Though few details have been announced, the upcoming Fantastic Four movie is one of the MCU’s most anticipated projects on the horizon. The movie is set to bring “Marvel’s first family” into the cinematic universe, and one character that fans are particularly excited to see is Ben Grimm aka The Thing.
This massive rock monster is the muscle of the group as well as being a surprisingly sweet guy and a funny hero. The big question about how Grimm will be brought into the MCU is which actor will take on the role. Unsurprisingly, fans on Reddit have plenty of suggestions from the obvious choices to the inspired ideas.
Michael Chiklis
Despite being some of Marvel’s most iconic characters, the Fantastic Four have never had much luck in the movies. The first attempt to bring them into the live-action world was Fox’s more family-friendly movies. And while the reception was not very positive, some of the casting choices worked.
Redditor geaster found that Michael Chiklis “was a very good choice in the two Fox movies” and would like to see him return to the role. With multiverse now very much a part of the MCU, it is not outside the realm of possibility.
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Johnson is one of the biggest movie stars in the world and he has unsurprisingly been linked to a lot of superhero projects over the years. While he will soon be seen joining the DCEU as Black Adam, he has spoken about conversations with Marvel in the past.
Redditor matty_nice expressed interest in seeing Johnson join the MCU and pointed to The Thing as “the best character for him to play.” It is not hard to see it working as Johnson has often played the gentle giant who can still beat up plenty of bad guys.
Alden Ehrenreich
While some fan-casting choices inevitably go for the biggest and most muscular actors out there, given the CGI needed to bring The Thing to life, those aren’t necessarily the qualifications for the role. This has opened it up to more unexpected choices to play Ben Grimm, including Alden Ehrenreich.
Ehrenreich has handled the iconic hero role before in Solo: A Star Wars Story and can play the funny, simple hero like in Hail, Caesar. Redditor TheCreativeComicFan found Ehrenreich to be a good fit as “he’s got the look and the acting chops” needed for the role.
Jack Black
Though Jack Black might not be the most obvious choice to play Ben Grimm initially, Redditor adesile admitted the idea “might be genius.” Black is an actor who can lead big movies with his charisma or steal scenes as part of ensembles. That feels like something that would fit perfectly with the Fantastic Four’s most popular member.
Black can sell a larger-than-life character even with just a voice-over performance. He also brings so much physicality to his roles which would be great if it ended up being a motion-capture performance.
Jonah Hill
The MCU loves casting comedic actors as their superheroes, even the ones who might not seem to fit the part, like Chris Pratt and Paul Rudd. In that regard, Jonah Hill is an actor who could work quite well.
Redditor Esist1996 found the choice “a no-brainer” as they found Hill perfect for the role. Along with bringing his signature chops to the role, a lot of fans would like to see Ben Grimm’s Jewish heritage brought to the MCU and Hill could be a great actor to explore that aspect of the character.
Holt McCallany
While there are a number of A-list actors cast in MCU roles, the studio is also not afraid to cast a lesser-known talent who is right for the part. Holt McCallany is a character actor who is likely best-known for his role in the Netflix crime series Mindhunter.
McCallany has the size, the intimidation factor, but also the softness that is so key to The Thing as a character. While he might not be an actor at the top of every casting list, Redditor urlach3r called McCallany a “brilliant pick” for the role.
Jason Segel
There are a surprising amount of layers to a character like Ben Grimm and Jason Segel is an actor some fans think can pull it off. Along with being the funniest member of the Fantastic Four, Grimm is also the most tragic as his powers cause him to be viewed as a monster.
Redditor logicallunacy praised Segel for his ability to “do funny and profoundly sad extremely well,” pointing at roles in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and How I Met Your Mother as prime examples.
David Harbour
The way Ben Grimm is treated by the world causes him to form a tough exterior (aside from his rocky skin, of course). He can be a cranky and short-tempered hero though his warmness does shine through. This is something David Harbour perfected with his role as Hopper in Stranger Things.
It is very easy to imagine Harbour pulling off the complexities and the fun of the character. One major conflict in the casting is that Harbour already played Red Guardian in the MCU. But Redditor MilkoWays suggested “if Gemma Chan can play two characters” then Harbour can too.
Liev Schreiber
Liev Schreiber is no stranger to the superhero movie world as he has played Sabretooth in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Kingpin in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse. Both of those roles, from the powerful force of nature to the thick New York accent, suggest he could be a really good Ben Grimm.
Beyond his superhero roles, Redditor SUPERFRAME found Schreiber to be “someone who can play rough and gruff but also soft and caring” such as in Goon and Spotlight.
Jesse Plemons
Recent Oscar nominee Jesse Plemons has shown an incredible range of talent over the years, from the unsettling villain on Breaking Bad to the hilarious scene-stealer in Game Night. With such versatility, it’s not surprising some fans think he could pull off The Thing.
Having an actor of Plemons’s talents would really help to make The Thing more than just a CGI spectacle. Redditor TheWaylandCycle suggested that Plemons “could easily give Ben Grimm the emotional range the character needs.”
