THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Director Confirms Movie Will Feature Multiple H.E.R.B.I.E.s; New Art Revealed

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Director Confirms Movie Will Feature Multiple H.E.R.B.I.E.s; New Art Revealed

The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman has confirmed that the movie will feature more than one H.E.R.B.I.E., and along with comments from the filmmaker, we have a new still and artwork...

By JoshWilding - May 07, 2025 04:05 PM EST
Filed Under: Fantastic Four

With a futuristic 1960s-style setting, The Fantastic Four: First Steps looks set to embrace the comics in a big way. In the movie, Marvel's First Family will encounter the Silver Surfer and Galactus, and be joined by their loyal robot helper, H.E.R.B.I.E. 

The loveable "Humanoid Experimental Robot, B-Type, Integrated Electronics" has become a mainstay in comics and animation, occasionally serving as a key ally in battle or, more often, Franklin Richards' babysitter. 

Talking to Empire Magazine, filmmaker Matt Shakman said, "He's a Reed Richards creation. He's the highest-evolution robot of our era. He is really Reed's right hand in the lab, capable of assisting him on any sort of experiment, always by his side, whether in New York City or out in space."

He'd later reveal that there will be other H.E.R.B.I.E.s in the movie, "doing errands, walking dogs, working as butlers." In the newly released still below, for example, he's working on a new pasta sauce.

Shakman added, "This is a movie about family and children and parental anxiety and all the things that come along with being first-time parents: hopes and dreams. H.E.R.B.I.E. is definitely a key part of that emotional journey."

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Artist Paul Mann has also shared a closer look at his character portraits for the latest The Fantastic Four: First Steps posters, depicting each member of the team on bubblegum trading cards. 

H.E.R.B.I.E. is among them, of course, suggesting the robot is every bit as beloved among the public as the team itself. Whether he accompanies the team in Avengers: Doomsday and beyond remains to be seen, though we'd bet on him evolving if the heroes remain on Earth-616. 

You can take a closer look at Mann's The Fantastic Four: First Steps artwork in the Instagram gallery below. 

Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet.

Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.

Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, and Natasha Lyonne have been cast in mystery roles. Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom is rumoured to appear, though that's surely a given with Avengers: Doomsday on the way.

Director Matt Shakman worked with both Avatar: The Way of Water co-writer Josh Friedman and WandaVision's Cam Squires on The Fantastic Four: First Steps' screenplay, with Eric Pearson (Black Widow) later coming on board for a final polish.

The movie is set to be released in theaters on July 25, 2025.

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BlackStar25
BlackStar25 - 5/7/2025, 4:51 PM
Is there a reason their suits are not the same in design? Literally all of them are different(With the Thing and Johnny's being closest to the same.)
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 5/7/2025, 5:08 PM
@BlackStar25 - no reason has been given as of yet…

I’m assuming it’s to give them some individuality aswell.

User Comment Image
BlackStar25
BlackStar25 - 5/7/2025, 5:31 PM
@TheVisionary25 - Reed's really throws me off.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 5/7/2025, 5:38 PM
@BlackStar25 - it’s the lack of white around the collar area

I like it but that’s why it throws some off
StSteven
StSteven - 5/7/2025, 10:13 PM
@TheVisionary25 @BlackStar25 - Well to be fair, my wife keeps trying to get me to agree to get matching clothes because she's seen other couples online do it and thinks it's cute and I've been adamant about not doing it because I think that it looks like a Norman Rockwell painting and the last I checked we weren't in the 1950s anymore. So good for Reed for putting the hammer down and saying "Bitch! You're gonna wear the white collar 'n like it! Otherwise you're gonna git the belt!!" (that's probably how that all went down). 😉

Seriously, there's probably actually an in-story for the difference in their uniforms because if you notice in that gif Reed has 2 different gloves on.
mountainman
mountainman - 5/7/2025, 11:04 PM
@BlackStar25 - I’m guessing Reed’s is all one color to make the stretching CGI easier.
harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 5/7/2025, 4:53 PM
step aside baby yoda
AllsNotGood
AllsNotGood - 5/7/2025, 5:42 PM
@harryba11zack - HIS NAME IS GROGU!!!
harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 5/7/2025, 6:13 PM
@AllsNotGood - NO!....I don't know how to spell that......baby yoda it is.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 5/7/2025, 6:47 PM
@harryba11zack - It's spelt G-R-O-G-U!!!!!!





...but it's pronounced "Baby Yoda"
dragon316
dragon316 - 5/7/2025, 8:14 PM
@harryba11zack - hard competition still believe grogu will win popularity contest between herbie
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 5/7/2025, 5:39 PM
Cool!!.

I really like Shakman discussing that while the film is about family , it’s also about children & the anxiety of being first time parents…

I’m not at that stage yet but I’m also not that far off from it either so I can imagine the fears someone like Reed would have about the kind of dad he would be etc.

It’s a new story with these characters that we haven’t seen on screen yet which I appreciate.
dragon316
dragon316 - 5/7/2025, 8:16 PM
I see name herbie in fantastic four I always think of this herbie ?si=NyXVPm-4CQAo1uub
SummersEssex
SummersEssex - 5/7/2025, 11:39 PM
I think it would be pretty great if they released no more footage for this movie. Leave us asking all the questions we have right now and then blow our f****** minds in July.

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