The MCU’s The Fantastic Four has been going steadily, with the most recent casting being of Paul Walter Hauser. The Matt Shakman directorial already has a stacked cast with actors like Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Julia Garner, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach playing major characters. John Malkovich and Ralph Ineson also star in the film.
Though most characters have been revealed, one mystery in the casting is that of Paul Walter Hauser. While he did not reveal who he was playing, the Richard Jewell star hinted at playing a prominent villain who was part of the mythology of the Fantastic Four. The hints have led fans to speculate that the actor would be playing the role of Mole Man.
Paul Walter Hauser Reveals His Character Is A Major Part Of The Fantastic Four
The MCU debut of the Fantastic Four has been in the making for years after the rights to the IP returned to Marvel. Previous adaptations of the franchise were produced by Fox Studios with varying levels of success, with the last adaptation by Josh Trank being a disaster. The reboot for the MCU is being helmed by WandaVision filmmaker Matt Shakman.
Apart from the lead actors who portray the four, The Fantastic Four had multiple casting announcements in the past few weeks. This included Julia Garner as Silver Surfer, Ralph Ineson as Galactus, and John Malkovich and Paul Walter Hauser in undisclosed roles. While fans speculated that the latter would be playing H.E.R.B.I.E in the movie, he hinted at another prominent role.
In an interview with ScreenRant, Paul Walter Hauser was asked whether he will be playing a live-action role or if he will be lending his voice. He said,
“I know what that question is leading to, which is the answer as to which character I’m to play. So all I can say is that I, in some iteration, am in the movie The Fantastic Four until I get fired or recast. So I can’t say anything about the character I’m playing but know that it is in the sort of lexicon and mythology of The Fantastic Four stories. And it’s a very distinct character that I’m excited to play and I’m kind of mapping out what I’m doing with that right now.”
Though the actor did not explicitly reveal who he was playing, these hints led to fans speculating that he would be playing the role of the antagonist Mole Man. Fans theorized that the film would open with Mole Man attacking Earth with the Fantastic Four stopping in an introductory action sequence.
Clearly Mole-Man with the epic battle from Fantastic Four #1 at the beginning of the movie pic.twitter.com/cpls2Mgwns
— Doctor Doom (@DoctorrDoom) May 14, 2024
Fingers crossed he plays either Mole Man or HERBIE pic.twitter.com/ppzh5e6BOX
— Milkias Samuel (@milkias_samuel) May 14, 2024
The only Fancast comment he liked on his IG post was moleman, it's gotta be it
— asap happy (@happy_asap75897) May 14, 2024
He’s Mole man. I wonder if that means John Malkovich is Herbie or Franklin Storm. I would say Puppet master but we would need Alicia Masters for that story to be impactful.
— Colby_R (@Colfern326) May 14, 2024
My guess is he’s playing mole man as an appetizer villain at the beginning of the movie to showcase who the fantastic 4 are.
— The Guy (@BlackRomba) May 14, 2024
I think he will be interesting for the part.. pic.twitter.com/Fd2iyJVZf9
— Liberty Forever (@Love4MyLiberty) May 14, 2024
There has been no confirmation regarding who John Malkovich will play as well. The MCU has cast multiple prominent actors in voice roles and hence, it might not be a surprise if Malkovich would only appear in a vocal role.
Paul Walter Hauser Always Wanted To Be In A Cinematic Universe
Though it has yet to be confirmed, Paul Walter Hauser might be playing the Mole Man a.k.a. Henry Elder in the MCU’s The Fantastic Four. The actor had previously acted in films such as I, Tonya, Cruella, and BlacKKKlansman before getting his breakthrough with Richard Jewell. The actor also starred in Black Bird, which won him a Golden Globe and Emmy.
The Mole Man is a character in the Fantastic Four franchise who was severely deformed as a child and hence was shunned from society. He chooses the path of science and creates an empire in the underground called Subterranea. He hopes to exact revenge on the surface world which shunned him due to his appearance and clashes with four during his attacks.
Walter Hauser mentioned that he always wanted to be a part of a cinematic universe. He reportedly actively campaigned for the role of the Penguin (who shares many similarities with the Mole Man) in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. However, he lost the role to Colin Farrel. He said to ScreenRant,
“But I’ve always wanted to be a part of a cinematic universe. I spent a lot of time trying to campaign to play the Penguin in the Matt Reeves film, and that of course went to Colin Farrell and he did a masterful job and it was totally different than what I was trying to do. So I really appreciate Marvel giving me the time of day and entrusting a role to me in some capacity that I get to be a part of that family. I’m really excited to partake in.”
Though his exact role is yet to be confirmed, the Cobra Kai star may just be perfect for the role of Mole Man.
