The new movie “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” currently delights both critics and fans. However, we have to do without a villain whose scenes were even filmed. He is one of the smartest minds on the planet.
Which villain is it? We are talking about Ivan Kragoff alias Red Ghost. The character is already quite old, having been created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963. He made his debut in “Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #13”.
Before he became Red Ghost, Ivan Kragoff was a Russian scientist who was very fascinated by the Fantastic Four. His obsession grew to the point where he became thoroughly consumed with the superheroes.
Kragoff wanted to replicate the accident that granted the Fantastic Four their powers. With the help of the Soviet government, he constructed a spaceship and selected three monkeys to embark on the mission. The scientist, along with the animals, shot himself into space.
There, the spaceship and crew encountered a cosmic storm that caused Kragoff and the monkeys to transform. The scientist became Red Ghost, and the animals became Super-Apes.
An Untouchable Super Brain
What abilities does Red Ghost possess? The incident turned the scientist into a nasty antagonist and granted him superpowers. This included his untouchability. The atoms inside his body were altered by cosmic radiation, allowing Red Ghost to become untouchable as needed.
He was also inherently very intelligent and counted among the smartest minds on the planet. Especially in the fields of physics, engineering, and rocket science, few could compete with him.
The creators of the new movie “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” wanted to incorporate Red Ghost into the film and even filmed some scenes that would have appeared at the beginning of the story. He was played by none other than John Malkovich. Unfortunately, the scenes with the Hollywood star fell victim to the editing process.
Director Matt Shakman discusses Red Ghost in more detail in a conversation with Brandon Davis on YouTube:
We had an opening scene with a lot of action surrounding Red Ghost. John Malkovich gave an incredible performance. There was just so much material as we tried to get to this moment in the present where their world changes due to the pregnancy.
The pregnancy of Sue Storm is referred to here. Earlier in the film, there is a montage of the Fantastic Four’s actions – unfortunately without Red Ghost. In the end, there simply wasn’t enough time to give the character ample space.
What would have happened in the scene? Director Matt Shakman further explains how Red Ghost’s appearance would have looked:
We had Red Ghost trying to steal a rocket ship with his monkeys, and Reed trying to defeat and outsmart him. We see snippets of that in the montage of the [Ted Gilbert Show], you can see how he kicks one of the monkeys into the water.
Thus, fans will not get to enjoy Red Ghost in the theatrical version of the film. However, the scene may appear at a later date in a director’s cut or on any Blu-ray releases. What do you think of the decision to cut the villain? Feel free to let us know in the comments. The film has at least already accomplished one thing: With the new film of the Fantastic Four, Marvel finally breaks a sad critic’s curse
