Vanessa Kirby is ready to let Malice out of the shadows. The Fantastic Four: First Steps star recently opened up on the Happy Sad Confused podcast about what she hopes to explore next with Sue Storm in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
At the top of her wishlist is Malice, Sue’s darker alter ego from the comics, and Kirby didn’t hold back her excitement when talking about it. She said:
“Definitely Malice. I just love that that’s a part of her. It makes me so happy because I try to understand … [the Fantastic Four] all come back from this accident and they all decided to do different things with their powers as a family. And Reed goes heavily into math and scientific and technological advancement.
“I think he feels guilty for what happened and he’s trying to improve the world in that way. And Sue creates this future foundation … literally, she goes around to every country leader … and she gets them to disarm and to get rid of all their armies … I thought she must have such a high level of emotional intelligence to be able to do that. And, she’s made a choice.
“There was one line at one point, she says to Mole Man, ‘If you’re not careful, I can give you an aneurysm in a second.’ That was a real touchstone because it’s true. She can put a force field — and there’s a lot of imagery in the comics of her doing it to Doom and her doing it to all these enemies — where she threatens to do it but chooses not to.
“And it’s someone who chooses not to, but still could. And so I’ve always loved Malice because it’s a sort of part of her that needs to come out.”
Kirby noted that while First Steps introduces a strong and emotionally grounded version of Sue, she deliberately included subtle shades of Malice in her performance. She didn’t want Sue to fall into the “goody, sweet mother” mold.
Instead, she emphasized the internal strength and simmering edge that make Sue one of Marvel’s most complex heroes.
Malice first appeared in 1985’s Fantastic Four #280, when Sue became corrupted by Psycho Man’s manipulations. While there’s no word yet on whether Psycho Man will show up in the MCU, Kirby’s comments suggest Marvel is planting seeds that could lead there.
In First Steps, Sue and Reed are forced to make an unthinkable choice when Galactus demands they sacrifice their infant son, Franklin. That emotional toll, coupled with a looming multiversal war with Doctor Doom, could be the spark that causes Malice to rise.
With Kirby, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach set to reprise their roles in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, and a Fantastic Four sequel already in early development, Marvel clearly has long-term plans for the team. That kind of story runway gives them time to let Sue’s transformation build gradually, allowing Malice to emerge, if that’s the direction Marvel wants to go with her.
If Marvel continues to explore themes of identity and trauma as they’ve done in projects like Moon Knight and Thunderbolts*, Malice could offer a compelling opportunity to dive deep into Sue’s psyche. And for Kirby, that’s part of the appeal.
“She’s made a choice,” Kirby emphasized. “She can go there. But she doesn’t. Until maybe… she does.”
Whether Malice makes her way to the screen soon or waits in the wings, it’s clear Kirby is ready.
