With The Fantastic Four First Steps set to release, the pressure couldn’t be more. The film isn’t just trying to revive the struggling Marvel Studios, but it also has to do better than the other legendary reboot made by the studio across town, DC’s Superman. Both films attempt to retell the story behind iconic superheroes and villains, namely Lex Luthor and Galactus. The competition between the two has already begun, but not by the fans or the studio execs, but by the actors who are playing them, Nicholas Hoult and Ralph Ineson.
Ineson has had a very weird journey with Marvel, going from playing an unnamed character in The Guardians of the Galaxy to playing one of Marvel Comics’ most powerful villains. He does have some impressive projects under his belt, including films like Nosferatu (2024), The Green Knight (2021), and Ready Player One (2018). He met Hoult, who plays supervillain Lex Luthor, on the sets of Nosferatu, and both Ineson and Hoult quickly realised that they were essentially fighting for the same title, the baddest man in town. The Fantastic Four First Steps actor revealed in an interview with THR that the two actors in fact had a discussion about their characters, and Ineson extended a challenge to Hoult after reading positive reviews of Superman.
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He said, “We actually had a text conversation this morning about it. I sent him something off social media that said that he gave the all-time greatest superhero villain performance, and I said, ‘Hold my beer.’ He then laughed and said, ‘It’s hardly fair. You’re a cosmic entity; I’m just a guy.’ And I said, ‘Fair enough, but I am fighting four of them.’ Hoult then told Ineson that a man who gets sick after eating spicy food should not be competing with a demigod, bringing the debate to a close.
Ralph Ineson also talked about how he bagged the role in The Fantastic Four First Steps and admitted that the entire process was “spookily easy”. “I would’ve expected to tape and screen test for a while. But almost all the cast have the same story, which was a brief meeting with Matt and confirmation a few days later that they’d like you to play the part. So it was spookily smooth and easy. I do occasionally get offered parts straight nowadays, but they’re not usually of this magnitude.” Ineson stated that he definitely felt the magnitude of the role once he put on the suit, which was so heavy that he had to take breaks during shooting to get a massage.
“It’s true I had to get massages during lunch break. The suit wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was just so heavy, and I am 55 years old, so it was making my knees flare up. To wear that suit and shoot under extremely bright white lights, it became very hot, and my ‘pit crew’ had a whole plan to keep me cool because Galactus can’t sweat. I would have 30-second breaks, where one person would hold my gauntlet, the other would hold my helmet, while a third person would put the air conditioning unit on the back of my suit,” added Ineson.
Even if Lex Luthor can’t compete with someone who literally consumes planets, Nicholas Hoult’s portrayal of the mad scientist was right on the money, and Superman’s box office collection is growing by the day. Marvel will be hoping to create a similar effect with The Fantastic Four First Steps. The film releases on July 25.
