The Fantastic Four Trailer Reveals One Very Strange Aspect Of The Thing (And It's From The Comics)

Just when you thought nothing could steal the spotlight from Julia Garner's ridiculously sleek Silver Surfer or Ralph Ineson as the planet-devouring giant Galactus in "The Fantastic Four: First Steps," it seems the film's version of Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) has gone and grown himself a beard. You can see as much in the newly-unveiled final trailer for "First Steps," which gives the toughest, roughest member of Marvel's First Family more attention than we've seen in past previews (including the one that finally revealed Pedro Pascal in action as Reed Richards).

Judging by this new promo, it seems the Thing — who's known for, among other things, his piercing blue eyes and catchphrase "It's clobberin' time!" — will be both the heart of "First Steps" and the butt of many of its jokes, just as he was in the previous live-action "Fantastic Four" movies. And while "First Steps" aim to change things up from those films by skipping over the Four's origin story, it appears that Ben is still just a misunderstood man who's been turned into a "monster" and is merely trying to get by.

Be that as it may, that beard of his is a pretty jarring sight, even in the context of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Like, how does one even deal with rocky facial hair? Is it more than just a simple comb and clippers situation, maybe requiring a hammer and chisel instead? Where does his beard actually begin and end? ( It's too bad Wolverine apparently isn't around to give him a helping hand.) More importantly, since the trailer footage shows Ben looking clean-shaven at another point in time, does this mean he'll be taking a long break from superhero-ing to grow out his beard in the film?

Perhaps we should look to the comics to shed some light on the situation.

It's hard not to draw attention to yourself when you're a walking pile of rocks, so adding a beard will probably only make things worse. Honestly, though, we're not so concerned about Ben's choice of facial hair, but rather how long it takes to grow his stalactite-like formation. As it turns out, the answer could lie in the comics, specifically with a somber scene set hundreds of years in the future.

In "Fantastic Four" #605, Reed Richards and his time-traveling father, Nathaniel Richards, head into the future to learn the lifespan of Reed's best friend Ben, who they discover lives for centuries, far outlasting the rest of his superhero family. Eventually, the two Richards journey to the year 5012, where they meet up with a heavily bearded Thing who's mourning the loss of his friends and is waiting for the return of Reed and Sue Storm's son Franklin (who has been off-world for a very long and only comes back 1000 years later when Ben finally passes).

While we know that outer space plays a huge role in "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" (what with the coming of Galactus and all), could Ben's beard hint at a time-travel subplot getting shoehorned into the film as well? If so, it would make sense that the one member of the Four who (literally) ages like stone will find himself returning to the present with a new look. This could also have major implications for that "Thunderbolts*" post-credits scene and how "First Steps" will further pave the way for "Avengers: Doomsday." Hopefully, we'll be getting some good answers when "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" hits theaters on July 25, 2025.