Freshly revealed images from the upcoming MCU’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps revealed a not-so-jolly looking Thing.
It’s looking very possible that the summer of 2025 will finally grace fans with a great Fantastic Four film. Previous attempts to make Marvel’s iconic First Family into movie stars have failed to move the needle with fans.
But next time out, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and director Matt Shakman look to be cooking up something special for audiences.
New Look At Ebon Moss-Bachrach's The Thing
“What a revoltin’ development!” Or, perhaps not so, as a new look at the MCU’s Fantastic Four team surfaced online (courtesy of Instagram user @elreportedehoy). And what FF roster would be complete without the Ever-Lovin’ Blue Eyed Thing?
Ben Grimm (played by The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is revealed in all his tempestuous glory as he stands glowering alongside Reed Richards, Sue Storm, and Johnny Storm as they’ll appear in 2025’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
What Will The Thing Be Like in Fantastic Four: First Steps?
It was initially announced in February that Ebon Moss-Bachrach will portray the MCU’s Ben Grimm aka, The Thing.
Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige also confirmed to CinemaBlend that Ben in his orange, rocky form will be brought to life through “visual effects:”
“Matt Shakman is very, very good at utilizing visual effects. The most important thing for us… the rocky exterior of The Thing has got to look cool.”
Also of interest is the fact that in the new artwork, Ben is wearing a full uniform as opposed to the shorts he’s been typically presented within the comic books. The same Thing-sized suit was previously captured in photos from the set of The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Notably, the set photos clearly showed a performer in a Thing costume, leading many to believe that the character would be a practical creation. However, it was more likely that this was just a stand-in to demonstrate how lights and shadows should interact on the CGI render.
Moss-Bachrach additionally stated to Variety that Ben will be realized through motion capture technology:
“I’m doing a lot of motion capture on [‘Fantastic Four’]. So for maximum-data facial capture, I have to be clean-shaven.”
And speaking of remarks from Ebon Moss-Bachrach, the actor joked on The Daily Show (via CBR) that he had been “looking at rocks” to prepare for the role.
Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25, 2025.
