The Thing’s Shocking New Look Revealed in Fantastic Four Trailer!

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In an unexpected turn of events, Marvel Studios unveiled the final trailer for “Fantastic Four: First Steps” on Wednesday. In this sneak peek, our beloved, blue-eyed character, The Thing (portrayed by Ebon Moss-Bachrach), sports a brand new beard. This might make you wonder: “Oh my goodness, Aunt Petunia! Could it be that The Thing can grow facial hair?” In actuality, the appearance of The Thing has gone through numerous changes since Ben Grimm transformed into the rock-skinned superhero in the very first issue of “The Fantastic Four” back in 1961, which was penned by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Take a look at the clean-shaven Thing and the bearded Thing from the new trailer:

For the first instance, the character known as The Thing was illustrated with a beard in Fantastic Four #5. During this comic storyline, Doctor Doom’s time travel device transported The Thing, Human Torch, and Mister Fantastic centuries back into history to search for the fabled pirate Blackbeard’s treasure. To blend in with their surroundings, each member of the team disguised themselves, where The Thing donned a false beard. This bearded version of The Thing then became the basis for the legend of Blackbeard in an intriguing temporal paradox.

In the comic book Wha… Huh? #1 from 2005, which mimicked Marvel’s What If, Thing sported a bushy beard in a scenario where Millar asked, “What if all Avengers had beards?” In an alternate reality depicted in the 2010 comic book Hulked-Out Heroes, Thing transformed into Thingbeard the Pirate and continued his existence in the year 1717. He was even immortalized with a beard, as part of a statue honoring America’s first president who fought against the British at sea to initiate the American Revolution.

In the comic book series Fantastic Four, published in issue #605 (2012), written by Jonathan Hickman and illustrated by Ron Garney, The Thing grew a beard. This significant run of the Fantastic Four by Hickman led to the creation of the Future Foundation, as seen in First Steps. In a future-themed issue, time-traveling Reed Richards and his father visited a New York City of 3012. Here, it’s revealed that Ben Grimm had been living for a thousand years due to a serum that allowed him to transform back into human form once a week, during which he aged normally. By the years 4012 and 5012, bearded Ben Grimm was still alive, and he carried on growing his beard until his death in 6012 A.D.

From a cinephile’s perspective, let me clarify the peculiarity of The Thing’s facial hair growth. His rough, orange-toned skin is more like a stony epidermis than typical human skin. The cosmic rays that bestowed the Fantastic Four with their powers fortified Ben’s dermal layers, bone structure, and internal organs, making them stronger and denser. However, his stony hide is susceptible to chipping, much like natural rock formations.

To illustrate, consider Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo’s Fantastic Four #70. In this issue, Doctor Doom’s Mindless Ones overpowered the Thing and started gnawing at his rocky hide. For a while, their attacks exposed part of Ben Grimm’s flesh beneath his stony exterior.

Marvel Studios’ movie titled “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is set to premiere in cinemas on July 25th. This film features Pedro Pascal portraying Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/the Thing, and Julia Garner as Silver Surfer, with Ralph Ineson in the role of Galactus.

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2025-06-25 21:13