“S*xually, that would seem to be a great asset in many areas”: Stan Lee Answered the Most Uncomfortable Question About The Thing and Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards

SUMMARY

• Stan Lee confirmed that The Thing's male part is made of orange rock.
• He was more interested in Reed Richards' ability to stretch his body.
• Fantastic Four was crucial to Lee's career as it saved him from quitting Marvel.

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We’re getting a new cast for the Fantastic Four reboot, but fans cannot deny that the original actors from the 2005 film were iconic. In fact, that was the first time fans would have wondered something about Ben Grimm and Reed Richards.

Credits: Fantastic Four / 20th Century Studios

Well, one has a physique made of rock and one could stretch every inch of his body, so this leaves a little something to the imagination. Marvel legend Stan Lee got the answers fans were looking for.

Stan Lee Enlightened Fans On The Most Controversial Question About Mister Fantastic And The Thing

In 2005, Marvel Studios and 20th Century Studios brought the Fantastic Four to the big screen. It was the origin tale of how the members of the First Family acquired their superpowers. As fans know, Reed Richards became Mister Fantastic, Susan Storm was the Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm turned into Human Torch, and Ben Grimm transformed into The Thing.

Credits: Michael Chiklis in Fantastic Four / 20th Century Studios

One of the running jokes in the movie involved The Thing’s love life. In a scene shared by a fan page on Instagram, Chris Evans’ character teased Michael Chiklis’ The Thing on how he gets intimate with his partner given that his body is made of rocks. Johnny even said, “I’d hate to find out she was killed in a rock slide.” But seriously, is Ben Grimm’s male part also made of rock?

Stan Lee confirmed in his interview with Vanity Fair that “common sense would say it was made of orange rock too.” Of course, it would be weird if it was made of human skin or any other material, but this clarification finally settled years of speculation. The late comic book creator admitted, though, that he never really gave it a thought.

What he did find interesting was that of Reed Richards. Played by Ioan Gruffudd in the original installment, Mister Fantastic could stretch himself however he pleases, and Lee believed that “s*xually, that would seem to be a great asset in many areas.” Indeed, this skill would come in handy in very specific settings.

Perhaps the same cannot be said with Human Torch and Invisible Woman. Their powers have different properties, so maybe that’s why they seldom get asked the same question as Mister Fantastic and The Thing.

How Fantastic Four Changed Stan Lee’s Career

Credits: Ioan Gruffudd in Fantastic Four / 20th Century Studios

The Fantastic Four comics was Stan Lee’s pride. He was on the verge of quitting when his wife encouraged him to write one more story – one that he truly liked – and the worst thing that could happen was getting fired. Well, he wanted to quit anyway so he had nothing to lose.

He made the characters and gave them distinct personalities and powers, and little did he know, this would change the trajectory of his career. The positive response to his creation led to him continuing his tenure at Marvel, and the rest, as we could say, is history.

Fantastic Four is currently available to watch on Disney+.

Written by Ariane Cruz

Articles Published: 2423

Ariane Cruz, Senior Writer. She has been contributing articles for FandomWire since 2021, mostly covering stories about the latest movies and series. With a degree in Communication Arts, she has an in-depth knowledge of print and broadcast journalism. Her other works can also be seen on Screen Rant and CBR.