Fantastic Four fans are worried that John Malkovich may have been removed from the MCU movie.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in United States theaters in less than a month. The Marvel movie is directed by Matt Shakman and stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch.
What do we know about the Fantastic Four cuts?
While AMC Theatres listed the Fantastic Four movie’s runtime as two hours and 10 minutes (130 minutes) last month, the information was updated earlier this week. The film now has a runtime of 1 hour and 55 minutes (115 minutes).
This has led some to speculate that some scenes have been cut out of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. This isn’t all that unusual, as it happens from time to time with big blockbuster movies (typically it will happen earlier on in the post-production process, but it’s still not unheard of).
Fans have now noticed, however, that Malkovich’s name doesn’t appear anywhere on The Walt Disney Company’s official website page for the MCU movie. Malkovich’s casting was originally announced in May 2024, though it has not yet been clarified who he is supposed to play in the film. This has led many to wonder if Malkovich’s scenes have been removed from the film.
Here’s what people are saying about the situation:
It’s worth noting that Malkovich’s name is still on Marvel’s website page for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, meaning Malkovich fans may not need to panic just yet.
The synopsis for the movie reads, “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, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Ben Grimm/The Thing as they face their most daunting challenge yet.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits United States theaters on July 25, 2025.