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Marvel put The Thing in a trench coat for the first trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps and we're here for it

The outfit doesn't make sense as a disguise yet it has been an iconic part of The Thing's character for decades.

There are a lot of things you might associate with the Fantastic Four’s Ben Grimm. Rocky orange skin. His “clobberin’ time” catchphrase. Poker. But there is something else that is as important to The Thing as The Yancy Street Gang and that is his reliable disguise. In the first trailer for Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, we see the classic trench coat and fedora combo in action once again.

It is, as disguises go, utterly ridiculous, but the trench coat and hat have been a part of The Thing’s “going out on the town” ensemble for decades. It is something that works only in the realms of comic book logic. The Thing is a giant chunk of orange rock that walks and talks – how is putting a hat and trench coat on him going to make it more difficult to recognize him? And yet, it works every time.

The fact that the outfit is included in the first trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the kind of throwback we can get behind. The world presented in the trailer embraces the retro-future aesthetic so completely that seeing such a low-tech disguise is actually quite endearing. All he needs is a pair of cheap sunglasses and we’re right in the middle of a classic Jack Kirby comic.

How much screentime The Thing’s trench coat is going to get isn’t quite clear yet – we’ll have to wait until The Fantastic Four: First Steps appears in cinemas on July 25, 2025 to find out.


Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:

Trent Cannon

Trent Cannon: Trent is a freelance writer who has been covering anime, video games, and pop culture for a decade. (He/Him)

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