Fantastic Four’s Practical Thing Costume Is Almost As Good As Galactus

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In the movie “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” there’s been a lot of acclaim for its portrayal of The Thing, and it turns out that this wasn’t solely achieved through CGI. Last Friday, British pro wrestler and actor Richard Summers-Calvert unveiled that he stood in for Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, during filming. He even shared some backstage photos of himself wearing a life-sized Thing suit, including several variations of the character’s costumes. This news follows the display of a practical costume for Galactus at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, along with costumes for all four principal heroes. This information is particularly fascinating for those who have already watched “First Steps” in theaters.

Summers-Calvert expressed his ongoing pride in playing The Thing in Fantastic 4, writing, ‘It was an insane experience and I learned a ton! Embodying The Thing and helping bring him to life still feels incredibly cool… It was pretty hot in there too…’ His post featured three photos: one of him casually holding his mask, another of him with the mask on posing with a child on set, and a final dramatic shot of him staring face-to-face with his masked character.

It’s been an absolute thrill to be part of the process that brought The Thing to life in Fantastic 4. I’ve learned a tremendous amount from this unique experience, and it still feels incredibly cool to have played a role in portraying such an iconic character. However, let me tell you, it was pretty toasty inside!

— Richard Summers-Calvert (@RichardSCalvert) July 25, 2025

One key focus for Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four fans is seeing Ben Grimm back on screen again, as they announced. Previously, Michael Chiklis portrayed this character in the 2005 and 2007 movies by 20th Century Studios, with no CGI used at all but rather practical effects exclusively. Some fans found this a bit excessive, while the heavy use of CGI in the 2015 Fantastic Four adaptation was also criticized for being too stylized and deviating significantly from the comic book version.

In contrast, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a good history of integrating CGI characters alongside live-action performers. Previously, Moss-Bachrach spoke with Mark Ruffalo to learn from his portrayal of The Hulk. During filming, Moss-Bachrach typically wore a motion-capture suit, sometimes enhanced with body extensions to resemble The Thing’s size and reach in the final product. Scenes shot with stand-ins were primarily for the benefit of other actors, helping them understand The Thing’s size in each scene better.

Absolutely, the film featured numerous other visual effects to manage alongside the Silver Surfer (played by Julia Garner) and Galactus (portrayed by Ralph Ineson). Moreover, this production was set in a distinct reality within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, offering a distinctive style. This blend of retro-futuristic design posed challenges, yet it effectively bound all the strange visuals together.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is playing now in theaters.

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2025-07-27 20:09