Who or What Exactly is the Mole Man in Marvel's "The Fantastic Four: First Steps"

Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps has now officially brought Marvel’s first family, Galactus and the Silver Surfer to the MCU. But those aren’t the only Marvel Comics characters making their debut. Paul Walter Hauser’s Harvey Elder may not play a huge role in the film, but he is portraying a rather important character when it comes to the history of the Fantastic Four.

The Fantastic Four have amassed an impressive rogues gallery over the years, including Doctor Doom, the Super-Skrull, Annihilus and many others. And while Mole Man is probably not the first name that comes to mind, he has his place in Fantastic Four history.

After being ridiculed for his looks and poor eyesight his whole life, Elder found himself the ruler of an underground realm known as Subterranea. There, he would take command of technology left behind by the Deviants, whom you may remember from Marvel’s Eternals. With this technology and a variety of subterranean monsters, he would become a moderately formidable foe for the heroes of the Marvel Universe, specifically the Fantastic Four.

In fact, Mole Man’s history is exactly as long as the Fantastic Four’s, because his first appearance came in “Fantastic Four #1," all the way back in 1961. In that comic, Mole Man, along with Giganto and some of his other monsters, reveals his plan to invade the surface world before being stopped by the Fantastic Four.

After that, the Mole Man popped up from time to time over the years. His evil schemes ranged from destroying all life on the surface of the planet to stealing some art. He has also battled the Avengers, She-Hulk and even other factions within Subterranea. He has even played a role in major story arcs, like when he welcomed in the Infinity Watch prior to the events that led to the Infinity War.

So while the character may be featured in the film for a few brief moments of comic relief and to provide some context to the heroics of the Fantastic Four, just know that the Mole Man has played a fairly large role in Marvel Comics over the past 60+ years.

Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in theaters now.