The Bear Prequel Just Surprise Dropped on Hulu (And It Has a Marvel Reunion at the Center)

As fans of The Bear eagerly await the upcoming fifth and final season of the hit FX on Hulu TV Series this summer, the team behind the Emmy-winning series has debuted a major surprise. Without any warning, promotion, or even a hint that it was happening, FX, Hulu, and The Bear team have officially released a prequel to the series. Titled Gary, the one-episode prequel event is written by and stars The Bear‘s own Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal, and was directed by The Bear creator Christopher Storer. Set a few years before the events of The Bear, the prequel episode Gary can be watched right now on Hulu.

In addition to writing the episode, Ebon Moss-Bachrach reprises his role of Richie in the new prequel episode, starring alongside Jon Bernthal as Mikey Berzatto with a story that further goes into their relationship prior to Carmy’s return to Chicago. “COUSINS! PRIMOS! CUGINI!!! Get ready for GARY!!!!” Moss-Bachrach wrote in a post on Instagram. “We are so excited to finally share this little adventure with Richie and Mikey…Making this was a dream come true. Thanks to the beautiful people of Gary, Indiana and as always Chicago, Illinois. Search ‘Gary’ in HULU to watch.”

The Bear Prequel Episode Surprise Released by FX and Hulu

Central to the “Gary” prequel of The Bear is that Richie and Mikey have been given a specific task, transporting a mysterious taped-up box for Uncle Jimmy from Chicago to Gary, Indiana. Though Richie presses Mikey for what’s in the contents of the box, he won’t tell him as they make the trip to the adjacent city. The duo ends up spending plenty of time in the small town, though, as they have to wait for the delivery of the mysterious package. That said, there is a ticking clock, as the opening of “Gary” reveals Richie is still married to Tiffany (featuring the return of Gillian Jacobs), who is very pregnant with their daughter.

What’s unclear about the one-off “Gary” prequel to The Bear is how it came to be, an answer we’ll no doubt get down the road. Perhaps the new episode was originally planned to be a part of the upcoming fifth season, and there was no place for it in the grand scheme of the season as the edits all came together. The other potential origin story is that it just sprang from the two stars spitballing ideas and realizing that they’d come up with something that could fit into the tableau of the show on its own. What also remains to be seen is if “Gary” really will be just a one-and-done story, or if it will continue down its own path as well.

As noted, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal are front and center in the “Gary” prequel as their fan-favorite characters, but the episode goes a little deeper for Marvel fans, acting as a reunion for the pair after Marvel’s The Punisher series. In the Netflix spinoff from Daredevil, Bernthal obviously played the titular vigilante, but Ebon Moss-Bachrach also starred, appearing as Frank’s right-hand man, David Lieberman aka Micro.

Though he only appeared in the first season of the series, it seems unlikely that he will return to the character since his story was completed. Furthermore, Ebon Moss-Bachrach has found a new role in the MCU, playing Ben Grimm of the Fantastic Four. As a result, “Gary” may be the closest that Marvel fans ever get to seeing these two on screen again. The pair have clearly become great friends, though in addition to being frequent collaborators, as they’re currently starring in a Broadway run of the play version of Dog Day Afternoon.