A first look at Paul Walter Hauser in The Fantastic Four: First Steps has finally been revealed ahead of his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. The Multiverse Saga is about to enter Phase 6 this summer, and kick it off with a bang. The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be the film that launches Phase 6 of the MCU timeline.

While The Fantastic Four: First Steps cast is dealing with Marvel’s Galactus as the primary antagonist, the film will also explore other foes the team has faced during their time on this alternative Earth in the MCU multiverse. With the film arriving next week, fans have finally gotten a brand-new look at another classic Fantastic Four enemy who is making his MCU debut.

USA Today shared the first official look at Hauser as Harvey Elder, a.k.a. Marvel Comics’ Mole Man, as the pH๏τo features him and several underground workers. Check out the full pH๏τo of Hauser’s Mole Man from The Fantastic Four: First Steps below:

Hauser and The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman also opened up about this take on Mole Man, who is described as a “union boss” rather than a traditional villain. USA Today also describes the “opposition” between Mole Man and the Fantastic Four as “political in nature,” with Hauser and Shakman sharing the following:

Matt Shakman: [The MCU’s Harvey Elder is] really more of a union boss than a supervillain. He’s all about community, and that’s why Sue and Harvey have a good relationship and they get along. They understand each other.

Paul Walter Hauser: [The comic version is] vicious and heinous and unrelenting. He is living sort of in the shadows like a villain would, but he’s also taking care of an entire race of people and trying to live his life without being bothered. It’s a power struggle, but within that, there are compromises and alliances made.

What Paul Walter Hauser’s Marvel Role Means

Given that Mole Man has never appeared in live-action previously, Hauser’s role reveal showcases how Marvel Studios is really leaning into Fantastic Four’s larger Marvel mythology. Hauser’s Mole Man is also a character that is being explored in The Fantastic Four: First Steps prequel comic, which may mean he will have a crucial role in the film, even if Galactus is the central enemy.

Shakman and Hauser’s comments also make it clear that they are helping modernize Mole Man for the MCU, as he is one of Marvel’s First Family’s oldest villains from the comics. From his first look in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, it will be fascinating to see how the political conflict between him and the team is explored.

Our Take On Paul Walter Hauser’s Marvel Role

Seeing what Hauser’s Mole Man will look like in the MCU, it will be exciting to see how the MCU tackles him compared to what fans are used to from the comics. The bigger question is whether or not there could be other villains from the team’s rogues’ gallery, especially after John Malkovich’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps character was cut from the final version of the film.

But from everything that continues to come out for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the film is definitely looking like it will be Marvel Studios’ strongest movie for 2025. Fans will soon get a better idea of what is in store with Hauser’s Mole Man when The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters next week.

Source: USA Today