‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ cast and character guide: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, and who else you’ll see in the Marvel movie

The last Marvel film of 2025 is almost here. Before the international release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps in late July, you may be wondering who will be in the superhero movie.

The most notable cast members who will be featured in the first Marvel Phase 6 project are listed below. I’ll also let you know whose roles they’re portraying and where you may have previously seen these actors.

Before we start, please note that this page only includes actors who have been confirmed to appear and whose roles have not been omitted from the finished product (RIP Red Ghost by John Malkovich). After you finish reading this, check out my comprehensive guide to The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which explores some major cast speculations and offers more details on that character’s absence.

Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic

In November 2023, Pascal, one of the most well-liked and successful celebrities of the past few years, was rumored to be Mister Fantastic. Before Marvel formally revealed who will play The Fantastic Four in the group’s most recent big-screen revamp, he was virtually certain to play Reed Richards in February of last year.

Richards is the de facto head of Marvel’s First Family, for those who are not familiar with the figure. In addition, he is a highly intelligent person with an ego comparable to Tony Stark’s. Richards, however, frequently comes across as chilly because he lacks the emotional connection that his fellow genius possesses. He can also stretch his limbs and body. After being exposed to cosmic radiation that changed their DNA and gave them superhuman abilities, Richards and the other members of The Fantastic Four gained this talent.

Pascal has starred in a number of high-profile films and television series, such as The Last of Us, Gladiator II, The Mandalorian, and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, after his breakthrough performances in Narcos and Game of Thrones.

He most recently starred in the A24 films Eddington and Materialists. He will next be seen in the March 2026 release of Avengers: Doomsday and the March 2026 release of The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman

It seemed clear that Kirby would be chosen to play the sole female member of the super-team after giving me a big clue about her role in First Steps: that it would “be an honor” to play Sue Storm in August 2023.

Storm, also referred to as The Invisible Woman, is one of the strongest characters in the Marvel Universe. She has the ability to fly, turn invisible, and produce force fields to capture or shield items in the comics. In addition to confirming a popular fan theory about Sue Storm that has turned out to be one of the film’s two worst-kept secrets, a number of teases, including the official trailer for First Steps, suggested she would have some of these abilities.

As Princess Margaret in seasons one, two, and five of the popular drama The Crown, Kirby became well-known. She has since starred in a number of big- and small-screen productions, including Apple Movie Original Napoleon, Pieces of a Woman, and three Mission: Impossible films. After First Steps, she appeared in Avengers 5 and Night Always Comes.

Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Stranger Things veteran Joseph Quinn will play Sue’s irascible brother, who was previously portrayed by Black Panther actor Michael B. Jordan and former Captain America star Chris Evans in previous Fantastic Four live-action movies.

You won’t be surprised to hear that Johnny Storm has pyrokinetic talents, considering his impetuous personality and superhero persona as “Human Torch.” He can, in fact, make fire to use as a weapon against his enemies or to help him fly—as long as there is oxygen present. Additionally, he has the capacity to absorb heat energy, which would be useful if he ever worked as a firefighter.

Quinn has starred in TV shows such as Dickensian, Catherine the Great, Small Axe, and Strike in addition to his role as Eddie Munson, a fan favorite in Stranger Things season 4 on Netflix, which made him an instant fame. He costarred with Pascal in Gladiator II and starred in A Quiet Place: Day One and Warfare on the big screen. He is a member of the original 27-member cast of Avengers: Doomsday, just as the two individuals mentioned above.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing

The fourth and last member of the titular partnership, Ben Grimm/The Thing, is the Bear mainstay Ebon Moss-Bachrach. The group’s exposure to cosmic radiation caused the attractive pilot to undergo the most drastic physical change, turning his skin into a rock-like orange substance.

Grimm can resist blows that would floor many others because of his deformed, stony exterior. In addition, he is practically immortal in Marvel fiction and possesses superhuman strength, stamina, and endurance. Don’t be shocked if he says his well-known line, “It’s clobberin’ time!” at some point, either, considering how much it has been hinted to in numerous trailers and TV commercials for one of the most anticipated new films of 2025.

Moss-Bachrach is arguably most known for costarring in The Bear, which is regarded as one of the greatest shows on Hulu and Disney+. She has also starred in The Punisher, Girls, Andor, We’ll Never Have Paris, and No Hard Feelings. Additionally, he will be featured in Avengers: Doomsday.

Ralph Ineson as Galactus

The main enemy of First Steps will be Galactus, a celestial being who devours planets. When Marvel hinted some important plot points for the movie in April of last year, his appearance was virtually assured. Ralph Ineson, star of The Office UK, was cast to play him a month later, but we didn’t get a good look at Galactus until late April, when a Lego toy leak gave us our first glimpse. In fact, Marvel hasn’t shown us Galactus’ entire shape in any of the subsequent footage, nor did they in the original teaser for First Steps.

The Fantastic Four will find it nearly hard to defeat Galactus, a frightening, immortal cosmic deity that feeds on planets to stay alive. He does, in fact, continue to have control over the Power Cosmic, a source of limitless power that bestows upon him an endless array of superhuman powers, including as the ability to change his size, teleport, transform matter, project energy, and create interdimensional portals.

Viewers may recognize Ineson from his roles in a number of films and television shows, including Nosferatu, The Northman, The Green Knight, Ludwig, The Jetty, Chernobyl, and Game of Thrones. Ineson was most recently seen in Foundation season 3 on Apple TV+.

Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal/The Silver Surfer

The Silver Surfer, whose real name is Shalla-Bal, will be portrayed by Julia Garner, the most recent incumbent to play Galactus’ Herald.

Zenn-La, the Silver Surfer, is a humanoid who rides a surfboard and grudgingly accepts to be Galactus’ messenger to save their world. She has superpowers that are also derived from the Power Cosmic, such as super-strength and endurance, enhanced senses, and the capacity to travel through interstellar space and hyperspace on her surfboard.

The Silver Surfer, whose real name is Shalla-Bal, will be portrayed by Julia Garner, the most recent incumbent to play Galactus’ Herald.

Zenn-La, the Silver Surfer, is a humanoid who rides a surfboard and grudgingly accepts to be Galactus’ messenger to save their world. She has superpowers that are also derived from the Power Cosmic, such as super-strength and endurance, enhanced senses, and the capacity to travel through interstellar space and hyperspace on her surfboard.

Garner, who is most known for her role as Ruth in Ozark, which is considered to be one of the best Netflix series, has starred in a number of films, including The Americans, Dirty John, Inventing Anna, Apartment 7A, and Wolf Man. Before beginning production on Madonna’s cinematic biopic, in which Garner will portray the ‘Queen of Pop,’ her next big role will be in August’s supernatural horror film Weapons.

Paul Walter Hauser as Harvey Elder/Mole Man

In contrast to Malkovich, Hauser will play a tiny part in First Steps, while Mole Man, who starred in The Afterparty and Black Bird, will play the part.

Mole Man, another rogue from The Fantastic Four’s gallery, spends most of his time (in the comics, anyway) attempting to take over the surface world of Earth. The Moloids, mole-human hybrids who live in the subterranean nation of Subterranea and are ruled by Mole Man, typically assist the scientific genius in doing so.

Hauser has appeared in Cobra Kai, Reno 911!, Kingdom, Inside Out 2, and Orion and the Dark in addition to the previously mentioned Apple TV Original. His next role after First Steps will be in the October release of the Bruce Springsteen biography, which is starring Jeremy Allen White.

Matthew Wood as H.E.R.B.I.E

Matthew Wood will provide the voice of H.E.R.B.I.E., the robot assistant of the supergroup of the same name. H.E.R.B.I.E. isn’t just computer-generated imagery either; in fact, Marvel produced a working robotic puppet that could communicate with the famous quartet, and my coworker Jacob Krol had the opportunity to meet it up close!

Back to Wood, though. The sound editor/voice actor’s most well-known role was that of General Grievous in the third and last part of the Star Wars prequel film trilogy, Revenge of the Sith. Additionally, he has voiced a number of minor characters in other Lucasfilm and MCU productions, including Willow, What If…?, and Star Wars: Visions.

Natasha Lyonne as Rachel Rozman

MCU fans were certain that Natasha Lyonne was the ideal choice for a certain Marvel heroine in Alicia Masters when she was cast in First Steps last May. However, based on what I’ve seen of the film, I can affirm that she plays Rachel Rozman. But don’t give away what part she will play.

Lyonne is the star of the Peacock whodunnit series Poker Face (the second season of which recently concluded) and Netflix’s fantastic time-travel-inspired Russian Doll TV Original. She has also starred in Ad Astra, Portlandia, His Three Daughters, Orange is the New Black, What If…?, and the most recent Smurfs film revival. The Bad Guys 2 will also feature Lyonne’s instantly identifiable voice, and it will be released globally on the same day as First Steps.

Sarah Niles as Lynne Nichols

Sarah Niles has joined Richards and company as Lynne Nichols, the CEO of The Future Foundation, another ally. Nichols is in charge of the daily operations of The Future Foundation, which was first established by Sue Storm and serves as a proxy for the United Nations in the parallel world (Earth-828) in which The Fantastic Four live.

Niles is gradually gaining widespread recognition for his role as Doctor Sharon Fieldstone in the multi-award-winning sports comedy series Ted Lasso. The ascension of the Beautiful People and Catastrophe actor is, in fact, long overdue, whether it is through her roles in movies like the Brad Pitt-starring F1 or John Cena and Idris Elba’s Amazon Original Heads of State. The Thursday Murder Club, the live-action Netflix version of Richard Osman’s best-selling murder mystery novel, is Niles’ next project.

Mark Gatiss as Ted Gilbert

Mark Gattis, another actor who had a minor role in First Steps, is slated to play Ted Gilbert, the host of a talk show on television where Marvel’s First Family makes an appearance.

Gatiss’ writing and acting credits include the BBC’s contemporary adaptation of Sherlock Holmes (the one starring Benedict Cumberbatch from Doctor Strange), Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, The Favourite, and Mission: Impossible 7. He is best known for co-creating and starring in the UK comedy horror series The League of Gentlemen. Most recently, Gatiss is the creator of the criminal drama Bookish, which has just begun to air on a number of international networks, including HBO Max and U&Alibi.

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On Friday, July 25, The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be released worldwide. Disney+ is now streaming the group’s other three live-action films.

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