The Fantastic Four: First Steps – Where is Doctor Doom in the new Teaser Trailer?

Where is Robert Downey, Jr.’s Doctor Doom?

Marvel really turned heads to last year’s San Diego Comic-Con with the reveal that Avengers 5 has been renamed and Iron Man in the Comics, it was a bisarr and unexpected message. And of course, fans wonders what role the amazing four films have in creating Doom as the next Great Avengers level threat.

Not surprisingly, Marvel Studios plays things pretty close to the West. The teaser does not give any obvious tips on Doom’s presence. If something, it reinforces how different an approach first step takes from its predecessors. Julian McMahons Doom was a great villain in both 2005’s Fantastic Four and 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Toby Kebbell’s Doom meanwhile was an integral part of reboot in 2015. But this time, Marvel Studios Doom in favor of focusing on galactus, Silver surfer and … John Malkovich? More about him a little.

We must assume that the first step will eventually play some role in establishing downfall. After all, he is a fantastic four villain, first and foremost. Plus, this is one of the last MCU movies that hits before Avengers: Doomsday falls in May 2026. They certainly have to do something to tease the next Great Avengers villain, right?

The most important question we hope the first steps will answer is from what Universe Downey’s Doom is coming. He is clearly not from Earth-616 considering the casting election. But is Doom also from The Fantastic Four: First Step’s Universe? Is this a world where Tony Stark’s life took a much different and much darker turn? Or is he from another world completely? Even if DOOM only appears in a post-credits scene, we hope the first steps can determine who this character is and why he is targeting MCU’s Avengers.

But no matter what role Doom ends up in the first step, be it like a supportive villain or a quick como, he will not be the star of the show. Currently, Fantastic Four has much bigger problems to tackle. Literally.

The amazing four vs. Galactus

The teaser makes it clear which villain will occupy most of the amazing four time in this movie. They will turn to Galactus, the self -proclaimed development of worlds. Galactus is expressed by Game of Thrones’ Ralph Ineson.

Galactus is one of many classic Marvel figures created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. He initially debuted in 1966’s Fantastic Four #48 and started the so-called “Galactus trilogy.” In this story, Galactus and his herald, Silver Surfer, arrive to consume the planet and force the amazing four to resort to desperate measures to avert their larger than life opponent.

Subsequent Marvel stories have better wiped out Galactus’ past and his role in the cosmic Marvel hierarchy. He was once a deadly man known as Galan from Taa. As one of the few survivors of the previous ones. Pre-Big Bang Incharnation of the Marvel universe, Galan bound with an energy known as the universe’s mind and evolved to become galactus. Ever since, he traveled the cosmos and searched for life -rich worlds to relax his insatiable hunger.

Galactus is not so much a supervillain as he is a being that serves a necessary cosmic function. His act of consuming worlds plays into the larger cycle of death and rebirth in the Marvel universe. However, this fact is cold comfort for anyone living on a planet targeted by galactus.

The first steps certainly seem to draw inspiration from the classic galactus trilogy. The film clearly presents a version of FF that is well -established and has a forgiving fanbase. Now they face their biggest challenge to date in the form of a cosmic development that wants to consume their world.

The question is what lengths Reed and his family will go to save the earth from destruction. In the comics, Reed Galactus threatens with the ultimate nullifier, a handheld weapon with power to destroy and reintroduce the multiverse itself. Will we see the ultimate nullifier in the film, and somehow play it into the larger conflict in the Multiverse saga and the phenomenon of intrusion?

One thing that is clear is that the first steps take a more cartoon-inspired approach to Galactus than we saw in Rise of the Silver Surfer. The movie depicted Galactus as an orkan -like cloud, whereas we can see Galactus in humanoid form here that tower the Statue of Liberty. Expect him to be more of an actual character this time instead of just a natural power, and thus the decision to throw Ineson.

We may see a few shots of Galactus in the teaser, but we don’t see his herald. Julia Garner has been role -studded as a silver surfer in the film. Silver Surfer also debuted in Fantastic Four #48, which introduced him as a scout seeking new planets for his master to give birth. During the story, however, Silver surfing is a pity on the ground and joins FF in trosing Galactus. It paved the way for Silver Surfer to become a regular hero in the Marvel universe and eventually spin out into its own solo cartoon.

Although the first steps choose a gender -swapping version of Silver Surfer, we assume that the basics will remain the same. Silver Surfer will start as Galactus’ herald, but meeting the earth will evoke memories of her deadly life at Zenn-La, causing her to revolt against her master. Basically, you can expect a similar arch that we saw with Laurence Fishburn’s Silver Surfer in the 2007 movie.

Who does John Malkovich play?

Galactus and Silver Surfer appear to be the most important antagonists in the film, but they probably won’t be the only ones. The teaser includes a short shot of a bearded John Malkovich leading to a very important question – which character plays Malkovich?

A current rumor suggests that Malkovich has been thrown as Ivan Kragoff, a villain better known as Red Ghost. In the comics, Kragoff is a Soviet scientist who recreates the fateful space flying that gave Fantastic Four their powers. Only in this case does his crew consist of three monkeys – a gorilla named Mikhlo, a Bavian named Igor and an Orangutan named Peotr. After gaining power, Kragoff and his monkeys formed a team called Red Ghost and Super -apes. Hi, it was the 60s.

Given Malkovich’s Track Record to play Russian characters, we would not be surprised at all if he has been thrown as Red Ghost. The question is how much the film will lean into the character’s campy origin and whether he actually gets a trio of super -run monkeys.

Another possibility is that Malkovich plays the pier, another iconic FF villain that was jerked in the first step. Left by humanity because of his strange appearance and disgusting personality, mole has been crowned king of the underground race known as the moloids and is obsessed with taking over the surface world. Malkovich’s character definitely looks like he has spent some time living in a cave.

Either way, we suspect Malkovich is playing a secondary villain who will flush heads with FF early in the film. The team is clearly well established by this point, so it makes sense that they would have a rogue gallery of their own.

Also, let’s not forget that Malkovich is one of several actors whose role remains the unconfirmed right now. The film also plays Natasha Lyonne, Sarah Niles and Paul Walter Houser. If you have any theories about what Marvel characters they play, then let us know in the comments.

Meet the amazing four

While we get a few glimpses of galactus, the teaser mostly shows the Fantastic Four itself. We see lots of FF here, including Pedro Pascal’s brilliant scientist // Family Patriarch Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby’s Intrepid Susan Storm, Joseph Quinns Hotheaded Johnny Storm and Ebon Moss-Bacharach’s stubborn Ben Grimm. We even get a glimpse of family auxiliary robot, herbie

Family is really the key word here. The teaser emphasizes how Fantastic Four is as much a family device as a superhero team, with all the love and dysfunction that comes with it. If the teaser is any indication, the film will focus a lot on Ben’s struggle to be expressed with his outrageous state as well as Reed’s guilt over having caused this condition in the first place.

The trailer suggests that the film is taking place at a time when FF is well established and has become celebrity heroes, rather than serving as a story of origin a la 2005 and the 2015 films. That said, we see a few shots blinking back to the team’s origin. We see a teasing leg Grimm in some archive news footage as well as what seems to be the demand for the accident that gave the team their powers. So expect some flashbacks to the origin of the amazing four, although this is not a story of origin.

We can also see that the costumes in the first step are quite different from previous FF movies. The blue and white color scheme alone is a major change that seems to pay tribute to John Byrne’s classic Fantastic Four comics from the 80s. The Springs play into the idea that these are scientists and adventurers more than traditional superheroes. They do not carry shaped spandex or combat arms, but functional space age uniforms that reflect the personality of each character.

It is also worth mentioning that although we do not see much of it in the teaser itself, a lot of Marvel’s marketing for the film has been about the future foundation. In the comics, the future foundation of Reed is established as a way to nurture the next generation of super genius in the Marvel universe. It raises the question of whether we see any younger heroes in the film, including Reed and Sue’s own children, Franklin and Valeria. The title “First Steps” suggests that the film will deal with parenthood and the battles to raise children.

At least there is a good chance that we will see young Franklin Richards in the film. And given his status as one of the most powerful superhumans in the Marvel universe, we have to wonder if he has anything to do with why Galactus is aimed at Earth. We find out when Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25, 2025.

Do you think Downey’s Doctor Doom appears in the movie? Bring your vote in our voting let us know your theories in the comments below.

For more about the future of the Marvel universe, find out what to expect from Marvel in 2025 and watch any Marvel movie and series in development.

Jesse is a mild mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to borrow a machete to your intellectual scrub of Following @jschedeen on Bluesky.