Some phrases are synonymous with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, like “Avengers, assemble” and “That’s my secret, Cap.” But some of Marvel’s most famous catchphrases have yet to make the jump from comic book page to MCU movie, a fact that will partially change when The Fantastic Four: First Steps brings Marvel’s First Family into the fold.
The team’s most famous saying has yet to appear in any promotional material, but it’s foreshadowed in the movie’s latest — and final — trailer. The reference, however, is unique, and adds an interesting wrinkle to a brand-new world. Check out the trailer below.
Much of the trailer consists of clips we’ve seen before, but there’s also a new running gag. We see a fan on the street call out to Ben Grimm, “What time is it?”, imploring him to repeat his now-ubiquitous catchphrase, “It’s clobberin’ time.” But Ben replies, “That's not really something I say. It's just in the cartoon.” Later, Johnny Storm tries to get him to say the same thing and gets similarly rebuffed.
We’ve previously seen that the Fantastic Four are superstars in their world, which is parallel to Earth-616, where most of the MCU’s adventures take place. Apparently, however, their fame extends to the point that there’s a cartoon dedicated to them, making them pop culture symbols as much as heroes.
It’s almost guaranteed that in the actual movie, all these exchanges will lead to some grand reveal where Ben finally says, “It’s clobberin' time,” but his hesitance isn’t entirely out of character. While the Fantastic Four premiered in 1961, The Thing didn’t say “It’s clobberin’ time” until Fantastic Four #22, which was released in January 1964. It was a relatively late addition to the character in the comics, so it makes sense that it would be a relatively late addition to the “real” Ben of this movie as well.
Celebrity in the MCU has been explored at length — Tony Stark was famous before he was even a superhero, while Peter Parker rewrote the entire universe when he got too well-known. Now we’re seeing superheroes contend with being pop culture figures who are treated like cartoon characters in their day-to-day lives. Let’s hope poor Ben gets to enjoy a little privacy time too.
