Comic book readers are anxiously waiting to see the Fantastic Four make their long-awaited debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thankfully, with a Fantastic Four movie in development right now as well, it seems safe to assume that it won’t be long before fans start to learn more about Marvel’s plans for its first family. As of now, however, there’s still quite a bit of mystery surrounding the Fantastic Four’s future in the MCU. Recent leaks have hinted at casting for Human Torch and Mr. Fantastic, but now Ben Grimm, a.k.a. The Thing, may have entered the fray.
John Krasinski’s cameo as Mister Fantastic in this year’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may have paved the way for more Fantastic Four in the MCU multiverse, but it didn’t clarify anything about the character’s future in the MCU. A recent Marvel leak, however, hints that The Thing may make his MCU debut in the upcoming Disney+ series She-Hulk.
The Leak — During a recent episode of The DisInsider Show, co-hosts Derek Cornell claimed that they have heard that She-Hulk: Attorney at Law will feature a surprise appearance from one member of the Fantastic Four. In specific, Cornell says that Jason Segel will appear in She-Hulk as none other than Ben Grimm.
Now, before we dive too deeply into this claim, make sure to take this leak with a massive grain of salt for the time being. While some of The DisInsider Show’s previous MCU scoops have proven to be correct, there is currently no reason to believe that any member of the Fantastic Four has even been cast yet by Marvel.
Consequently, the chances of Jason Segel actually showing up as Ben Grimm in She-Hulk seem undeniably slim right now. However, that doesn’t mean this alleged She-Hulk leak doesn’t raise some interesting questions about the Fantastic Four’s future.
Introducing The Thing — As of this writing, no member of the Fantastic Four has appeared in the MCU’s prime reality up to this point. Indeed, while John Krasinski’s Mister Fantastic cameo was received well by fans earlier this year, it also took place in the MCU’s Earth-838 reality. As a result, fans still aren’t sure if Krasinski is ever going to appear on-screen again as Reed Richards.
Therefore, if this leak is accurate — and that’s a big if — then that means Ben Grimm is about to become the first member of the Fantastic Four to actually show up on Earth-616 in the MCU. She-Hulk is, after all, not only set to be Marvel’s next MCU release but is also expected to take place in the same reality as nearly all of the franchise’s previous films and TV shows. Taking that into account, it seems safe to assume that anyone who appears in She-Hulk will exist within the MCU’s Earth-616 timeline.
To his credit, Jason Segel does also seem like a pretty strong choice to play The Thing in the MCU, too. Not only does Segel have the kind of towering presence that is necessary to play The Thing, but he’s also capable of giving both dramatic and comedic performances. His sitcom experience would even, theoretically, make him a logical choice to appear in She-Hulk, which is set to be Marvel’s most comedic Disney+ outing to date.
The Inverse Analysis — If we’re being totally honest, while Jason Segel does feel like an inspired choice to play The Thing, it seems highly unlikely that he’ll appear as the character in She-Hulk. Not only have there been no signs to suggest that Marvel has cast Ben Grimm yet, but it’s also hard to believe that the studio would choose to have The Thing’s first MCU appearance take place in one of its wackier and more obscure Disney+ originals.
Marvel has done an exceptionally good job of keeping its plans for the Fantastic Four hidden under tight wraps though, which means that anything can still be considered possible right now. For what it’s worth, giving Ben Grimm a cameo in She-Hulk would also help to make the upcoming Disney+ series feel significantly more important than it currently does.
Unfortunately, for the time being, Marvel fans will just have to wait to find out whether or not Jason Segel really does have a cameo in She-Hulk as The Thing.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is scheduled to premiere Wednesday, August 17 on Disney+.
