John Malkovich will be making his MCU debut in the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps reboot, and while the idenтιтy of his bearded character hasn’t yet been confirmed, a new casting theory suggests he could have a wild connection to Multiverse Saga villain, Kang the Conqueror. John Malkovich joined the cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps in May 2024, alongside the likes of Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne and Ralph Ineson. While the latter has been confirmed to be the planet-eater Galactus, the idenтιтy of Hauser, Lyonne and Malkovich’s new MCU characters haven’t been revealed.

The first teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps provided a glimpse at John Malkovich in the Phase 6 reboot. His bearded guise has spurred theories suggesting several notable Marvel Comics characters that would be a good match, but there’s one forgotten character that hasn’t really been part of the discussion. John Malkovich finally making his MCU debut is very exciting, and it’s possible he will be far more important to the development of the Fantastic Four than you realize, and could even connect the team to some of the MCU’s pre-established characters.

John Malkovich’s MCU Character Hasn’t Yet Been Confirmed

John Malkovich Has Been Rumored For A Number Of New MCU Characters

Ever since his casting in The Fantastic Four: First Steps was announced back in May 2024, speculation has been rife regarding who John Malkovich will be playing in the Multiverse Saga movie. Since First Steps will be set in an alternate universe, the opportunities are practically limitless, as Marvel Studios has few restrictions when deciding who to include in the reboot. One of the most popular early suggestions was Mole Man, the Fantastic Four’s first villain from Marvel Comics and the ruler of Subterranea, but Malkovich doesn’t really have the right look for Mole Man.

More recently, the teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps spurred theories that Malkovich could be playing Ivan Kragoff, a.k.a. Red Ghost, given the Marvel Comics character’s long, white hair. Kragoff trained and enhanced the “Super-Apes” and used them to battle the Fantastic Four in one of Marvel’s weirder chapters. It’s also been suggested that Malkovich could be portrayed Franklin Storm, the father of the Invisible Woman and the Human Torch, who is killed by Skrulls in Marvel Comics, but there may be an even better character for John Malkovich in the MCU.

John Malkovich Would Be Perfect As Nathaniel Richards (Not Kang) In The Fantastic Four: First Steps

The Original Nathaniel Richards Is A Very Important Figure In Marvel Comics

Perhaps the perfect character that John Malkovich could play in The Fantastic Four: First Steps would be Nathaniel Richards, Reed Richards’ own father. Nathaniel Richards is a scientist and adventurer in Marvel Comics, who gained the ability to time travel after solving a dispute between Leonardo da Vinci and Isaac Newton. While Nathaniel was all but absent for the majority of Reed Richards’ life, he had a genuine love for his son, and helped the Fantastic Four on numerous occasions. John Malkovich would be an inspired choice for this complex character.

Reed Richards’ father has never been adapted for live-action before, with Tim Heidecker’s character from 2015’s Fantastic Four being Reed’s step-father, so it’s high time he got his live-action debut. Marvel Studios would benefit from exploring more of Reed Richards’ personal life and backstory, and John Malkovich, being the incredible actor he is, is the perfect candidate to fill this role. Nathaniel Richards’ debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps would be game-changing for the MCU, but could also flesh out the story of other notable characters.

Nathaniel Richards Could Bring The Fantastic Four To The MCU’s Main Continuity

The Fantastic Four Will Presumably Join Earth-616 In The MCU’s Phase 6

The Fantastic Four: First Steps has been confirmed to be the first live-action MCU movie set entirely in an alternate universe, allowing Marvel to fully take advantage of exploring the Multiverse Saga. However, it’s expected that the movie will somehow bring Marvel’s First Family into the MCU’s main continuity of Earth-616, possibly after failing to defeat Galactus or coming face-to-face with Doctor Doom. While this has become a popular theory, it’s unclear how the Fantastic Four would jump from one reality to another, but Nathaniel Richards’ debut could provide an explanation.

Marvel Comics’ Nathaniel Richards has a genius-level intellect and has the ability to time travel via the use of an invention of his own making: the Time Platform. We’ve already these Time Platforms in the MCU, as Reed Richards enters using one in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Kang’s variants converge in their stadium via Time Platforms in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. It’s possible this could be used, or Nathaniel Richards could design something new, to bring the Fantastic Four to the safety of Earth-616, and John Malkovich would deliver this remarkable inventor vibe perfectly.

Marvel May Quietly Continue Kang’s Storyline Without Recasting Him Yet

Kang The Conqueror Shouldn’t Be Forgotten In The MCU’s Multiverse Saga

The Fantastic Four: First Steps has been theorized to include the first cameo appearance of Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom in the MCU. While this hasn’t yet been confirmed, Doctor Doom is being introduced to the MCU in order to replace Kang the Conqueror and his villainous variants, who were portrayed by the now-convicted Jonathan Majors in Loki and Quantumania. Kang’s future is uncertain, though many want to see him recast. It might be too soon for this to take place now that Doom is on his way, but Marvel can still continue Kang’s story by debuting Nathaniel Richards.

Kang’s real name in Marvel Comics is also Nathaniel Richards, as he is the namesake of his time-traveling ancestor, Reed Richards’ father. Confused yet? Reed and Kang are not siblings or even close relatives, but both their bloodlines lead back to Nathaniel Richards. This means that John Malkovich debuting as Nathaniel Richards in The Fantastic Four: First Steps could create the opportunity for some of Kang’s backstory and family history to be explored, which could quietly continue his storyline in the MCU while Marvel decides whether to recast him or not.

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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