Unused Fantastic Four Reboot Designs Show The Thing Like You've Never Seen Him

Fans of the Fantastic Four have seen the team brought to life a few times in live-action over the years. While there's no denying that the stretchy Reed "Mr. Fantastic" Richards, the disappearing Sue "Invisible Woman" Storm, and the fiery Johnny "Human Torch" Storm have come with their own adaptation challenges, Ben "The Thing" Grimm is in a league of his own. The massive rocky do-gooder from Yancy Street has been brought to the movies via a physical suit as well as CGI, with different filmmakers and production teams taking unique approaches to his look. Some of the more intriguing takes come from a "Fantastic Four" movie that never even saw the light of day.

Back in 2009, plans were reportedly in place for 20th Century Fox to reboot the "Fantastic Four" film series. Thus, a fresh take on the Thing was in the works. As seen above, concept artist Jerad S. Marantz created some fascinating looks for the character in this unmade feature. Some give Ben a more round and stout build, while others opt for a more lanky yet imposing silhouette. The rock formations across the body also vary from smooth to jagged, while the colors range from orange to brown to even dark gray. Thankfully, none of them offer much of a peek under the Thing's stone layer.

These designs are truly unlike any Marvel fans have seen before for the Thing, deviating significantly from most Marvel Comics artwork. Fortunately for those who prefer more comic-accurate looks, it seems Ben will lean more so in that direction for his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut.

After over a decade of waiting, the Fantastic Four is indeed on its way to the MCU. The rights to the team were previously owned by 20th Century Fox, which Disney acquired in 2019, so Marvel's First Family is officially fair game to enter the franchise. Marvel Studios' "Fantastic Four" has been in the pipeline for some time, though the cast has only recently come to light. Pedro Pascal has been cast as Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as a seemingly comic-accurate version of the Thing.

When the "Fantastic Four" lineup was announced in February, Marvel Studios did so in an inventive and fun way. Instead of simply stating the names on the cast list, it sent out a revealing concept art piece on social media featuring the aforementioned actors as their respective characters. Alongside Reed, Sue, and Johnny is the Thing, sitting in a chair with a blue-and-white outfit, reading a magazine. Assuming this artistic rendition is a hint at what MCU fans can expect to see on the big screen, they're in for arguably the closest adaptation of the hero yet. He boasts the signature thick rocky eyebrow, vibrant orange coloring, blue eyes, and smooth, bumpy texture of his Marvel Comics counterpart.

Even if Marvel Studios elects to make some tweaks to the Thing's design for "Fantastic Four," it stands to reason he'll still resemble his comic book equivalent more so than the 2009 "Fantastic Four" reboot version that never was.