For years, fans have begged Marvel to do right by Galactus. No more mysterious space clouds. No vague outlines or cosmic dust storms. Just give us the towering, terrifying, comic-accurate world-eater in all his armored glory.
Well, The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman heard the cries, and he’s going to deliver.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Shakman talked about the film’s main villain Galactus revealing that he’s not a fully CG creation this time around.
“I didn’t want to just use motion-capture for Galactus. I wanted to actually have someone there embodying the part,” Shakman said.
Ralph Ineson is bringing his signature intensity (and that unmistakable voice) to the role, and a full costume was built for Galactus. Not just green screen pajamas and dots on the face, and the design is inspired by Jack Kirby’s legendary comic art.
Shakman explained that extensive photo testing was done to nail the proper cinematic scale. “We’ve done a lot of photography testing to figure out, ‘How do you make sure that the scale is correct? How do you film Mount Rushmore?’” he said.
This grounded approach fits neatly into the film’s retrofuturist vibe. Shakman previously described the tone as “where Kirby meets Kubrick,” a mix of psychedelic cosmic adventure and grounded 1960s-inspired visuals.
Pedro Pascal, who stars as Reed Richards, added a little perspective on just how big of a threat Galactus really is.
“It is definitely a scale of threat which Reed has never experienced. Even the smartest man in the world is awestruck by a being that outdates his understanding of time.”
That’s the kind of cosmic horror energy I want to see! The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens July 25, 2025, and we’re ready to witness the true hunger of Galactus.