The Red Ghost has escaped! Actor John Malkovich will no longer appear in Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” as Ivan Kragoff, aka the Red Ghost, one of the earliest villains to battle the superhero quartet in the comics.

No, you did not blink and miss it. John Malkovich will no longer appear in Marvel Studios’ upcoming tentpole The Fantastic Four: First Steps, despite having filmed scenes as the villain Ivan Kragoff, also known as the Red Ghost.

The actor’s scenes as antagonist Ivan Kragoff/Red Ghost have been cut from the Marvel movie The Fantastic Four: First Steps, as they didn't fit in with the film's plot.