Fantastic Four: First Steps Blu-ray Reveals Deleted Mole Man Scene and Hidden Storylines

Marvel fans are about to get a richer glimpse into the Fantastic Four’s long-awaited MCU debut. With The Fantastic Four: First Steps heading to home release, Entertainment Weekly has confirmed that the Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD, and DVD editions will land on October 14, shortly after its digital premiere on September 23. Beyond the usual array of featurettes, gag reels, and commentary tracks, the biggest draw for many will be the five deleted scenes finally making their way into the public eye – one of which looks to spotlight Paul Walter Hauser’s Mole Man, a character many felt was criminally underused in the theatrical cut.

Marvel’s decision to trim the film significantly before release left noticeable gaps.

John Malkovich’s Red Ghost was cut entirely, with director Matt Shakman later admitting those scenes were incomplete and reliant on heavy CGI that would never realistically be finished for release. Yet it wasn’t just the villains who suffered: fans pointed out how Natasha Lyonne’s Rachel Rozman felt like a sketch rather than a fully realized figure, while Hauser’s Mole Man drifted in and out of the story with little explanation. Even the hinted friendship between Mole Man and Sue Storm, played by Vanessa Kirby, was left dangling. Kirby herself acknowledged in interviews that this dynamic had been set up in a scene excised from the final cut. It now seems almost certain that the sequence titled “Subterranea” will restore that lost context.

The Blu-ray’s extras promise more than just Mole Man material. A scene called “Thanksgiving Soup Kitchen” is expected to highlight Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm in a more grounded moment, possibly fleshing out his ties with Rozman. For a movie criticized in some circles for rushing through its introductions, these missing character beats could go a long way toward rebalancing the ensemble.

Shakman has defended the editing choices, noting that Marvel deliberately over-filmed: “We wrote and shot a ton more than we ended up using, or needing to use,” he explained. The challenge, he said, was determining how long to linger in the world before pushing the narrative forward. In practice, this meant that many lovingly shot moments, even some that would have deepened the team’s origins, ended up on the cutting-room floor. The Red Ghost subplot, for instance, was meant to show how the Fantastic Four gradually earned their reputation as superheroes. Yet the final product leaned on efficiency, prioritizing pacing over texture.

Even with Malkovich’s material locked away forever, the release of these five deleted scenes represents a rare chance for audiences to peek at what might have been. Fans curious about Mole Man’s role will finally see more of him than the fleeting cameo that disappointed so many, while those intrigued by Rozman’s arc may find closure in additional screen time. And with Galactus already stealing the spotlight in the main feature, these extended moments could help reshape audience perception of a film many felt was more ambitious than its theatrical runtime allowed it to be.

For collectors, the October physical editions mark not only the chance to rewatch Marvel’s first family at home but also to explore the hidden corners of a story that Marvel originally trimmed for speed. Whether these restored moments change the conversation around First Steps remains to be seen, but at the very least, they promise to enrich the MCU’s latest origin tale with the nuance it deserves.