Overview

• The excised sequence featured Malkovich as Ivan Kragoff leading his trio of Super-Apes in an early ’60s-style battle against the Fantastic Four.
• Shakman praised Malkovich’s performance as brilliant and said cutting the role was especially painful given their collaboration on 2014’s Cut Bank.
• Pressure to maintain a sub-two-hour runtime and give ample screen time to the film’s ensemble—including Silver Surfer and Galactus—prompted the edit.
• Studio insiders say the deleted Red Ghost footage could surface in home video releases or a future director’s cut if Marvel opts to include it.
• Fantastic Four: First Steps remains set for its Los Angeles premiere on July 21, followed by a wide theatrical release on July 25.