The first teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps finally dropped, and it’s kicked up a firestorm of opinions – and while I share concerns that the voice for The Thing sounds kind of wrong in the trailer, it could precede something great in the MCU. The Thing is one of the foremost fan-favorites among The Fantastic Four thanks to how relatable the character is. It looks like The Fantastic Four: First Steps will accurately adapt the iconic Fantastic Four origins. After rocketing into space together, Marvel’s First Family was hit by cosmic rays that granted each unique abilities.
For Ben Grimm, his ability is a curse. While his family can deploy their superpowers at will, The Thing is the only one of the four whose body is permanently composed of rock-like skin. While this grants him abilities tantamount to the Hulk, with super strength and durability being the most prominent, it also forces him to contend with his monstrous appearance, helping to make him not only one of the most sympathetic of the family but easily the most unique. While The Fantastic Four: First Steps has captured this appearance well, I feel like something else is missing.
The New MCU Thing Doesn’t Sound Like The Thing
Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Voice Doesn’t Sound Gravelly
The Thing is portrayed by Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who is most famous for his recent role as Richard ‘Richie’ Jerimovich in The Bear. His casting as Ben Grimm was met with widespread approval based on his past credentials alone, and I have no doubt that he’ll excel at portraying The Thing when The Fantastic Four: First Steps releases on July 25. Nevertheless, the one grumble I have about what we’ve seen in the trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, is that The Things isn’t gruff enough. His voice is almost indistinguishable from Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s talking voice, and that feels wrong.
In the trailer, The Thing is seen contributing to HERBIE’s cooking, which could be a callback to his role in The Bear.
I’m not suggesting that The Thing should sound like scraping rocks whenever he talks, but the gravelly tone typically accompanies the large, gruff character in most other adaptations. I’m also not suggesting that 2005’s Fantastic Four or 2015’s Fantastic Four are the foremost examples of what The Thing sounds like. Furthermore, it’s hard to say for certain what any Marvel Comics writer was envisaging when writing Ben Grimm. Nevertheless, I know I’m not alone in expecting a gravelly tone from Ben Grimm that helps to accentuate his rocky body and burly build.
The Thing’s Tragedy Can Set Up His “REAL” Fantastic Four Voice
The Thing’s Voice Can Evolve As He Moves Further From His Humanity
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the first appearance of the titular family in their entirety in the MCU. The trailer suggests that they are already established heroes in their universe with what appears to be a similar level of star power to Earth-616’s Tony Stark. The trailer also sees Reed Richards making reference to the “first time” the team shot into space, with flashbacks of Ben Grimm in his human form. Nevertheless, it’s unclear just how much time has passed since the incident, and we could be joining The Fantastic Four relatively early in their career.
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This gives time for Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm some time to grow into a more familiar guise. Ben Grimm’s struggle with his lack of superficial humanity is conveyed by the shot of him staring wistfully at older footage of himself. As Ben Grimm continues to appear down the line in the MCU, we can see him steadily stray further from that humanity in more than appearance, growing gruffer as he grows older. Ultimately, however, I’m just glad that Grimm will have room to grow in future installments, particularly as he can rectify a more grievous MCU oversight.
The Thing Can Be The MCU’s Real Hulk Replacement
The MCU Can Finally Tell The Hulk’s Most Interesting Story
I think there’s another way that the MCU can lean into Ben Grimm’s struggles with his own humanity in a way that would rectify an even bigger gripe I have with the MCU. Despite starring in one of the MCU’s earliest movies and founding the Avengers, Bruce Banner and the Hulk has been sidelined save for his roles in Avengers movies. I think this is a significant oversight by Marvel Studios as Banner offers a wealth of compelling narratives, particularly regarding the struggle with his largely feared and ostracized alter ego and his lack of humanity.
We can already see that Ben Grimm’s notorious struggle with his monstrous appearance will be catered to in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and I hope this means that Marvel will highlight this integral part of his story and help to make up for the lack thereof in Hulk’s MCU narrative.
Thankfully, The Thing is a similar character in many ways. We can already see that Ben Grimm’s notorious struggle with his monstrous appearance will be catered to in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and I hope this means that Marvel will highlight this integral part of his story and help to make up for the lack thereof in Hulk’s MCU narrative. After all, at least it won’t feel like treading the same ground as before, and might work to differentiate the two characters in the MCU where they otherwise share many similarities in Marvel Comics.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 23, 2025
- Director
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Matt Shakman
- Writers
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Jeff Kaplan, Josh Friedman, Ian Springer, Eric Pearson, Peter Cameron
- Producers
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Jamie Christopher, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Tim Lewis
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Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic
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Vanessa Kirby
Sue Storm / The Invisible Woman
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Johnny Storm / Human Torch
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Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Ben Grimm / The Thing
