It’s 2025, and it looks like Marvel fans have finally been blessed with a proper Galactus in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. He is not the cloudy space fart from Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), but an actual giant purple helmet-wearing cosmic god — and yes, he has a face. A very specific face, actually: Ralph Ineson’s.
With just two months to go before The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theatres on July 25, leaks are coming in hotter and faster than Johnny Storm. First came the LEGO set revealing Galactus in blocky glory. Then the Funko Pop dropped a baby Franklin Richards on us — small, adorable, and already messing with the timeline, probably. And now, thanks to a curious tie-in promotion with Snapple, we have our first proper look at the live-action Galactus. And let’s just say — the World Eater has never looked this comic book accurate on screen.
We’re talking glowing eyes, the oversized purple helmet, and a costume that would make Jack Kirby nod in approval. Unlike previous versions, director Matt Shakman has chosen to go physical rather than just mo-cap. “I didn’t want to just use motion-capture for Galactus. I wanted to actually have someone there embodying the part,” Shakman said. “So we’ve built an entire costume for him, and we’ve done a lot of photography testing to figure out, how do you make sure that the scale is correct? How do you film Mount Rushmore?”
Valid questions, especially when your main villain is the size of a city block. Of course, Ineson — best known for his deep, unmistakably British voice and villainous energy in The Witch and Game of Thrones — feels like the perfect pick. The promo image shows a Galactus who is towering, terrifying, and unmistakably human. You can see Ineson’s facial features clearly. It’s a refreshing change from the faceless blob (or cloud) of disappointment fans got nearly two decades ago.
In the trailer released earlier this year, we only caught a glimpse of Galactus from behind — stomping through city streets, crushing buildings like a toddler playing with toy cars. This promo art, however, gives us the full frontal cosmic majesty.
Even though Marvel seems to be leaking a lot lately, there’s still a surprising amount of mystery surrounding The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The cast is packed with talent: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Natasha Lyonne, Julia Garner and John Malkovich — but we still don’t know who Malkovich is playing. Rumours suggest he could be an older Franklin Richards, which would mean this movie’s playing fast and loose with time and space. Wouldn’t be the only time, either — Avengers: Doomsday (spoiled by Chris Claremont) and maybe even Spider-Man 4 are teasing similar shenanigans.
But let’s focus on what matters: The Fantastic Four: First Steps gets Galactus (one of the most powerful Marvel beings) right. That alone might be the first real sign that Marvel’s about to turn things around and give us a Fantastic Four film that doesn’t make us want to eat the planet ourselves.
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