Ralph Ineson Cast as Galactus in The Fantastic 4

Movies

Well, it didn’t take long to find out I was wrong. After hiring John Malkovich for an undisclosed role, a Hollywood Reporter exclusive reveals that Marvel has cast British actor Ralph Ineson as the cosmic villain Galactus in The Fantastic 4. Ralph Ineson has been in many movies and TV shows, among them the Harry Potter series, Game of Thrones, The Last Jedi, Sherlock, The Witch, First Knight, The Northman, Merlin, and, most recently, The First Omen. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach will play the Fantastic Four, with Julia Garner as the Silver Surfer and Paul Walter Hauser and the aforementioned John Malkovich in undisclosed roles. The Fantastic 4 is being directed by Matt Shakman and will be released on July 25, 2025.

As with my Malkovich speculation, this is a departure from Kevin Feige’s determination to cast a Hispanic actor as Galactus, with names like Javier Bardem and Antonio Banderas bandied about. As I was reading through Ralph Ineson’s list of roles, I had a hard time remembering him in any of the movies or shows that I’d seen till I landed on the British version of The Office, where he played Finchy, the obnoxious jerk David Brent idolized. He was great in that part, though having that as my sole frame of reference makes it difficult to picture him as the Devourer of Worlds. I’m willing to give him (more so than Marvel) a shot, but I have to admit that I’m kind of disappointed it won’t be Javier Bardem; I liked the idea of him being Galactus. I still think it’s a mistake to waste Galactus on a one-off Fantastic Four movie, though, especially their first one (in this continuity); he’s the kind of threat you build to, not one you test a new team on. And if the Four take him down on their own in one movie, how are we supposed to think they’re at a disadvantage against Kang or whoever takes his place in the later films? But Marvel isn’t really thinking too far ahead anymore.