New Fantastic Four teaser is hiding a C-list villain ‘cameo’ – and it confirms they’ve already been defeated before the events of the movie

Fantastic Four has already established a reputation by concealing various Easter eggs in trailers, teasers, and – if you can fathom it – a beverage tie-in. So, what’s one more oddity?

At the 25-second point in the most recent complete Fantastic Four teaser (which also disclosed confirmation of The Thing’s pet), a fleeting glimpse of a newspaper headline can be spotted.

Though it is partially obstructed by an image of Marvel’s First Family, you can nearly decipher the text ‘FANTASTIC 4 DEFEAT MASTERMIND MAD THINKER’.

First introduced back in 1963’s Fantastic Four #15, the creation by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby is renowned for his intellect and for crafting various forms of perilous weaponry and automatons. But in this instance, it appears his intellect was outmatched by Reed Richards and his team.

With antagonists being decisively vanquished prior to the events of Fantastic Four, it seems all focus is directed towards the enormous, planet-consuming Galactus (Ralph Ineson) in the Marvel Phase 6 introductory film.

So much so, in fact, that in the footage viewed by GamesRadar+, another villain, Mole Man, is swiftly dealt with, while Red Ghost is merely mentioned when summarizing some of Fantastic Four’s previous endeavors – lending further credibility to the notion that actor John Malkovich may have been excluded from the film.

Fantastic Four, featuring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, arrives in theaters on July 25.

For additional details, explore the upcoming Marvel films coming your way, along with a guide on all-things MCU providing an essential overview of how to watch the Marvel films in sequence.

I’m the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, concentrating on news, features, and interviews with some of the most prominent figures in film and television. On the site, you’ll find me admiring Marvel and offering insights along with measured opinions on the latest movies, Star Wars, and of course, anime. Beyond GR, I enjoy immersing myself in an engaging 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and unwinding on the (virtual) pitch with Football Manager. My articles have also appeared in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.