You never know who's going to pop up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The legendary Marvel Studios franchise has been a staple of Hollywood for the past 17 years and it has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. It's a good thing because, throughout the course of the past two decades, it has produced some of the most awe-inspiring moments and featured some of the most star-studded casts in all of Hollywood. That's the mighty MCU for you.
From Samuel L. Jackson's game-changing cameo in the post-credits scene of 2008's Iron Man to the countless returns and appearances in 2019's Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has taken great pride in surprising us with a host of familiar faces over the years!
Now, the franchise has cast a veteran of the Star Wars universe in a major role in an upcoming MCU project.
Star Wars veteran Matthew Wood joins The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Matthew Wood has joined the cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps as none other than the voice of H.E.R.B.I.E. The fan-favorite android is a major part of the Marvel lore as he was created by the Smartest Man Alive himself Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mister Fantastic, and serves as a friendly assistant / butler to Marvel's First Family. It was clear from the promotional material for the upcoming MCU movie that H.E.R.B.I.E. would be a part of it, but the casting had not been made clear until now.
The film's director Matt Shakman made the announcement in an interview with Empire Magazine, telling the outlet and its readers:
"He's charming, he's funny — but he also will break your heart... Which I hope is emblematic of the movie."
Wood is, of course, best known for his work at Star Wars. As part of that iconic Galaxy so far, far away, he is a veteran sound editor and voice actor, serving as a supervising sound editor at Skywalker Sound (Lucasfilm's sound effects, recordings, and mixing division). He also happens to voice the infamous General Grievous in 2005 live-action film Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, as well as in animated series The Clone Wars between 2008 and 2020 and countless Star Wars video games over the years. He recently returned to the character in 2024 anthology series Tales of the Empire.
Wood has also provided the voice for various drones in the Star Wars franchise through the years, while also serving as part of the sound editing team on the prequel series of movies - which eventually led to his role as General Grievous in the third film. He has continued to be a part of the sound editing on the Star Wars franchise throughout its cinematic releases.
His role as H.E.R.B.I.E. in The Fantastic Four: First Steps won't be his first foray into the Marvel universe either, as Wood provided additional voicework for the first season of animated series What If...?. It goes without saying that his experience - both with playing Droids in the Star Wars realm and with working with Marvel on What If...? - makes him an exceptional choice to bring H.E.R.B.I.E. to life. We can't wait to see - and hear - what he sounds like as the legendary character.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in movie theaters on July 25, 2025.