Mila Kunis As Marvel's Thing - A Wild Fantastic Four Casting Rumor Explained
The bit of casting news everyone in Hollywood is trying to figure out is who's in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Fantastic Four" movie. It seems like a sure thing Pedro Pascal will play Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic, but that leaves three other main roles up in the air. Numerous theories have emerged, with one of the most intriguing being that "That '70s Show" star Mila Kunis will play The Thing.
The rumor about Marvel and Mila Kunis goes back to April 28, 2023, when Hollywood scooper @MyTimeToShineHello posted this tidbit on X, formerly known as Twitter. "They are looking at Jewish actors, both male AND female for The Thing in Fantastic Four," they wrote. "Mila Kunis is one of them." It was also around this time Kunis met with "Fantastic Four" director Matt Shakman for a meal, as reported by the Daily Mail, so many took that to mean she was in contention for something related to Marvel. Mila Kunis even shot down rumors she would play Sue Storm when appearing on "The Late Late Show," hosted by James Corden. When asked if she was portraying Sue, she replied, "I am not in 'Fantastic Four,' but I know who is."
Kunis' statement suggests she's not in the movie at all, so this rumor was debunked pretty quickly. However, the idea of Kunis playing The Thing is interesting, and there's actually precedent for a female Thing from Marvel Comics.
Marvel and Mila Kunis could bring in one of the female Things from the comics
Most people associate Marvel's Thing with Ben Grimm, who's canonically Jewish, which would explain why Marvel is looking for Jewish actors to play the part, as reported by @MyTimeToShineHello. This could mean we'll see a gender-swapped Ben Grimm that Mila Kunis, or another actor, could theoretically play. On the other hand, Marvel may be going in a different direction entirely and bringing a new character into the on-screen Fantastic Four mix.
As is the case with many well-known superheroes, a mantle can get passed from one person to the next, and there have been different versions of Thing over the years. First, there's Darla Deering, who takes on the moniker of Miss Thing. She is a celebrity who's romantically linked with Johnny Storm for a time and eventually finds her way onto the team. She wears an exoskeleton of the Thing that Reed Richards built after Ben lost his abilities, one which allows the user to take on Thing's power set.
Additionally, there's She-Thing, also known as Sharon Ventura. A wrestler who is exposed to radiation much like Ben Grimm, she becomes another Thing with enhanced strength, durability, and reflexes.
There have been two iterations of the Fantastic Four on the big screen already, with the same team each time (played by different actors, of course). There's a chance Marvel wants to make the MCU version of the Fantastic Four different from what audiences are familiar with, and this could include a more gender-balanced outing with Thing being played by a woman who's not even necessarily Ben.
One thing is clear from all this — a random lunch can lead to the internet losing its mind.