It’s official: as rumored, the villain in the MCU’s upcoming Fantastic Four will be Galactus, and we also know the actor who’ll play him.
A Hollywood Reporter article today reveals that prolific British actor Ralph Ineson will play Galactus in the new take on the Fantastic Four. His long list of film and television credits includes playing Amycus Carrow in the final three Harry Potter films, William in The Witch, Dagmer Cleftjaw in Game of Thrones, and more.
This also isn’t his first run in the MCU either: he had a small role in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy as a Ravager pilot. In fact, even before today’s big news, a Gizmodo article declared Ineson might have the “world’s greatest geek acting career.” His other credits include the title character in The Green Knight and a small role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, in addition to parts in The Dark Crystal, Peaky Blinders, and Sherlock. He initially rose to fame as Chris Finch in the U.K. version of The Office, and can currently be seen in The First Omen.
Ineson is happy to lean into his growing status as a geek icon. Reacting to the news that he will be playing Galactus, Ineson wrote on social media, “Actual Marvel Villain, get in!”
Actual Marvel Villain, get in! https://t.co/KAxnllqrLR
— Ralph Ineson (@ralphineson) May 9, 2024
Final Fantasy fans might recognize his voice as well, as Ineson had a particularly beloved turn as Cid in Final Fantasy 16 last year. He also voiced Charles Vane in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.
Ineson joins an increasingly stacked cast that also has Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm. Julia Garner will also reportedly play another antagonist, the Silver Surfer, and John Malkovich was added to the film in a mystery role just earlier today.
Casting aside, Galactus is a massive character (in more ways than one) in the MCU. A cosmic entity known as “The Devourer of Worlds,” he’s known for, well… devouring worlds, traveling from planet to planet and greedily gobbling them up as he goes. He has a long history in the comics not only with the Fantastic Four themselves, but particularly with the Silver Surfer.
We’ll learn a lot more about how The Fantastic Four will stop the World Eater when the film hits theaters on July 25, 2025.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
