As Marvel fans continue to dissect The Fantastic Four: First Steps, director Matt Shakman has pulled back the curtain on what could have been. Clocking in at just under two hours, the film is one of the shortest MCU entries to date — but that brevity came at the cost of some major story elements. From a full Red Ghost arc starring John Malkovich to moments that would have deepened the Fantastic Four’s dynamic, much of what was shot never made it to the final cut.
So, what exactly did we miss?
The Red Ghost and His Vanished Super-Apes
One of the biggest surprises from Shakman’s interview was the confirmation that John Malkovich had been cast as the Red Ghost — an obscure but cult-favorite villain from Marvel Comics. Originally intended to be an early antagonist for the team, Red Ghost and his Super-Apes would have established a Cold War-era vibe during the team’s early missions. Instead, audiences are left with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it reference and a single Super-Ape cameo buried in a montage.
Shakman explained the logic behind cutting the Red Ghost material: “We knew we were packing a lot in already. As fun as those scenes were, they slowed the momentum getting us to Galactus.” But Malkovich fans and comic loyalists may feel understandably shortchanged.
Cut Backstory: Dating Games, Reed’s Stage Show, and Baxter Tours
While the film skips an origin story, it originally included a wealth of material to help audiences catch up with what the Fantastic Four had been doing in their four years as superheroes before the film’s events. This included light-hearted sequences like Ben Grimm appearing on a dating show, Reed Richards hosting a “Mr. Fantastic Show,” and an extended tour of the Baxter Building — their iconic headquarters.
“We intentionally wrote and shot a lot more than we ended up using,” Shakman told Collider. “You’ve seen pieces of them in the opening montage, but most didn’t make it into the movie.” The director said they shot these scenes not just for exposition, but to create a deeper, more lived-in feel to the Fantastic Four’s world.
One potentially emotional loss? A scene that better defined the relationship between Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) and Mole Man, which Kirby herself referenced in earlier interviews. These details might have added richness to her arc, particularly as the movie sets her up as the emotional anchor of the team.
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Why It All Got Cut — and Whether We’ll Ever See It
The short answer: pacing. With the movie choosing to sidestep a traditional origin story and instead start mid-career, the edit had to be ruthless to keep things moving. “We were doing some things that were tricky,” Shakman said. “We were skipping an origin story but also trying to give you all the information you needed… You never know how much is too much until you start putting it together.”
As for whether fans will ever get a director’s cut packed with these lost moments? Don’t count on it. “There was a ton of stuff we shot that was really wonderful that we didn’t use, couldn’t use,” Shakman noted. “But a director’s cut? That’s not possible.”
This news will disappoint fans who’ve long been skeptical of studio interference — particularly after controversies surrounding Josh Trank’s ill-fated 2015 Fantastic Four. But in this case, it seems the cuts were made deliberately and with narrative momentum in mind.
What’s Next for the First Family?
Despite the trimmed content, The Fantastic Four: First Steps has opened strongly at the box office. Early reactions have praised its balance of heartfelt family dynamics and high-concept cosmic stakes, though some critics argue it stumbles when leaning too hard into superhero spectacle.
With a mid-credit scene already tying into Avengers: Doomsday, it’s clear the MCU has long-term plans for the first family of Marvel. Whether future installments will revisit characters like Red Ghost or delve deeper into the team’s untold past remains to be seen.
For now, fans are left to imagine what might have been — a richer, wilder, and perhaps even weirder version of The Fantastic Four that lives only in fragments on the cutting room floor.
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