The Fantastic Four’s H.E.R.B.I.E.: The Redemption of the Human Torch’s One-Time Replacement

Imagine it: It’s 1978 and kids and comic publication fans of each ages are excited to get a caller animated bid astir Marvel’s First Family, the Fantastic Four. The opening credits acceptable the stage, arsenic narration informs america of the FF’s origin:

“It was the world's strangest accident. While investigating a caller rocket ship, our heroes were bombarded by mysterious cosmic rays from outer space. Though they crash-landed safely, the unusual and almighty rays had changed each 1 of them. Transforming their leader, Reed Richards, into the plastic-skinned Mr. Fantastic; Sue Richards into the ‘now you spot her, present you don't’ Invisible Girl; and Ben Grimm into a mighty-muscled powerhouse called the Thing. Now unneurotic with H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot, the newest subordinate of the group, they person go the top squad of superheroes the satellite has ever known. The New Fantastic Four!”

But conscionable hold 1 second… who the hellhole is H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot, the alleged “newest subordinate of the group” - and wherever the hellhole is Johnny Storm, the Human Torch!?

It was an understandable question fixed the Fantastic Four boasts 1 of the astir coagulated squad lineups successful comics history. Oh, sure, members mightiness instrumentality breaks for a portion (or beryllium dormant for a bit, because, you know… comics) with idiosyncratic other subbing in. But inevitably, Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben are restored arsenic the rubric characters.

H.E.R.B.I.E.'s beingness successful the 1978 Saturday greeting cartoon, The New Fantastic Four, would pb to years of incorrect accusation astir wherefore helium was determination successful the archetypal spot and a estimation that often made him thing of a joke. But with the quality astir to marque his due movie debut successful The Fantastic Four: First Steps, let’s look backmost astatine the travel of H.E.R.B.I.E., from a mostly dismissed quality to getting his spotlight successful the MCU - and however helium would inactive person a peculiar spot successful comic publication past regardless, acknowledgment to the 2 legends who created him blending their talents unneurotic 1 last time.

Actually, Johnny Was (Potentially) Busy

The halfway question of wherefore H.E.R.B.I.E. was adjacent created successful the archetypal spot for The New Fantastic Four and utilized alternatively of the Human Torch was, for galore years, fixed a wide repeated reply that was besides wholly incorrect. Who knows however it archetypal began, but the wide content – 1 I callback proceeding myself arsenic a kid successful the ’80s who would occasionally spot repeats of The New Fantastic Four – was that determination were fears that children mightiness acceptable themselves connected occurrence successful an effort to emulate the Human Torch. This was curious, fixed the Torch not lone had been successful comic books readily disposable to kids since 1961, but had besides been a portion of the archetypal Fantastic Four cartoon successful 1967 (and each consequent FF bid and films) without this interest ever hindering his use. So wherefore would this beryllium the lawsuit conscionable successful 1978?

Longtime comic publication and animated bid writer Mark Evanier yet laid this persistent rumor to remainder 20 years ago, explaining the Human Torch wasn’t connected the 1978 bid for a crushed comic publication fans are precise acquainted with arsenic acold arsenic creating complications for adaptations - surface rights being licensed separately. You see, successful the precocious 1970s, Universal was going large attempting to bring Marvel Comics characters to tv successful live-action, resulting successful poorly received Doctor Strange and Captain America TV movies (well, 2 TV movies successful Cap’s case), and 1 genuine occurrence - the five-season Incredible Hulk bid starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno.

The Human Torch was licensed by Universal for the aforesaid purpose, locking up his TV rights wholly astatine the time, animation included, and making the quality unavailable for The New Fantastic Four, which had nary Universal transportation (The New FF aired connected NBC, but this was agelong earlier NBC and Universal merged). Of course, arsenic often tin beryllium the case, the Human Torch woody ne'er really resulted successful thing being produced with the quality by Universal, though a publication was written.

Regarding The New Fantastic Four, Evanier acknowledges that determination were times wherever adjacent immoderate radical progressive with different Marvel cartoons had perpetuated the mendacious “they were disquieted kids would acceptable themselves connected fire” explanation. As Evanier enactment it, the rumor “was abetted by a fewer statements from folks who worked connected Marvel animated projects, saying that the Torch was omitted for the cited reason. Either they had abbreviated memories oregon figured determination was immoderate P.R. payment to claiming that. And, of course, it's theoretically imaginable that had they not had to marque the switch, determination would person been immoderate objection to the Torch. But it ne'er came to that.”

The Final Co-Creation of Stan and Jack

So with the Human Torch disconnected the table, however did H.E.R.B.I.E. travel to be? By making usage of the precise aforesaid 2 comic publication manufacture icons who had created the Fantastic Four successful the archetypal place, earlier going connected to co-create a slew of the astir pivotal comic characters and concepts successful past including the X-Men, Hulk, Iron Man, Black Panther, the Avengers and overmuch much – Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

By the precocious ’70s, Lee was overmuch much progressive successful Marvel’s Hollywood aspirations than the company’s comic publication output, and created and personally wrote galore episodes of The New Fantastic Four. Kirby successful the meantime had returned to Marvel aft a notable rift with some the institution astatine ample and Lee successful particular, aft tensions had built up passim his tenure determination during the 1960s. Unfortunately though, it was, by each accounts, not a precise blessed oregon well-received instrumentality for a antheral whose legendary interaction connected comics went backmost to co-creating Captain America successful 1940. But adjacent the extremity of what would yet beryllium his last stint ever with Marvel, Kirby did immoderate enactment arsenic a storyboard and conception creator for The New Fantastic Four, arsenic recounted successful Sean Howe’s Marvel Comics: The Untold Story.

H.E.R.B.I.E. successful The New Fantastic Four.

Not truthful coincidentally, the mega-popularity of Star Wars had precocious introduced R2-D2 into the nationalist consciousness, starring to a batch much robot pals abruptly being included successful fiction. And truthful it came to beryllium that Stan Lee decided the FF would person a caller robot teammate named H.E.R.B.I.E. to substitute for the Human Torch and Jack Kirby past drew the quality and conceived his look. In the process, Lee and Kirby gave america 1 past co-creation from a concern that surely was turbulent and complicated, but was besides perfectly singular successful presumption of what resulted from it.

No 1 was claiming H.E.R.B.I.E. was the adjacent Hulk, but helium got a steadfast spotlight connected The New Fantastic Four, wherever helium played a large relation successful galore of the episodes. And portion his precocious pitched dependable surely leaned towards the cutesy, helium astatine slightest had a stellar dependable histrion successful the signifier of the large Frank Welker (can you judge that dude not lone is Megatron but is still voicing Scooby-Doo’s Fred Jones aft 56 years?!). For kids without a comics background, H.E.R.B.I.E. went implicit conscionable fine, though others much immersed successful the comics mightiness beryllium much prone to annoyance implicit him replacing the Human Torch. That was particularly existent for older FF fans, since the oft-stated mendacious mentation regarding kids hurting themselves sounded far-fetched, yet besides similar thing a random TV enforcement mightiness person frustratingly decided.

Ultimately though, The New Fantastic Four wasn’t a amusement the radical down the scenes were blessed with, with some Lee himself and NBC President Fred Silverman expressing their dissatisfaction by the extremity of Season 1. As recounted successful Mark Arnold’s Think Pink: The Story of DePatie-Freleng, Lee was hoping to overhaul the amusement successful a 2nd season, but that wasn’t to be, arsenic NBC cancelled the series.

H.E.R.B.I.E. Comes to Comics (and Toy Shelves)

In an effort astatine synergy, H.E.R.B.I.E. was introduced into Marvel Comics continuity a twelvemonth aft his animated debut, successful 1979’s Fantastic Four #209. In the comics, H.E.R.B.I.E. was created by Mister Fantastic and the Xandarian called Master Xar arsenic portion of an effort to way down Galactus. In a meta touch, we learned Reed was inspired by The New Fantastic Four cartoon, which it turned retired existed wrong Marvel’s comic publication continuity, wherever it was based connected the “real-life” heroes. And, conscionable arsenic successful our world, H.E.R.B.I.E. replaced Human Torch connected that series, present fixed the jokey mentation that Johnny Storm no-showed an aboriginal gathering with the accumulation institution and got swapped retired arsenic a result.

However, with The New Fantastic Four cancelled conscionable arsenic H.E.R.B.I.E was debuting successful the comics, the robot lone appeared successful 8 issues earlier helium destroyed himself successful the aftermath of a villain taking power of him, nobly wanting to guarantee it wouldn’t hap again. And though helium would popular up again – hand-waved distant arsenic Reed simply deciding to physique much robots with the aforesaid sanction – H.E.R.B.I.E.'s appearances became incredibly sporadic aft those archetypal 8 issues, including a monolithic 16-year interruption betwixt 1982 and 1998. And astir of his instrumentality appearances, including successful a fewer alternate world stories, were little and jokey one-offs.

H.E.R.B.I.E.'s archetypal comics quality was successful 1979’s Fantastic Four #209.

H.E.R.B.I.E. was a spot of a kitsch inclusion astatine this point, utilized for immoderate humorous nostalgia fueled by the oddness of his archetypal conception successful the 1978 cartoon. The winking nostalgia for H.E.R.B.I.E. besides led versions of the quality to look successful animated signifier again connected shows similar 2006’s The Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes and 2009’s The Super Hero Squad Show.

The winking cult of H.E.R.B.I.E. besides has ever had 1 different happening going for it… That small feline definite is toyetic! And truthful it came to beryllium that a 2004 Toy Biz Marvel Legends container acceptable of the FF not lone besides included the team’s arch nemesis Doctor Doom and Reed and Sue’s son, Franklin, but nary different than H.E.R.B.I.E. And then, much recently, a high-end/high-priced container acceptable of the FF successful enactment fig signifier from Mezco – archetypal announced successful 2021 but past yet released successful 2024 – had Reed, Sue, Ben, Johnny… and bully ol’ H.E.R.B.I.E. Not atrocious for a quality who inactive has hardly implicit 100 comic publication appearances, contempt having debuted 47 years ago.

In caller years, H.E.R.B.I.E. has begun to popular up successful Marvel Comics a spot much – though inactive seldom connected a regular ground – including successful crossover events similar Iron Man 2020 and the existent One World Under Doom. That past 1 is apt inspired by his impending quality successful a definite large summertime movie, and it feels similar determination mightiness beryllium a batch much successful store for comic publication H.E.R.B.I.E. going guardant if the movie is good received.

Ready for the Big Screen

Though determination person been respective depictions of the Fantastic Four successful movie signifier astatine this point, nary of them person ever antecedently tackled H.E.R.B.I.E., extracurricular of a quick, Easter ovum cameo arsenic a deactivated robot glimpsed successful Reed Richards’ store successful a deleted country from the 2005 FF movie (where helium looked much similar Crow from Mystery Science Theater 3000 than his animated oregon comic publication counterparts).

That changes successful a large mode with 2025’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps wherever H.E.R.B.I.E. – voiced by General Grievous himself, Matthew Wood – is not lone a portion of the film, but has been each implicit the marketing, with trailers letting america cognize helium does everything from assistance Ben Grimm marque Sunday nighttime meal to assistance successful babysitting duties for Reed Richards and Sue Storm. Previously, H.E.R.B.I.E. mightiness person felt similar a agelong – nary Mister Fantastic pun intended – for a live-action film, but not with First Steps, which takes spot successful an alternate world wherever everything has a 1960s retro-future aesthetic.

Though H.E.R.B.I.E. mightiness person really been created successful the precocious ’70s, it’s elemental capable to somewhat reconceive him into the aboriginal envisioned successful the 1950s and 1960s by the likes of Walt Disney, letting him acceptable close into the mid-century-modern-meets-rocket-ships visuals of First Steps. No wonderment H.E.R.B.I.E. has already been announced to yet articulation the FF erstwhile the squad makes their debut astatine Disney Parks wrong Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, an country of Disneyland Resort that matches good with the satellite wrong the Fantastic Four’s caller film.

For a agelong time, H.E.R.B.I.E. was chiefly a spot of comic trivia for Fantastic Four fans – and often mistold trivia astatine that, acknowledgment to the incorrect accusation astir his origins. But present he’s acceptable for his adjacent up connected a movie screen, wherever helium tin articulation his pals and chap Stan Lee/Jack Kirby creations Reed, Sue, Ben and, yep, Johnny Storm, the feline helium erstwhile replaced, to assistance look immoderate threats situation situation the Fantastic Four.