Review: Marvel Legends The Thing from The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Mephitsu
- Jul 4
- 5 min read
“You don’t wanna just… crush him”
Our reviews of The Fantastic Four: First Steps Marvel Legends wave is written ahead of the movie release. It contains no spoilers other than the imagery used on the packaging and figures, all of which has been seen in the trailers.
The first MCU Fantastic Four figures landed on the 1st of July 2025 to collectors worldwide, a six figure wave that incorporated the full Fantastic Four team as well as a ‘flame on’ version of Johnny Storm and the new Silver Surfer. The packaging mirrored the dimensions and layout of the current Legends packaging, but completely redesigned everything else. The look of the Fantastic Four figure boxes moves away from the usual sleek black to an off white base colour, with deep blue logos and nameplates, and even a blue colour to the ‘Legends’ wording of the Marvel Legends logo. This is very much intended to give the figures the same feel as the movie, as though coming from an alternative timeline with a 50s and 60s vibe. This even extends to the use of the old Hasbro logo bottom right.
The artwork on the box side is retained, but shaped in an offcentre blue frame. These are realistic illustrations against deep orange coloured backdrops. The full image is placed on the box reverse, where we find the character posed against a bold orange circle. Unusually, there is no background text or synopsis for the movie itself. The figure is set against a blue card back which incorporates the four circular designs that are applied to our four main characters - designs that are also used on the box itself around the character name plates, apart from on the Silver Surfer.
The Thing is seen with a number of looks during the scenes and images we’ve had so far from First Steps. The figure has gone with the shirtless variation seen when The Thing is pulling the boat in the water. This has allowed the figure to retain a uniformity with the other characters by way of a set of blue cast ribbed and ridged trousers with white and black trim at the feet, and a white belt with black trim and an embossed Fantastic Four logo. A second logo also exists on the side of each leg along with some silver components whose purpose remains a mystery. The upper body is that of the exposed Thing skin with stone like panels interlocking in an orange plastic and then washed to create that overall look we are so familiar with. This principle is also applied to the feet which are uncovered, and to the head.
The head replicates actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the Thing, with the more comic book accurate flat mouth, the thick ridge and eyebrows with expressive blue eyes peering out from under the brow, obviously applied using facial printing, considering their realism.
In hand, there is an initial question I certainly asked myself about The Thing’s height. As with all the Fantastic Four characters that make up this wave, this is The Thing’s debut in the MCU, and our initial perceptions of his size are perhaps driven by the comic book appearances and associated figures. I initially thought that the MCU Thing is too small, but having compared it to the onscreen team shots, you can see that Hasbro have nailed the proportions.
As a bulkier character, accessories were always going to be minimal, and all we have for Thing is a second pair of hands giving you the choice between a pair of clenched ‘clobbering’ fists or a pair of open grappling hands. These pop on and off with a degree of force needed due to their size, but that size also means the pegs are robust and there is no real risk of damage. The Fantastic Four wrist device worn by all the team sits on The Thing’s right wrist, and can be removed if you wish while the hand itself is off.
Articulation comes in at 19 points in total, all of which are pin-less, as is now standard. The joints are more robust due to The Thing’s bulky physique, but have the same range of motion as a standard human figure with a good level of bend in both the knees and elbows, supported by the surrounding joints. This means Thing can be posed in a number of positions, such as running into battle, getting ready to fight, or ready to clobber an opponent. His bulk and large feet profile keep him stable once posed.
The only potential miss in the articulation configuration is the lack of any butterfly shoulders for Thing. As it stands, his hands cannot extend in enough to meet each other, removing the ability to pose Thing with his fist in his other hand, signalling he is ready to give someone a pounding.
Of the six-figure wave, The Thing is pretty much the headline figure in terms of proportions and presence, looking fantastic (pun intended) on his own or assembled with the wider group. Articulation is on par if not better than comparable MCU figures of this size, such as Hulk or Thanos, and the execution of the rock like skin is impressive. The costume choice feels like a sensible one to show off that skin texturing, although we shall have to see if this is the look he fields the most. It will also be interesting to see if this is not the last Thing figure we will see with the very different bearded look revealed recently being a potential future variation.
eep Track of all the Marvel Legends figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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