Ask anyone what the Thing’s catchphrase is, and, almost certainly, everyone will simultaneously say, “It’s clobbering time!” That’s just been a fact of the character for years. And, in the new movie Fantastic Four: First Steps, it’s also the case, but with a little twist. A twist that’s coming to the video game Marvel Rivals in a kind of unprecedented synergy of gameplay and movie promotion.
As seen in a recent trailer for First Steps, “It’s clobbering time!” is the in-universe catchphrase of the Thing’s cartoon character, but not the actual character played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach. In fact, he doesn’t like to say it at all, so his friends, especially Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), joke with him about it all the time. That interaction from the movie has now been almost directly ported into the game, as seen in this new footage, as part of a new team-up ability between Human Torch and the Thing.
Things are heating up!
Introducing a brand-new Team-Up Ability: Human Torch & The Thing!
Lift, slam, and disable with “First Steps” – launching July 24 UTC!
Buckle up, hot shot. Time to take flight… and land with impact. 💥 pic.twitter.com/sLzRozr5pZ
— Marvel Rivals (@MarvelRivals) July 22, 2025
In Rivals, special “team up” abilities unlock between certain characters when you have those characters on your roster. They’re usually added to the game at the start or midway points of its competitive seasons, tweaking the balance of the current roster of heroes and encouraging new combos on your teams. For example, recently with the launch of season three, Jean Grey and Wolverine unlocked a particularly powerful team-up that turned Logan’s regular leap attack into a flaming, life-draining character-shredder so overtuned it had to get hit with the nerf bat.
But the new Torch/Thing team-up, literally called “First Steps,” in addition to being a big offensive move—letting Johnny carry Ben through the air before he dives down for a disabling area-of-effect slam—isn’t just a bonus to your game. It’s basically a promo for the movie. It’s the first time Rivals has done something like this to tie into a big new movie rather than just adding new cosmetics, a nifty wink to anyone who has seen the movie or for gamers who’ll see the movie later. Maybe it’s even a connection that could drive people from one medium to the other.
Having seen the movie, I won’t spoil whether or not Ben Grimm does eventually say “It’s clobberin’ time!” as Johnny begs him to mid-dive bomb. But in Rivals, of course, the Thing says it all the time, whenever he announces his powerful ultimate move.
It’s not the only First Steps promo going on in Rivals this week, which will also see movie costume skins for all four members of the Fantastic Four added later this week, which you can read more about here.
So, if you want to take that Fantastic Four experience to the next level, grab Marvel Rivals for your PC or console and check out the movie in theaters Friday. We liked it quite a bit.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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