I met Marvel’s first family robot H.E.R.B.I.E, and it’s left me even more excited for the Fantastic Four movie
In less than a month’s time, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm will hit the big screen in Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps across the globe. And with its premiere date of July 25 fast approaching, Disney and Marvel are squarely focused on the first family’s reintroduction into the cinematic universe.
I’ve been itching to see the much-anticipated film ever since the first teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps was released, and while the final trailer for First Steps has got my excitement levels at new heights, the film’s merchandise looks just as exciting to tide me over. I had the chance to check out all the new First Steps products and drops – yes, there’s a new Lego set featuring the Family Plus and Galactus – plus some impressive watches from Citizen and Fossil.
More importantly, though, I got to meet the comic book family’s robot H.E.R.B.I.E. in real life, and it’s left me even more excited for the film. Mainly because I want to see how this robot will play a role in the movie, as it’s the Fantastic’s trusty assistant and helper around the home. It was an impressive robot demo, and yes, H.E.R.B.I.E. was plenty of fun, and had quite a busy week, from hanging out at this event in NYC to appearing at a few other events and even finding time to visit a theater or two.
Sadly, a life-size, fully functional H.E.R.B.I.E. robot is not for sale. The robot, along with the four Fantastics, including ‘The Thing’, will eventually debut at Tomorrowland at the Disneyland Resort in California later this summer. Still, the good news is that there are some impressive products available now or on order, with shipping dates scheduled for later this year.
Ahead, I’m sharing my favorite picks from The Fantastic Four collections.
My favorite The Fantastic Four: First Steps merchandise
I’ll be updating this as we get closer to the launch and more products end up dropping. One of those will be a return of the classic ‘The Thing’ Hands, that do indeed smash and bash when you hit them together. These were a lot of fun in a quick demo.
Probably the most exciting part of the products dropping to celebrate the film would be a new watch from Fossil. While it may not be as smart as devices with sensors and a screen, like the Apple Watch Series 10 or Galaxy Watch 7, it certainly has its utility.
It’s modeled off of what Reed Richards (aka Mister Fantastic) will be wearing in the film and screams retro, but also hints at the future. Additionally, it features an LCD screen to display the time, and a secondary analog clock is located at the bottom. It features numerous embellishments, including a Fantastic 4 logo in blue at the bottom, centered. However, the majority of the hull is made of silver aluminum, with dials and buttons located on the right side.
The replica is fascinating because it looks like a timepiece you might have worn in the 1960s or 1970s, but that never actually existed in either decade. It looks like a tiny TV on your wrist, but with a monochrome digital main screen that can only tell you the time. There are quite a few buttons, but they’re more like a puzzle where you have to figure out which ones do anything. We’d call it the rare gadget that compels through sheer will of its fake nostalgia.
The watch will drop on July 7, 2025, and is likely to be a hard, limited-edition item, with only 904 being produced. It’ll launch alongside a more modern, circular 48mm case, Galactus-themed watch with a great graphic watch face, and sleek hues of purple. It’s also limited to 683 being produced.
There’s also a Fantastic Four-themed watch dropping from Citizen, which replaces the classic four prominent fixtures on a watch face with a nod to the four heroes of the film. All of those details will sit over a light blue main watch face, and the whole construction of the timepiece is from Citizen’s Super Titanium material. It’s a limited edition, though; a specific number of units has not been shared.
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In less than a month’s time, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm will hit the big screen in Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps across the globe. And with its premiere date of July 25 fast approaching, Disney and Marvel are squarely focused on the first family’s…
