An MCU actor officially confirms the villain they’re playing in The Fantastic Four: First Steps and reveals whether they’ll actually appear in the movie. Shortly before The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ release, it was confirmed that John Malkovich’s Red Ghost was cut from the movie. Red Ghost is a prominent recurring antagonist in the Fantastic Four’s comics, which suggests the Phase 6 film is putting all its focus on Galactus as its main villain.
In an exclusive interview with ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley, Paul Walter Hauser confirms he will appear in The Fantastic Four: First Steps as Harvey Elder a.k.a. Mole Man, and states that he likely won’t be cut from the movie. Prior to Hauser’s confirmation, a comic book prequel to The Fantastic Four: First Steps featured Mole Man as a secondary character with a strong resemblance to Hauser. Read the MCU actor’s full comments below:
ScreenRant: Paul, you’ve got a big couple of weeks coming up. Fantastic Four is coming out next Friday.
Paul Walter Hauser: Yeah.
ScreenRant: John Malkovich was just confirmed to be cut. Can you alleviate our fears? Are you in this movie?
Paul Walter Hauser: I think so. I’m pretty sure. Yeah. No, it’s just one of those things where I’ve learned that in a very important film, there [are] a lot of things that they’re trying to accomplish, and sometimes they nip and they tuck. I’m sure one or two of my things have been cut too, from what I heard, but I think I’m still in the movie.
SR: There’s an official tie-in comic that’s been going around.
Paul Walter Hauser: Right, right.
SR: Do you know what this is?
Paul Walter Hauser: Yes.
SR: It looks a lot like you.
Paul Walter Hauser: That’s the prequel. Yeah.
SR: Looks like Mole Man.
Paul Walter Hauser: Oh, I’m saying it now. I am Mole Man.
SR: We can confirm.
Paul Walter Hauser: Yeah. You and someone yesterday are the only two people I’ve confirmed that with, journalistically. But if they’re so bold as to use my likeness in a comic book, I’m bold enough to say, “Yeah, bro.”
SR: Amazing.
Paul Walter Hauser: Harvey Elder.
What Paul Walter Hauser’s Fantastic Four: First Steps Comments Mean
Mole Man Finally Makes His Live-Action Debut In The MCU
Since the 1990s, there have been four live-action Fantastic Four movies, all of which have featured Doctor Doom as a primary villain. In 2025, Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps finally breaks that trend with Galactus as its main antagonist, while Doctor Doom makes his official MCU debut in Avengers: Doomsday. Likewise, all Fantastic Four movies released before the 2025 reboot had ignored the team’s long list of recurring enemies.
An official image of Paul Walter Hauser’s Mole Man has been revealed, as well.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps finally shines a light on iconic Marvel villains like Mole Man, and it would have marked the first live-action appearance by Red Ghost. Whether these two are the only two secondary villains originally planned to appear in The Fantastic Four: First Steps is unknown. However, Mole Man’s debut, at the very least, is a welcome addition to MCU lore.
Our Take On Paul Walter Hauser’s Fantastic Four: First Steps Comments
Mole Man Deserves To Become A Recurring MCU Villain
Traditionally portrayed as a somewhat campy antagonist, Mole Man has long been treated as a nuisance rather than a top-tier threat. However, an exciting evolution of Paul Walter Hauser’s MCU role would be for him to rebuild Subterranea on Earth-616 after the events of The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Avengers: Doomsday. Making Mole Man a recurring MCU villain would do justice to a character who has been largely overlooked until now.
Once in the MCU, Paul Walter Hauser’s Mole Man could face other heroes. Spider-Man, Daredevil, and the Avengers could deal with Mole Man and his subterranean army in future films or shows that could cement Harvey Elder as more than an FF-exclusive foil. While Mole Man isn’t the most powerful of the Fantastic Four‘s foes, he’s iconic and has the potential to be more than a one-off punchline character.
