New images of Ralph Ineson‘s Galactus has been revealed from Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. It is also confirmed that Ineson wore a practical Galactus costume.
Ineson wore a helmet and a full suit of armor to play Galactus in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. He even had his own pit crew to keep him cool between takes. Director Matt Shakman says fans won’t see the full reveal of Galactus until they watch the film.
During the film’s photocall, Ineson revealed that he stood on tall buildings and drove through tunnels to prepare for the role of Galactus.
Ineson said, “You can’t work out if he’s married or not, if he has kids, what he orders when he goes to the pub. These are questions you’d ordinarily ask to get into character.”
In an interview with IMAX, Shakman spoke about the practical effects in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Shakman said, “We wanted it to feel like it was made in the ’60s to a degree. Obviously, we used a lot of modern technology—we’d be silly not to. But we built miniatures, a giant Galactus outfit, huge practical sets, a practical H.E.R.B.I.E., a practical FantastiCar. We did everything we could to ground it. We used vintage lenses; we tried to approach things optically. Sue’s storm powers are an optical effect that you could’ve done in the ’60s, but we used video projectors and other techniques to create it.”
Shakman teases that the IMAX aspect ratio in The Fantastic Four expands to 1.43:1 whenever Galactus appears.
Here’s the plot details for The Fantastic Four: First Steps:
Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm / Invisible Woman (Kirby), Johnny Storm / Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm / The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet — and everyone on it — weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.
The film also stars Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles. Directed by Shakman, produced by Kevin Feige, and executive produced by Louis D’Esposito, Grant Curtis, and Tim Lewis.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters and IMAX on July 25, 2025.
