The Marvel Cinematic Universe is going strong all these years later, with a steady release schedule of movies and other content available with a Disney+ subscription. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order were thrilled when the Fantastic Four finally got to join the fray with First Steps, with that quartet of heroes already set to appear in upcoming Marvel movies like Avengers: Doomsday. In their debut movie they battled the cosmic villain Galactus, and a new look at the character without his signature helmet is arguably more scary than what we got in the final cut.
Fantastic Four: First Steps won at the box office, and brought the behemoth character Galactus to the shared universe. He was brought to life by actor Ralph Ineson, who worked with a set of miniatures to make him look giant. He looked pretty comic book accurate, but an image from The Fantastic Four: First Steps – The Art of the Movie (via Twitter) without the full mask is creepy AF. Check it out below:
The Fantastic Four: First Steps – The Art of the Movie book has revealed what Galactus looks like without his signature helmet! pic.twitter.com/4cqw6rb8eXDecember 4, 2025
I don't know about you, but this would have given me the willies on the big screen. Ultimately Galactus' helmet was left on throughout Fantastic Four: First Steps, although he had a particularly chilling moment where his glowing eyes suddenly turned on in front of the titular team of heroes. But I assume I'm not alone in being startled by his appearance sans helmet.
The Fantastic Four and its villains like Galactus were noticeably missing throughout the first few phases of the MCU, but when Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and its properties it opened the door for Marvel's First Family to finally join the fun. It seems like the studio is welcoming them in a big way, because they were confirmed as part of the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement. They're already getting the crossover treatment, and it should be fascinating to see how they interact with other universes.
The end of First Steps saw the team defeat Galactus, but fans are still wondering if he could pop up again. He's a huge character in the comics, and has never really gotten its fair share on the screen. If Ineson does reprise his role, maybe we'll get a chance to see the unmasked version of the cosmic bad guy.
Some comic book fans complained that Galactus wasn't big enough in First Steps, which could be another change to make to the character if/when he returns to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Fantastic Four's tenure in the universe has just begun, so it doesn't seem out of the question.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is streaming now on Disney+. The next MCU movie arriving in theaters is Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31st as part of the 2026 movie release list.
