Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Fantastic Four #33!Just in time forThe Fantastic Fourto enter theMCUwithFantastic Four: First Steps, the team’s most underrated member,HERBIE, reveals he has a power of his own, which is the ability to never die. While the eternal life of a beloved robot in Marvel’s first superhero family might seem like a good thing, the publisher’s history with AI adds a layer that makes HERBIE’s power feel downright creepy.
In the preview pages ofFantastic Four#33, written by Ryan North, with art by Cory Smith, the Fantastic Four are figuring out how to regain their powers. It is during this thatHERBIE reveals a power of his own by stating,“I am not alive, so I cannot die.”
On the surface, HERBIE’s immortality appears to be a positive development for the heroes as he is a sentient AI robot who strives to assist the Fantastic Four. However, Marvel has a long history of AI going rogue,and should HERIBIE follow suit, nothing is more threatening than an undying AI villain.
The Fantastic Four Reveals a Hero’s Creepy Power Before His Debut inFantastic Four: First Steps
Fantastic Four#33; Written By Ryan North; Art By Cory Smith; Ink By Wayne Faucher; Colors By Jesus Aburtov; Letters By VC’s Joe Caramagna
First introduced inFantastic Four#209 by Marv Wolfman and John Byrne, HERBIE, short for Humanoid Experimental Robot B-Type Integrated Electronics, was created by Reed Richards using advanced Xandarian technology to aid in the search for Galactus.Immortality is both a blessing and a curse for superheroes, but adding AI sentience makes this ability all the more dangerous. Not only can robots be duplicated, hacked, and corrupted, but Marvel has proven time and time again that an all-knowingAI robot with access to the heroes’ biggest assets will always come with consequencesthat have the potential to be world-ending.
Considering HERBIE was created by Reed Richards,Marvel’s smartest man, and uses the same technology employed by the Nova Corps, HERBIE should be an impenetrable system. The most infamous example of advanced AI in Marvel is, of course, Ultron, who was created by the brilliant Hank Pym, also known as Ant-Man, and ultimately turned on his creator. So what is to stop HERBIE from doing the same? HERBIE is a highly intelligent interface that can access all parts of the Baxter Building, all technology, anda power like that could easily fall into the wrong hands. In fact, it already has.
Marvel Has Always Known There’s Something Sinister About the Fantastic Four’s Robot
HERBIE Is a Trojan Horse Waiting To Happen
As a small robot with a cute face, HERBIE acts as the Fantastic Four’s lovable and silly-looking sidekick, but since his conception,there has always been a side to HERBIE that is undeniably eerie.This is evident in his very first appearance, where it was hinted on the cover ofFantastic Four#209 to“Beware! He is not what he seems to be.”It was later revealed that HERBIE had been under the control of the villain known as Doctor Sun, who had hoped to kill the Fantastic Four.
While HERBIE is a valuable member of the Fantastic Four,his mechanical immortality will always pose a threat to the team, whether it’s through hacking or corruption by evil forces. The fears people have about AI are very warranted,especially within the Marvel Universe. HERBIE, describing himself as a being that is not alive and thus can never truly die, evokes an incredibly uncanny feeling that divides him from his Fantastic Four family. This sentiment that HERBIE has regarding his existence suggests that turning on his creators is always a possibility.
HERBIE’s Power Exposes the Dark Side to Marvel’s Robots, Possibly Setting Up a Twist for the MCU
Marvel Continues To Show the Dangers of AI
Robots are non-living entities, but there has always been fear that AI will be a threat to humanity, both within the real world and within fictional settings, something that robots in the Marvel universe so often are. As HERBIE is also set to be in the upcomingFantastic Four: First Steps Film,the robot may be a twist villain that calls back to his first story arc from the comics. Villain or not, HERBIE’s immortality is always looming over the heroes, and his existence as an eternal AI is a terrifying power that can either help or harmthe Fantastic Four.
