The first trailer forFantastic Four: First Stepsbrims with 1960s Marvel goodness.
Weve got the Marvel-1, weve got H.E.R.B.I.E.
with a reel-to-reel for a face, weve got Baxter Building in all of its glory.
However, we dont have much of another defining aspect of 1960s Marvel: Cold War politics.
If Malkovich is indeed the Red Ghost, thenFirst Stepsis embracing the 60s even more than we previously thought.
The character also makes a lot of sense for this take on Marvels First Family.
Red Ghost Is the Wacky B-Villain the Fantastic Four Needs
Who is He?
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While Ben and Reed argue about Mr.
The apes allow Kragoff to launch his expedition at the same time as the FF.
Because of his newfound power to become intangible, Kragoff takes the codename Red Ghost.
Fantastic Four#13 perfectly encapsulates the tone of 1960sMarvel Comics.
Through Kragoff, Marvel can also explore another key part of the Fantastic Fours early days.
You see, whileSupermanandGreen Lanternlargely stayed out of politics, 1960s Marvel stories traded on the Cold War.
Soviets sent Natasha Romanoff aka theBlack Widowto stealTony Starkssecrets.
The Russians created their ownHulkout of Emil Blonsky, aka the Abomination.
They created their ownCaptain Americawith the Red Guardian to battle the Avengers.
None of these characters feel like they came from the cold war.
Which makes sense, given thatIron Manpremiered almost 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
But even Bruces bravery was framed as something the Soviets lacked.
These comics believed that America would inevitably defeat the USSR, and that faith motivated their high-flying imagination.
Red Ghost was one of the villains who provided a counter-point.
Fantastic Four: First Steps zooms into theaters on July 25, 2025.
