It has been well established that the planet-devouring cosmic giant Galactus will be the main villain in Disney and Marvel’s upcoming film The Fantastic Four: First Steps. But now Joseph Quinn, who will play the hotheaded Johnny Storm/Human Torch in the highly anticipated project, has revealed that another villain will also be making his MCU debut in the film: Mole Man.

Quinn revealed the news during a panel with the cast held at CCXP Mexico, with footage shared by Culture Crave on X. “It’s certainly a very stacked cast. We’ve got a lot of fantastic characters in there,” said Quinn. “There’s also Mole Man, who is wonderful in it. But Galactus is the big bad.” It is unclear whether Quinn said this accidentally or on purpose, but we at least know now that there will be a second foe for the Fantastic Four.

Mole Man is one of the Fantastic Four’s classic enemies in the comics and originally appeared in The Fantastic Four #1 in 1961. The character’s original iteration was Harvey Elder, a nuclear scientist who stumbles into an underground cave and becomes blinded by a flash of diamonds. Earning his new persona as the Mole Man, Elder turns to a life of crime as the leader of an underground domain and frequently battled the Fantasic Four. It is unclear who will be portraying the character in the film, though Paul Walter Hauser’s and John Malkovich’s roles in First Steps remain unknown.

‘First Steps’ Will Take the MCU Back

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will transport the MCU back to the 1960s, where Earth is protected by the fearsome quartet: Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Quinn), and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). The four receive a warning from the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) that the evil Galactus (Ralph Ineson) is coming to destroy their world, and they must work together to stop him. The film is expected to set up Galactus as the main villain for Phase Six of the MCU.

Other cast members in the film include Natasha Lyonne and Sarah Niles. The Fantastic Four: First Steps was directed by WandaVision’s Matt Shakman from a screenplay by Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer, Eric Pearson, Josh Friedman, and Peter Cameron. It was produced by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in theaters on July 25, 2025.

via Collider