Mole Man is confirmed to be a part of the MCU as a Fantastic Four comic book set in the world of the movies has been announced.
The cover pays homage to the original The Fantastic Four #1 comic book published in 1961, which features the first appearance of the FF and Mole Man and the monster from the subterranean world.
While not officially announced, it’s heavily speculated that actor Paul Walter Hauser is playing Mole Man in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
What are the details about the comic?
Via Deadline, Marvel Studios and Marvel Comics have teamed for The Fantastic Four: First Steps which is a one-shot that gets released on July 2, about three weeks before the release of the movie.
Matt Fraction is writing, who FF director Matt Shakman previously said advised him on the movie, as Fraction previously wrote a run of FF. Fraction also visited the set. The art is by Mark Buckingham, with cover art by Phil Noto, based on the MCU designs by production designer Kasra Farahani.
Like the movie, the comic book won’t feature an origin story for the Fantastic Four but will be set four years after they become heroes.
The comic is also said to be published by Future Foundation and “designed to be an artefact from the world of the upcoming movie,” which sounds like the comic is actually from the FF’s world.
Marvel Comics Editor in Chief C.B. Cebulski said, “As Marvel’s First Family, the Fantastic Four and their stories have always been at the very center of the Marvel Universe. With The Fantastic Four: First Steps coming later this summer, we at Marvel all felt this was the perfect opportunity to bring our teams together in honor of their legacy in both the world of the film and within our comics. It’s been a blast to have our teams in Publishing and Studios bounce ideas back and forth to create something truly special and one-of-a-kind, and we can’t wait for fans to be able to dive in to this comic—squarely in the world of the MCU—and experience the Fantastic Four like we’ve never seen before this summer.”
He added, “The heart of Marvel has always stemmed from the comics, and Kevin and the team have been bringing those pages to life in extraordinary ways with each and every film. With this comic, we’re bringing those two worlds together in a way we think fans will love.”
