Fantastic Four writer wanted to include Galactus in the 2015 reboot

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will finally give Marvel fans the comic-accurate depiction of Galactus they’ve eagerly awaited for years. When the iconic character was depicted as a cloud in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, fans were rightfully pissed. One of those fans was screenwriter Jeremy Slater, who would go on to co-write the critically condemned Fantastic Four reboot in 2015.

In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Slater revealed that he originally included Galactus in the 2015 film, but the idea was met with resistance.

“I wanted to make him our big bad and there was some internal push back,” Slater explained. “First, he was our big bad. Then, he was just going to appear in one scene. Then, he was only appearing in the post-credits scene. Coming off the Galactus cloud from [2007’s Fantastic Four:] Rise of the Silver Surfer, which I was one of those fanboys probably bitching on Ain’t It Cool News back then about how he was a f-cking cloud, I was excited to bring back a classic Galactus and have that Jack Kirby design.“

Slater added that he’s thrilled by what he’s seen of The Fantastic Four: First Steps and can’t wait to see the proper version of Galactus on the big screen.

Plenty has been said about why Fantastic Four failed, but Slater added that there was a “disconnect” between his vision for the movie and Josh Trank’s vision. “Josh and I probably just saw different movies,” he said. “I was more of an Avengers guy and, I don’t want to put words in his mouth, but he was more of a Batman Begins, like ultra-grounded, dark and gritty guy. The comic book nature of something like The Avengers, that I had been absorbing and loving my entire life, he didn’t have those same touch points, so that movie wasn’t landing for him the way it landed for me.“

The official synopsis for The Fantastic Four: First Steps: “Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ben Grimm/The Thing 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 (Ralph 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 will hit theaters on July 25.

After The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Reed (Pedro Pascal), Sue (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny (Joseph Quinn), and Ben (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) will return for Avengers: Doomsday, which recently had its release date pushed back. Doomsday was initially set to hit theaters on May 1, 2026, but has now been moved to December 18, 2026. As for Avengers: Secret Wars, that film has moved from May 7, 2027 to December 17, 2027.