The Fantastic Four Wants A Comedian To Voice H.E.R.B.I.E., And The Internet Had Hilarious Opinions

Marvel Studios took the superhero world by surprise on Valentine’s Day when they confirmed the casting for its hotly anticipated The Fantastic Four, directed by Matt Shakman. We now know that Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn will make up the latest iteration of Marvel’s first family, with clues suggesting that the movie will be set in the 1960s. On top of the poster that was dropped as the tease, there was the inclusion of a side character who’ll be very popular with longtime readers of the Fantastic Four comics: H.E.R.B.I.E., the robot sidekick. More on him in a second, but the rumors immediately started to swirl that Marvel Studios wanted a comedian to voice H.E.R.B.I.E. And the Internet did what the Internet does.

Voice casting is, without question, crucial to the success of any character. Think how different pop culture would be if Chris Farley actually voiced Shrek, as was originally planned. Or if anyone but Tom Hanks lent their voice to Woody in the Toy Story franchise. It changes everything. We don’t yet know the tone that Matt Shakman is going for with The Fantastic Four, but my hope is that it’s a little weird. The FF isn’t meant to be somber and serious. Their cosmic adventures are bizarre and trippy. Including H.E.R.B.I.E. is a great first start. But I don’t think Ricky Gervais is right for the role, no matter what he says!

He’s joking, but this is the kind of outside the box thinking that Marvel needs to help The Fantastic Four soar. We’ve already seen a family friendly take on the mythology, as directed by Tim Story. And then there was the body horror experiment that Josh Trank attempted. It’s time for something totally different. Like, perhaps, as this person suggested, Bill Burr or Bil Hader?

Hader, in particular, can do a thousand voices. And he has comedic timing to spare. I also don’t hate the people who suggested either Andy Samberg or Fred Armisen. But then one person took things way too far.

Chris Pratt as H.E.R.B.I.E. gives me cold shivers. I know it’s a running joke that Pratt gets vocal cast as everything, causing backlash from time to time. But he’s Star-Lord, so let’s stop this Pratt nonsense right now. Or else, go with my comical suggestion. I actually want to see this!

The Fantastic Four is one of the most important upcoming Marvel movies on the studio’s slate. Given the absence of a true Avengers team, and with the X-Men still waiting in the wings, they are the closest thing to a central heroic squad that the MCU has, and they’ll need to hold down the fort while Kevin Feige figures out his future plans for the likes of Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), Blade (Mahershala Ali), and all of the characters available to Marvel fans with a Disney+ subscription. More on The Fantastic Four as it develops!