In 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, the entire movie built towards Galactus, the devourer of worlds, only to reveal him as a space cloud at the end. Marvel’s upcoming reboot, The Fantastic Four, won’t be making the same mistake. Ralph Ineson has been cast as Galactus, and confirmed as the primary villain in the movie.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the story about Ineson’s role as Galactus, but Marvel signaled this direction a few weeks ago when Julia Garner was cast as Shalla-Bal, an alternate version of Galactus’ herald, the Silver Surfer. Both Galactus and the Silver Surfer first appeared in 1966 in The Galactus Trilogy, one of the most famous Fantastic Four stories by Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Galactus has since taken on a prominent role in Marvel’s comic book universe, but he is neither truly good nor evil. Instead, Galactus is a cosmic force of nature who needs to feed on living worlds in order to survive.
Ineson has actually appeared in the MCU once before as a Ravager pilot in Guardians of the Galaxy. He also appeared as Amycus Carrow in the final three Harry Potter movies. Other previous credits include The Witch, Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Northman, The Creator, and most recently, The First Omen.
Prior to Inseon joining The Fantastic Four, John Malkovich and Paul Walter Hauser were both cast in mystery roles in the film. The primary members of the first family of superheroes have already been announced, with Pedro Pascal as Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach the Thing.
Director Matt Shakman will reportedly have cameras rolling on The Fantastic Four this summer, and the film will arrive in theaters on July 25, 2025.
