Ebon Moss-Bachrach makes his MCU big-screen debut in this summer’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but Ben Grimm/The Thing is actually the second character he’s played in the franchise. The actor previously appeared as Micro on Netflix’s series The Punisher, and Moss-Bachrach is aware of a very cool connection between his two Marvel roles. While speaking with Entertainment Weekly for the outlet’s cover story on First Steps, the actor explained how both of his MCU characters have ties to Marvel Comics legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who co-created the Fantastic Four back in the 1960s.
“Jack Kirby wrote [Ben Grimm] as a bit of an homage to his father, and to the streets that he grew up on,” Moss-Bachrach said. “I’m a New Yorker, and I’ve spent a lot of time on Essex Street, on Delancey, on Clinton. So it does feel like home to me, and the production did a beautiful job recreating that. It was so cool to walk down and see the hat seller and the fish seller. I was shocked that we were outside of London because it fully felt like the Lower East Side.”
He added, “I think it’s cool that Micro is named David Lieberman, who takes his last name from Stan Lee. Then Ben Grimm is this Kirby amalgamation. So, in my brief two portrayals of Marvel characters, I’ve hit the two big guys. It’s a deep honor that I take to heart.”
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Moss-Bachrach portrayed Micro on 12 episodes of The Punisher; all of his appearances were in the show’s first season. He is set to play a significant role for the rest of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, as his Ben Grimm is slated to appear in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars following his debut in First Steps.
The Fantastic Four: First Step‘s 1960s retro-futuristic setting honors the characters’ comic book roots, as Marvel’s First Family debuted in November 1961. While working on the film, director Matt Shakman said he was inspired (in part) by the work Lee and Kirby did together on the title. Marvel Studios also honored the late Lee with First Steps wrap gifts that featured Lee’s signature “Excelsior” catchphrase.
Lee and Kirby’s work obviously laid the foundation for the MCU, a franchise that’s showing no signs of slowing down after nearly 20 years. Though the two icons have passed away, the creative teams behind various Marvel productions are still finding ways to recognize them and their invaluable contributions to pop culture. Kirby’s distinct style has been influencing Marvel directors for years (see: Taika Waititi on Thor: Ragnarok), and filmmakers continue to include nods to Lee in their movies (the “Stanlee Steamer” bus banner in Deadpool & Wolverine). Everyone involved with these projects understands they wouldn’t be making them if it weren’t for what Lee and Kirby accomplished, so they know it’s important to honor the legends whenever they can.
It’s clear Moss-Bachrach isn’t taking the connection between his characters lightly, and it sounds like it informed his performance as Ben Grimm in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Ideally, that will help his iteration strike a chord with audiences, which is very important considering the Fantastic Four’s significance through the rest of the Multiverse Saga. If Moss-Bachrach is able to channel the spirit of Kirby in his portrayal, he could emerge as a fan favorite character viewers can’t wait to see more of.
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