While he might not be an official member of the Fantastic Four, H.E.R.B.I.E. is an honorary member of the team and has had a special place in fans’ hearts. Fortunately, he is finally getting the big screen treatment in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Ever since H.E.R.B.I.E. was showcased in the Valentine’s Day cast announcement, fans set their dream picks for the voice behind H.E.R.B.I.E. in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There was a big push for Blank Check co-host Griffin Newman, while many theorized that H.E.R.B.I.E. was the role Natasha Lyonne had been cast for. Now, fans know who will bring H.E.R.B.I.E. to life, and it is a Star Wars legend.
Empire revealed that Matthew Wood, a veteran sound designer best known as General Grievous’s voice in the Star Wars franchise, will be lending his voice to H.E.R.B.I.E. in The Fantastic Four. Director Matt Shakman is hyping up Wood’s performance, saying, “He’s charming, he’s funny — but he also will break your heart, which I hope is emblematic of the movie.” Shakman and special effects supervisor Alistair Williams broke down how they brought H.E.R.B.I.E. to life as a combination of a practical puppet and CGI, as well as his importance to the film. They said:

Shakman: “He’s absolutely as important and as alive as any other member of the cast. He’s sometimes a slightly put-upon robot, but he is definitely a member of the family. He’s just so charming and adorable. He is really Reed’s right hand in the lab, capable of assisting him on any sort of experiment, always by his side whether in New York City or out in space.”

Alistar Williams: “Our ‘prime’ one has fully moving head and arms. We’ve had him driving around the set, cleaning, picking up toys, serving Martinis…”

Empire released a new look at H.E.R.B.I.E., which you can see below.
H.E.R.B.I.E.’s Origins

H.E.R.B.I.E. was created for the animated series The New Fantastic Four to replace Johnny Storm / The Human Torch. An urban legend spread that H.E.R.B.I.E. was added because there were concerns kids would light themselves on fire trying to mimic the Human Torch. The actual reason was that the Human Torch’s rights had been sold off separately to make a feature film that never materialized. H.E.R.B.I.E. was folded into the Marvel Comics continuity in Fantastic Four #209 in August 1979, one year after The New Fantastic Four animated series premiered.

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Matthew Wood is certainly an inspired pick to voice H.E.R.B.I.E. Wood is an accomplished sound designer, having worked on every Star Wars film since Revenge of the Sith and even received an Academy Award nomination for his work on There Will Be Blood. In addition to voicing General Grievous in Revenge of the Sith and The Clone Wars, Wood has also done uncredited voice work on The Force Awakens and done additional acting on movies like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Knives Out. It is unclear whether Wood will be voicing H.E.R.B.I.E. with actual lines or providing various robotic sounds, like Star Wars legend Ben Burtt did for R2-D2, but Wood is an inspired pick.
While disliked initially by fans, H.E.R.B.I.E. has become a beloved part of the franchise lore. He was featured in a deleted scene in 2005’s Fantastic Four as a prototype, and the scene was restored in the extended edition. Concept art for H.E.R.B.I.E. was drawn up for 2015’s Fantastic Four, but that never materialized. Nearly 40 years after his creation, H.E.R.B.I.E. is finally getting the big screen treatment and is sure to become a fan-favorite, particularly a merchandisable character for Marvel and Disney.
Source: Empire