The Thing Revealed in Leaked Fantastic Four Set Video

Movies

The Fantastic Four is coming together, and thanks to a video from the set of their upcoming MCU debut film, we’ve got our first look at the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing. In The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is currently shooting in London at the famous Pinewood Studios, the Thing, aka Ben Grimm, is played by Ebon-Moss Bachrach, and it was widely assumed he would be a CGI character, perhaps created through motion capture technology like the Hulk, Thanos, and other fantastical Marvel monsters. But this video shows crew members putting a rubber mask – and quite a detailed one – on someone who must be either Bachrach or a stuntman, should this day’s scheduled scene take place during Clobberin’ Time. You can see the video below, courtesy of X account Fantastic Four Updates:

| New look at The Thing on the set of ‘THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS’ pic.twitter.com/Zz2q8sQt4D

— Fantastic Four Updates (@F4Update) August 28, 2024

I have to say, I love this. The look is perfect, with the rock eyebrows that I don’t believe any other live-action version of the character used. And I’m glad they’re using an actual costume for at least part of the performance. I imagine there will be at least a little bit of digital tomfoolery in the finished film; there could be some motion capture going on around the rubber mask. But this detail will likely make it look a little more realistic, giving us something tangible beneath the computer graphics. It also must be a relief for Ebon Moss-Bachrach – not so much in terms of his comfort (it gets hot under those costumes), but because he’s got something practical to play with, a frame of reference CGI often doesn’t afford actors. I don’t know where this scene takes place, but it’s being filmed on an actual set, as opposed to a green screen or digital environment, which must also be a plus for them. And this is great; it means the movie will look as realistic as possible and hopefully be a break from the horrendous special effects of the last few Marvel films and TV shows.

It’s nice to get a shot of hopium for this movie. I really want to love The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and the news regarding the film has been good and bad, depending. I’m not overly familiar with Ebon-Moss Bachrach; I only remember him from The Punisher, where he played a much svelter version of Micro Chip, Frank Castle’s techie sidekick from the comics. He was apparently in a couple of other things I’ve seen – the HBO miniseries John Adams and possibly my favorite Wes Anderson movie, The Royal Tenenbaums – but I don’t remember him from either. Physically, he doesn’t resemble Ben Grimm, who’s usually depicted as a gruff, stocky guy, a contrast to his slimmer and more polished best friend, Reed Richards, and his hot-rodding young rival, Johnny Storm. (Michael Chiklis was actually a great choice from a physical standpoint in those two Tim Story FF films.) Of course, once he becomes the Thing, it doesn’t matter as much because he’s a walking mound of orange rock, so it’s more about getting the physicality of that right. But that video is more than enough to make me eager to give him a shot.

In fact, that video is so cool that it makes me wonder if Marvel had a hand in releasing it. The only real look at The Fantastic Four: First Steps so far has been the trailer, which was a Comic-Con exclusive. (Gary from Nerdrotic and Chris Gore mostly seemed to like it, though.) Outside of that, there have been posters (which were pretty cool) and that cast photo from D23, which was meh. Releasing this is some very good press for the movie, showing people something positive while maintaining most of the secrecy Marvel surely wants. If the Marvel marketing department is responsible for this, they deserve a raise. Now, Matt Shakman, the writers, and the cast need to knock it out of the park; I don’t know if they will, and I have my doubts, but I’m rooting for them.

Let us know what you think of this glimpse of the Thing in the comments!