Latest on Galactus & Doctor Doom

Some additional details about The Fantastic Four’s villains have been revealed in a new report, clarifying who will be the primary antagonist of the Marvel Studios movie.

Jeff Sneider at The Insneider (subscription required but encouraged) has reported that the main villain of the film will be Galactus — the enormous plant-devouring cosmic entity. As was previously reported, Javier Bardem is the top choice for the part at this time, with Marvel still searching for someone to play Galactus’ most famous herald, the Silver Surfer.

Galactus may not be the only villain to appear in The Fantastic Four, however, as the report notes that Doctor Doom will appear at the very end of the film. As such, Doom’s casting is still being done and the character will likely not be cast until “well into filming,” Sneider says.

The Fantastic Four will be directed by Matt Shakman (WandaVision) from a screenplay by Josh Friedman, who was brought in to re-write the script originally written by Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer. As a project in Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Fantastic Four is scheduled to be released on July 25, 2025.

When did the Fantastic Four first debut?

The Fantastic Four comic debuted in 1961. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it was the first superhero team title produced by Marvel Comics and popularized famous characters like Reed Richards, Sue Storm and Doctor Doom.