Fantastic Four star Ebon Moss-Bachrach says it's a "deep honor" to have played two characters in the MCU

The Fantastic Four: First Steps star Ebon Moss-Bachrach may be playing Ben Grimm, AKA The Thing, in the new Marvel movie, but this isn't his first MCU rodeo – and he's proud to have played both characters on his resume, especially given their provenance.

Moss-Bachrach played David Lieberman, AKA Micro, in The Punisher season 1 back in 2017. Micro is a former NSA analyst who is framed for whistleblowing and forced into hiding. He ends up working with Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) in an attempt to exonerate himself, although the pair have a strained relationship.

"I think it's cool that Micro is named David Lieberman, who takes his last name from Stan Lee," Moss-Bachrach said in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly. "Then Ben Grimm is this [Jack] Kirby amalgamation. So, in my brief two portrayals of Marvel characters, I've hit the two big guys. It's a deep honor that I take to heart."

Stan Lee's given name was actually Stanley Lieber, while Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg) was his creative partner at Marvel Comics. The Fantastic Four was the first superhero team that the pair created together, with Lee as writer and Kirby as artist, and Marvel's First Family made their comics debut in 1961.

In the upcoming movie, which is the first time the Fantastic Four have appeared on screen as part of the MCU, Moss-Bachrach is joined by Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, AKA Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, AKA Invisible Woman, and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, AKA Human Torch.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters on July 25 to kick off Marvel Phase 6. In the meantime, get up to speed with our guide to all the other upcoming superhero movies still to come from both Marvel and DC.