awaiting Marvel fans next year? Anti-hero team up movie The Thunderbolts, the Anthony Mackie-led Captain America: Brave New World, and the most anxiously anticipated MCU film (ever?) Fantastic Four.
The Fantastic Four were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1961 and soon became the “First Family” of Marvel Comics. However, the superhero team has offered diminishing returns in live action. There was Roger Corman’s shelved ’92 flick, the disappointing ’00s films (that ironically launched Chris Evans as a movie star), and the 2015 reboot which landed Josh Trank in director’s jail. The consensus amongst fans is that no one has done justice by the Fantastic Four or their villains onscreen yet. When Marvel retained the film rights to the iconic characters in 2019 â in a corporate merger with Fox that also brought Deadpool and the X-Men home â the hope was that Feige and company would finally get it right.
On Valentine’s Day 2024, after months of feverish fan speculation, Marvel revealed that Pedro Pascal had been cast as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby would be his Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach was Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, and Stranger Things breakout Joseph Quinn had been cast as Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch. A piece of Marvel-commissioned art also confirmed that the film would be set in a version of the 1960s.
Happy Valentineâs Day from Marvelâs First Family! Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn are The Fantastic Four.
Marvel Studios’ #TheFantasticFour, in theaters July 25, 2025. pic.twitter.com/dOmLG0m7ie
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) February 14, 2024
Shortly after, we learned that Emmys darling Julia Garner would be a gender-bent, alt universe take on the Silver Surfer and that Paul Walter Hauser had likely been cast as Mole Man. However, the question remained about who exactly the villain would be, despite those persistent rumors that Marvel really wanted Javier Bardem to be Galactus, a cosmic entity who literally consumes planets. Then news broke first that John Malkovich had signed onto the film in an undisclosed part…and that Ralph Ineson would in fact be Galactus.
Let me just say, Ralph Ineson is an insanely fantastic choice for Galactus. The 53-year-old actor has appeared in everything from the original British version of The Office to the Harry Potter films. However, he’s best known for his ability to command his gravelly voice and onscreen presence into imposing figures of darkness. He’s played Anya Taylor-Joy’s cruel and religious father in The Witch, cartoon villains in the likes of Willow and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, and, most notably, the titular magical menace in The Green Knight.
While some may have preferred a big name as Galactus, Ralph Ineson has singular qualities â namely, THAT VOICE! â which make him a perfect fit for a terrifying cosmic entity who chomps on planets for snacks. It’s also a choice that harkens back to the maverick casting choices that made Marvel films stand out in its early days. Decider’s own Mark Graham still catches guff online from Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston fans for questioning Marvel for casting the then literal “no names” as Thor and Loki. At the time, he was right! They had scant resumés and were untested as box office draws. However, the early Marvel brass took those kinds of wild bets on talent in their golden years, instead of snatching up whichever rising star was already catching heat in Hollywood. Ineson is that kind of choice.
So far, Marvel’s approach to next summer’s Fantastic Four seems to be bucking expectations. There was no big Comic Con cast announcement, just a piece of art that evoked the team’s origins. Their Silver Surfer is a woman. Their Galactus is a no-name. The film’s setting is supposed to be the 1960s. Everything feels decidedly fresh for the Fantastic Four, which bodes well for a studio whose biggest sin of late has been getting stuck on a conveyer belt of content.
Ralph Ineson’s casting confirms there’s still some creative juice at Marvel and that Fantastic Four might actually be good.
Fantastic Four is set to premiere exclusively in theaters on July 25, 2025.
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