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Marvel's big Fantastic Four reveal neglected to announce the actor behind one extra character – who you might have missed at first glance.
In the left corner of Marvel's Fantastic Four Valentine's Day card announcement (which is a wild sentence in and of itself), is a robot drinking out of a mug. But that's not just any old robot, that's Fantastic Four character H.E.R.B.I.E.
H.E.R.B.I.E first appeared in the animated series The New Fantastic Four, which aired in 1978. NBC was unable to secure The Human Torch due to a legal dispute with Universal Studios, which was trying to get a solo spin-off movie off the ground. According to lore, it was Stan Lee who pitched the idea for a robot sidekick as a replacement. Fred Welker, who has voiced Fred in the Scooby Doo franchise since 1969, provided the voice for H.E.R.B.I.E. The robot would then go on to appear in the Fantastic Four comics.
The Fantastic Four, which marks the team's first entry into the MCU, will also mark H.E.R.B.I.E's second-ever live-action appearance (and his first time speaking on-screen). A deactivated H.E.R.B.I.E can be seen the extended cut of 2005's Fantastic Four. Tara Strong, who voices Miss Minutes in Loki, has voiced the bot on two occasions: animated series The Super Hero Squad Show and the video game Lego Marvel Super Heroes. We're crossing our fingers for her involvement in Fantastic Four.
The Fantastic Four is set for a July 25, 2025 release date, pushed from its prior May 2, 2025 and February 14, 2025 release dates. For more, check out our guide to all of the upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way, as well as how to watch the Marvel movies in order.
