Ralph Ineson Responds To Rob Liefeld’s MCU Criticism

November 26, 2025

8

The Fantastic Four: First Steps star Ralph Ineson has a blunt response to Rob Liefeld’s criticism of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Liefeld co-created the character of Deadpool in Marvel Comics, but has been outspoken about issues he has with the MCU due to circumstances surrounding Deadpool & Wolverine.

On X, Liefeld reposted a GIF of Galactus walking in The Fantastic: Four Steps and said, “Looks so fake. The Marvel FX fell off a cliff.” Ineson, who plays Galactus in the film, responded, “Rent free” alongside the face with tears of joy emoji. Check out the post below:

Liefeld is far from the first person to criticize the VFX in the MCU movies, especially in more recent years, but his response comes with a different context given his history with the franchise.

His issues with the MCU go back to when he reached out for a special credit on Deadpool & Wolverine. The request was not fulfilled, with Liefeld’s name appearing when comic creators’ names usually do during the end credits in MCU films.

After the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere, Liefeld’s issues with the MCU escalated further. He found out at the premiere that he and his family were not invited to the afterparty and has spoken about not being acknowledged by Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige despite being in proximity to him on the red carpet.

Liefeld later revealed that he had cut ties with Marvel and shared on his podcast that he believes what happened at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere “was meant to embarrass, diminish, defeat me” and that “Kevin Feige does not treat comic book creators well.”

Months later, Liefeld took aim at The Fantastic Four: First Steps after it debuted in theaters. He posted an image of a nearly empty IMAX theater and claimed that the movie was getting “very little repeat biz” because “it’s impossibly dull & boring.”

Despite Liefeld’s criticisms, The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ reviews were largely positive, culminating in an 86% critical score and 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Although some reactions to the MCU’s Galactus were mixed, the consensus was that it was a vast improvement over the use of Galactus in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Galactus being sent through a portal in The Fantastic Four: First Steps

The film wasn’t one of the MCU’s biggest box office hits, but it still went on to gross approximately $520 million worldwide despite a steep drop during its second weekend in theaters.

Galactus was defeated and stranded elsewhere in the universe during The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ ending, making his potential MCU future unclear. However, the four titular characters are confirmed to be returning in Avengers: Doomsday, where the main antagonist will be Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr).