The Fantastic Four’s New Villain Tease Has Raised My Hopes That The MCU Adapt A Comic Book Moment I’ve Been Waiting To See On The Big Screen For Over 18 Years

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Given that The Fantastic Four: First Steps' titular team will get a universe of their own in their debut movie, they're likely to receive their own rogue gallery as well. A universe far away from the MCU's Avengers offers countless possibilities for an extensive backstory that doesn't interfere with MCU's chronological Earth-616 history. Although the MCU's Fantastic Four will likely end up crossing over with Earth-616's heroes alongside characters from other timelines, their home universe might be filled with unique takes on Marvel characters who have and have not appeared in the MCU's main continuity.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Mole Man Lair Set Tease Suggests The FF Will Fight Multiple Villains

Mole Man Will Probably Appear In The Fantastic Four: First Steps As A Secondary Antagonist

In December 2024, explorers discovered what appeared to be a set for Mole Man's underground lair in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Paul Walter Hauser has also been cast in a mystery role, which suggests that Mole Man might debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, possibly as a secondary antagonist. The Fantastic Four: First Steps already has two confirmed antagonists: Ralph Ineson's Galactus and Julia Garner's Silver Surfer, who might serve as Doctor Doom's apocalyptic Herald before siding with the heroes. Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom could also appear in The Fantastic Four, as he will be Avengers: Doomsday's main villain soon afterward.

Tim Blake Nelson, who plays Samuel Sterns a.k.a. The Leader in The Incredible Hulk and Captain America: Brave New World , played a live-action version of Harvey Elder a.k.a. the Mole Man in Fox's Fant4stic .

Taking advantage of its independent timeline, The Fantastic Four: First Steps' 1960s-inspired universe could feature a wide variety of classic Fantastic Four villains such as Wizard, Terrax, Annihilus, Psycho-Man, and of course, Mole Man. Either in an opening montage or throughout the movie, the MCU's Fantastic Four could face and defeat minor villains like Mole Man as they try to stop Galactus from devouring their world. The Fantastic Four could also set their differences aside with these villains in order to protect their Earth together.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Could Recreate The Team’s First Comic Book Cover

The MCU's Fantastic Four Could Pay Homage To Their Comic Book Debut In Phase 6

In Marvel's Fantastic Four #1, dated 1961, Marvel's First Family assembles for the first time in the comics to stop the rampaging monster Giganto, which was released in New York by the Mole Man to fend the Fantastic Four off from his territories. The Fantastic Four struggle to contain Giganto at first, but they manage to stop the beast and track down Mole Man at his lair in Monster Island. If Mole Man appears in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, he could unleash Giganto upon the MCU's Fantastic Four, who could recreate their iconic Fantastic Four #1 cover in live-action.

Chris Evans as Steve Rogers' Captain America with the Fantastic Four in the Valentine's Day poster

You Already Saw The Start Of Fantastic Four's Alternate MCU World 4 Years Ago According To 1 Wild Captain America Theory

Marvel Studios will explore a new universe in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but a new theory suggests the MCU has already hinted at this new world.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps' independent timeline can easily introduce locations like Giganto's Monster Island and Mole Man's lair a.k.a. "Subterranea", as their existence wouldn't contradict any information established by previous MCU installments. The Fantastic Four: First Steps can also reimagine MCU events and characters for the same reason. For instance, the Phase 6 movie could reveal that the Deviants weren't wiped out by the Eternals, allowing Mole Man to recruit Deviant mutates like Giganto.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Is Already Different From Previous Movies In One Key Way

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Is The Least Grounded Live-Action FF Adaptation

Human Torch with Ben Grimm, Sue Storm and Reed Richards in MCU Fantastic Four First Steps posters

Despite their wildly different takes on the source material, all previous Fantastic Four movies have grounded Marvel's First Family in realism, to varying degrees. All live-action Fantastic Four adaptations have put a strong focus on the titular heroes' origin story and early days as a superhero team, with Doctor Doom as a main antagonist. The Fantastic Four: First Steps promises to hit the ground running with the Fantastic Four facing villains as extraordinary as Galactus and Silver Surfer — all with a retrofuturistic setting.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will mark the first time the Devourer of Worlds will have an anthropomorphic appearance faithful to the comics

Since The Fantastic Four: First Steps seemingly won't spend too long establishing the team's origin stories, the Phase 6 film will have more room for a wide variety of comic-accurate villains. While Fox's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer introduced Galactus' first live-action adaptation, The Fantastic Four: First Steps will mark the first time the Devourer of Worlds will have an anthropomorphic appearance faithful to the comics. This is a good sign that The Fantastic Four: First Steps will also feature characters like Mole Man and Giganto.