Warning: Contains Spoilers forFantastic Four: First Steps #1!
AsThe Fantastic Fourhead to the MCU in their upcoming blockbuster film,The Thingis begrudgingly bringing along his iconic catchphrase, and a prequel comic is revealing just how the line came to be in the cinematic universe.The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ latest trailerteases Ben Grimm’s frustration with his catchphrase, but he apparently has himself to blame.
Fantastic Four: First Steps #1, written by Matt Fraction with art by Mark Buckingham, gives readers a glimpse atthe MCU team’s new originbefore their official cinematic debut later this month.
As The Fantastic Four assemble to fight Giganto,The Thing uses his famous catchphrase, “It’s Clobberin’ Time!”, for the very first time in this universe. However, it’s a line he’ll seemingly come to regret.
Marvel’s New Prequel Comic Shows Readers The MCU’s Very First“Clobberin’ Time”
Fantastic Four: First Steps #1; Written by Matt Fraction; Art by Mark Buckingham; Color Art by Alex Sinclair; Lettering by VC’s Joe Caramagna
Noting the time for clobbering has become one of themost iconic parts of The Thing’s character, and the upcoming MCU movie appears to be teasing that he will actuallysay it on screen for the first time.Luckily, comics readers don’t have to wait until the movie to see this version of Ben Grimm utter his most popular phrase.
In the final trailer forThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, Grimm is asked to say the line by civilians and teased by Johnny Storm.Grimm is not amused, though, and denies ever saying the iconic line, “That’s just in the cartoon”.However, since the film’s prequel comic is meant to be an approved account of events from the Future Foundation, The Thing definitely introduced clobberin’ time to the MCU.
The line has been a part of the character’s legacy sinceFantastic Four #22by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and would be disappointing for any comic fans if it were to be left out of the movie. In this version of events, since Ben uses it in his first battle, it’s actually closely tied to the character’s superhero origin.
The Thing’s Iconic Catchphrase Makes a Splash in the MCU
Ben Grimm Needs to Embrace What Time It Is
Trailers tease that the film will delve into other parts of The Thing’s comic history that have previously been unexplored on screen,like his ability to grow a beard. Still,quirks like his “Clobberin’ Time” catchphrase and mentioning his famous Aunt Petunia help make The Thing the lovable hero he is, and it’s good that the MCU isn’t ignoring that.
Some fans have taken issue with Ben’s hesitancy to say the line, arguing that it’s frustrating when comic book movies treat comics lore like it’s silly, but the comic prelude proves that he came up with it after all. AsThe Fantastic Fourmake a universe-shattering MCU debut,The Thingwill have to embrace that it truly is clobberin’ time.
