comic con

Since actors Vanessa Kirby and Pedro Pascal began promoting Marvel’s new “Fantastic Four” reboot (playing Sue Storm and Reed Richards, respectively), fans have speculated over their offscreen chemistry.

Countless clips of their red carpet interviews have circulated social media, with comments noting how they “couldn’t stop staring at each other” following, suggesting romance was in the air. Most of the theories fell pretty heavily on Kirby’s side, with people joking about her “flirting” with Pascal, even being full blown “in love” with him.

So when the duo were seen holding hands while on stage for a Comic Con panel, you can bet more rumors spread. But the truth behind that hand hold is actually much more heartwarming.

Pascal has frequently been open about his struggles with anxiety, especially in high profile situations. In an interview with The Guardian (according to Wio News) he shared that it “is something that I’ve lived with since I was a child, so it’s a part of my chemistry. I don’t know what kind of person I’d be without it. It’s something that I manage, but it’s also part of what makes me, me.”

You can see Pascal “managing” this stress in real time in a video posted to Instagram about a year ago, when he performed his new signature red carpet pose of placing his hand on his upper abdomen, and telling his “Last of Us” costar Bella Ramsey that “my anxiety is right there."

We see a bit more of that in the now-viral clip of Pascal and Kirby. Starting to get overwhelmed, Pascal reaches out for her, and after he briefly touches her upper arm, Kirby gracefully reaches behind to grab his hand, and holds it for the remainder of the interview, never missing a beat.

It’s such a simple gesture, but having someone hold your hand really does work wonders for regulating those overwhelming emotions and grounding us into the present moment. And people applauded Kirby for “understanding the assignment.”

“You can tell he needed support and she was there to help him,” one viewer wrote.

Others commended Pascal for dropping the masculine bravado and just being vulnerable.

As one person put it, “I think he's doing something wonderful for men everywhere by not masking and letting people see his anxiety. We should normalize giving comfort and support, especially in public places. She's fantastic for so freely offering that lil bit of support too.”

Another said “To all the young bucks in need of male role models... look at Pedro instead of the Andrew Tates of the world. It takes a lot of vulnerability to speak about dealing with anxiety let alone show it in such a public venue. Pedro is the epitome of what masculinity should be. Be strong, but gentle.”

So did we get a sneak peek into showmance? Who knows, and frankly…who cares? What we definitely saw was a tender moment of compassion between two humans, and a brilliant example of the importance of support and companionship for those managing anxiety or other mental health challenges. That’s the real thing worth talking about.