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H.E.R.B.I.E. - The surprising origins of the Fantastic Four's robot pal, explained [Lore Corner]

From his first appearance in a 1970s cartoon to his introduction to the MCU in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, here is what makes H.E.R.B.I.E. tick.

Guides by Trent Cannon, Senior Contributing writer

Published on Tue Jul 29 2025

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Going into a movie like The Fantastic Four: First Steps, you know you’re going to get at least four characters on the screen. The titular family is important, but there has often been another character helping to hold down the fort for Marvel’s First Family, and that is H.E.R.B.I.E. The helpful little robot got his introduction to the MCU at long last, but did you know that his origins predate his first comic book appearance by almost a year?

Here is everything you need to know about H.E.R.B.I.E. from the Fantastic Four, from his origins, his powers, and why he’s so important to the team.

Who is H.E.R.B.I.E. in the Fantastic Four?

When you’re the smartest man in the world, it only makes sense that you’d build a plucky robot sidekick/nanny for your son with reality warping powers. However, that wasn’t H.E.R.B.I.E.’s original purpose; originally, he was meant to be a Galactus-detecting machine to help the Fantastic Four track down the world-eating villain.

The original H.E.R.B.I.E. was destroyed when it was revealed he had been a sleeper agent for Doctor Sun, but he was rebuilt repeatedly over the years, usually to help with the day-to-day work around the Baxter Building or monitor Franklin Richards’ powers.

At least, that’s what he was in the comics, but his first appearance in 1979 wasn’t the first time fans saw H.E.R.B.I.E. in action.

Wait, H.E.R.B.I.E. isn’t from Marvel comics?

Herbie In The New Fantastic Four Cartoon — Image credit: Hanna-Barbera

Back in the 1970s, the Fantastic Four were a hot property for Marvel, so they tried to license out the characters for movies and TV shows. One of those shows was The New Fantastic Four, which depicted Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, The Thing, and H.E.R.B.I.E. as the titular team.

Where was the Human Torch? Nowhere to be seen due to Marvel selling the film and TV rights for the character for a movie that never materialized. So, in 1978, H.E.R.B.I.E. first showed up in a short-lived animated series and was later brought into the comic books after the show ended. This was actually referenced in the character’s first comic book appearance, Fantastic Four #209, with the team saying that the Human Torch didn’t show up for a meeting with an animation company, so they used H.E.R.B.I.E. instead.

What are H.E.R.B.I.E.’s powers?

The easiest way to explain H.E.R.B.I.E.’s powers is that he’s a robot and can do whatever is necessary for the plot at the time. Sometimes he has an array of weapons installed. Sometimes, he is mainly there to monitor Franklin’s growing powers. His design sometimes has him flying, and sometimes he has wheels.

Basically, whatever H.E.R.B.I.E. needs to do in a plot, he probably will do.

What does H.E.R.B.I.E. stand for in The Fantastic Four?

H.E.R.B.I.E. stands for Humanoid Experimental Robot, B-Type, Integrated Electronics, which is, obviously, a mouthful. It is also one of those situations where we’re sure Reed Richards came up with the acronym first and then tried to think of a cool meaning behind it afterward.

Who plays H.E.R.B.I.E. in The Fantastic Four: First Steps?

General Grievous Revenge Of The Sith — Image credit: Lucasfilm

Here is a deep cut for you: in his first appearance on TV, H.E.R.B.I.E. was played by the illustrious Frank Welker, who is known for playing Freddie Jones in Scooby Doo, Megatron (and half the other Decepticons), and most animal noises you hear in cartoons up until around 2000.

In The Fantastic Four: First Steps, H.E.R.B.I.E. is voiced by Matthew Wood, who is probably best known for playing General Grievous in Star Wars films and cartoons since 2005.

What does H.E.R.B.I.E. do in The Fantastic Four: First Steps?

While he has occasionally been a full member of the team, in the Fantastic Four’s first entry into the MCU, he is mostly there as a butler and sidekick to the team. He is described as a “slightly put-upon” but “charming and adorable” member of the team by director Matt Shakman.

When will we see H.E.R.B.I.E. next in the MCU?

HERBIE In Fantastic Four First Steps — Image credit: Marvel Studios

That is a big question at the moment. As the end of Thunderbolts* implies, the Fantastic Four look set to travel to the main MCU universe in Avengers: Doomsday, but it isn’t clear if they will take H.E.R.B.I.E. with them. This makes the future of the robot questionable in the MCU. However, we don’t doubt we’ll see him again someday, even if it is just a brief cameo somewhere.

Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills: