From the moment Marvel finally announced its plans to reboot the Fantastic Four, fans have been speculating about the “look” of the film. Story-wise, director Matt Shakman has been teasing a very different kind of movie, with aesthetics that will (hopefully) call back to the work of Jack Kirby and John Byrne. His comments were tentatively confirmed by the concept footage Marvel unveiled at Comic-Con and D23, but with The Fantastic Four: First Steps only just beginning to film in earnest, we’re finally getting a proper look at Shakman’s vision.
Most details about the plot of First Steps have been kept under wraps, but recent set photo leaks might have just revealed the character design for Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm. The image, posted on Twitter by Cosmic Media, depicts the character after he becomes The Thing. Moss-Bachrach is decked out in a retro blue-and-white costume, and under that, prosthetics replicate The Thing’s rocky mutation.
Getting a glimpse of Moss-Bachrach in a practical suit is a surprise, especially after the actor’s comments regarding the costume. Back in February, the Bear star seemed wary of donning prosthetics for the role, as Michael Chiklis had in Fox’s own Fantastic Four movies. “Apparently, the suit was really uncomfortable,” he said on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “We’re past that ... It’s kind of like cosplay.”
Moss-Bachrach apparently assumed Shakman would use motion capture to depict the Thing. That could still be the case; there’s a chance the costume revealed in the set photos is a stand-in, and the final version of the character will be added later with visual effects. It may be a while before Marvel offers an official look at the Thing, but this leak still suggests First Steps is on the right track.
This may be the most comic-accurate version of the Thing we’ve ever seen on-screen. 2004’s Fantastic Four and its sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer, depicted the character without any of the blocky angles that define his comic book look. The same goes for the Thing seen in Josh Trank’s 2015 reboot, where the character was created with the help of visual effects and was something of a departure from Ben Grimm’s “classic” design.
Marvel’s take on Thing will apparently circle back to a more familiar silhouette. The suit borrows heavily from Jack Kirby’s iconic design, rendering him stockier and with a more pronounced brow. It may not feel like a major change in the grand scheme — and the design could still change — but it says a lot about Shakman’s approach to the source material. If The Thing’s fresh look is any indication, First Steps is shaping up to be a true return to form in both aesthetic and tone.
