| The Thing | |
|---|---|
 The Thing, as seen on the variant cover ofDark Reign: Fantastic Four #1 (May 2009). Art byMarko Djurdjević. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Fantastic Four #1 (November. 1961) |
| Created by | Stan Lee (writer) Jack Kirby (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Benjamin Jacob "Ben" Grimm |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Team affiliations | Fantastic Four Avengers Guardians of the Galaxy Future Foundation |
| Notable aliases | Blackbeard the Pirate Angrir: Breaker of Souls Dr. Josiah Verpoorteen El Morrito |
| Abilities |
|
TheThing (Benjamin Jacob "Ben"Grimm) is afictionalsuperhero character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. He is a founding member of theFantastic Four. The Thing was created by writer-editorStan Lee and artistJack Kirby, and he first appeared inFantastic Four #1 (cover-dated Nov. 1961). Known for his trademark rocky appearance, he has superhuman strength, a sense of humor, and the battle cry andcatchphrase "It's clobberin' time!". The Thing's personality and background is heavily modeled by Kirby's own background. A key feature throughout his character arc has him struggling to accept his newfound powers, which often culminates in his returning to his human form before going back to his mutated form. Eventually the Thing came to accept his mutated form and even found love with and married blind sculptor,Alicia Masters, and they adopted two alien children.
The Thing notably appeared in other media, includinglive-action films, withMichael Bailey Smith andCarl Ciarfalio playing the character in his human and mutated forms respectively in the unreleased filmThe Fantastic Four,Michael Chiklis in the 2005Fantastic Four film and its 2007 sequelFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,Jamie Bell in the2015 reboot, andEbon Moss-Bachrach in theMarvel Cinematic Universe filmThe Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), who will reprise the role inAvengers: Doomsday (2026) andAvengers: Secret Wars (2027).
Created by writer-editorStan Lee and artistJack Kirby, the character first appeared inThe Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961). Although Thing's speech patterns are loosely based onJimmy Durante,[1] Kirby modeled the character after himself.[2]
In addition to appearing in the Fantastic Four, the Thing has been the star ofMarvel Two-in-One,Strange Tales (with his fellow Fantastic Four member theHuman Torch), and two incarnations of his own eponymous series, as well as numerousminiseries andone-shots.
The Thing joined his Fantastic Four partner and frequent rival the Human Torch inStrange Tales #124 (1964), which previously featured solo adventures of the Human Torch and backupDoctor Strange stories. The change was intended to liven the comic through the always humorous chemistry between the Torch and the Thing. They were replaced in #135 (1965) with the "modern-day" version ofNick Fury, Agent ofS.H.I.E.L.D., who had already been appearing inSgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos.
After a 1973 try-out in two issues ofMarvel Feature, the Thing starred in the long-running seriesMarvel Two-in-One.[3] In each issue, Ben Grimm would team up with another character from theMarvel Universe, often an obscure or colorful character. The series helped to introduce characters from Marvel's lineup, by way of teaming up with the more recognizable Thing. In 1992, Marvel reprinted fourTwo-in-One stories (#50, 51, 77 and 80) as a miniseries under the titleThe Adventures of the Thing. The series was cancelled after 100 issues and sevenAnnuals to make way for a solo series.
The cancellation ofMarvel Two-in-One led to the Thing's first completely solo series, which ran for 36 issues.The Thing was originally written byJohn Byrne and later,Mike Carlin. The series also featured art byRon Wilson and later byPaul Neary. It elaborated on Ben Grimm's poor childhood onYancy Street in its early issues, and chronicled the Thing's later foray into the world ofprofessional wrestling. It also featured a major storyline offshoot from Marvel'sSecret Wars event, in which the Thing elects to remain on theBeyonder's Battleworld after discovering that the planet enables him to return to human form at will. A full third of the series' stories take place on Battleworld.
In 2002, Marvel releasedThe Thing: Freakshow, a four-issue miniseries written byGeoff Johns and illustrated byScott Kolins,[citation needed] in which the Thing travels across the United States by train, inadvertently stumbling upon a deformed gypsy boy he once ridiculed as a teenager, who is now the super-strong main attraction of a troupe of travelingcircus freaks. He later discovers a town full of alienKree andSkrull warriors fighting over aWatcher infant.
In 2003, Marvel released a four-issue miniseries written byEvan Dorkin and illustrated byDean Haspiel,The Thing: Night Falls on Yancy Street.[4] The story was more character-driven than the stories that usually feature the Thing.Tom Spurgeon found its outlook on relationships "depressing".[5]
After the success of the 2005Fantastic Four feature film and events in the comics series that resulted in Grimm becoming a millionaire, the Thing was once again given his own series in 2005,The Thing, written byDan Slott and penciled byAndrea Di Vito andKieron Dwyer.[6] It was canceled with issue #8 in 2006.[7]
The Thing was a member of theNew Avengers, when that team debuted in their self-titled second series in 2010.[8] He appeared as a regular character throughout the 2010–2013New Avengers series, from issue #1 (Aug. 2010) through its final issue #34 (Jan. 2013).
The Thing had another solo series in 2021, written byWalter Mosley and illustrated by Tom Reilly, which lasted for six issues.[9] A new limited series,Clobberin' Time, was launched in 2023, written and illustrated bySteve Skroce. The series sees Thing teaming up with various heroes.[10]
Born on Yancy Street inNew York City'sLower East Side, to aJewish[11] family,Benjamin Jacob "Ben" Grimm has an early life of poverty and hardship, shaping him into a tough, streetwise scrapper. His older brotherDaniel, whom Ben idolizes, is killed in a street gang fight when Ben is eight years old. This portion of his own life is modeled on that ofJack Kirby, who grew up on toughDelancey Street, whose brother died when he was young, whose father was named Benjamin, and who was named Jacob at birth.[12] Following the death of his parents, Ben is raised by his Uncle Jake (who married a much younger wife, Petunia, who becomes a frequent reference used by the character until her death).[13][14] He comes to lead the Yancy Street gang at one point.[15]
Excelling in football as a high school student, Ben receives a full scholarship to Empire State University, where he first meets his eventual lifelong friend in a teenaged genius namedReed Richards, as well as future enemyVictor von Doom.[16] Despite their being from radically different backgrounds, science student Richards describes to Grimm his dream of building a space rocket to explore the regions of space around Mars; Grimm jokingly agrees to fly that rocket when the day comes.
The details of his life story have been modified over the decades. Prior to the stories published in the 1970s, Grimm, after earning multiple advanced degrees in engineering,[17] serves in theUnited States Marine Corps as atest pilot duringWorld War II.[18] These exploits are chronicled to a limited extent inCaptain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders #7. While in the military,Nick Fury sends him,Logan, andCarol Danvers toVladivostok on a secret surveillance mission.[19] Following this, he becomes an astronaut forNASA,[volume & issue needed] taking part in attempts to reach the Moon, occurring at a time before any crewed spaceship had escaped Earth's gravity.[20]
In keeping with an early taboo in the comic superhero world against revealing a character's religion,[citation needed] the fact that Grimm is Jewish was not explicitly revealed until four decades after his creation, in the story "Remembrance of Things Past" inFantastic Four vol. 3, #56 (Aug. 2002). In this story, Grimm returns to his old neighborhood to find Mr. Sheckerberg, a pawn shop owner he knew as a child. Flashbacks during this story reveal Grimm's Jewish heritage. He recites theShema, an important and oft-recited Jewish prayer (which, translated to English, begins "Hear, O Israel") over the dying Sheckerberg, who eventually recovers.[11] In a later story, Grimm celebrates hisBar Mitzvah, as it has been 13 years, the age a Jewish boy celebrates his Bar Mitzvah, since he began his "second life" as the Thing. To celebrate the ceremony, he organizes apoker tournament and invites every available superhero.[21]
In the 2004Fantastic Four story "Hereafter Part 1: A Glimpse of God", the Thing is killed by an energy weapon wielded by Reed Richards, but is resurrected byGod.[11][22]
Out of universe, Jack Kirby featured the Thing on his family's 1976Hanukkah card.[23]
Some years later, Reed Richards, now a successful scientist, once again makes contact with Grimm. Richards has built his spaceship, and reminds Grimm of his promise to fly it. After the government denies him permission to fly the spaceship himself, Richards plots a clandestine flight piloted by Grimm and accompanied by his future wifeSusan Storm, who had helped provide funding for the rocket, and her younger brotherJohnny Storm, who helped the group gain access to the launch system. Although reluctant to fly the rocket, Ben is persuaded to do so by Sue, for whom he has a soft spot. During this unauthorized ride into the upper atmosphere of Earth and theVan Allen Belts, they are pelted by acosmic ray storm and exposed to radiation against which the ship's shields offer no protection. Upon crashing down to Earth, each of the four learn that they have developed fantastic superhuman abilities. Grimm's skin is transformed into a thick, lumpy orange hide, which gradually evolves into his now-familiar craggy covering of large rocky plates. Richards proposes the quartet band together to use their new abilities for the betterment of humanity, and Grimm, in a moment of self-pity, adopts the super-heroic sobriquet,the Thing. The team clashes with theMole Man in their first appearance.[20]
Trapped in his monstrous form, Grimm is an unhappy yet reliable member of the team. He trusts in his friend Reed Richards to one day develop a cure for his condition. However, when he encounters blind sculptorAlicia Masters,[24] Grimm develops an unconscious resistance to being transformed back to his human form. Subconsciously fearing that Masters prefers him to remain in the monstrous form of the Thing, Grimm's body rejects various attempts by Richards to restore his human form, lest he lose Masters' love. Grimm has remained a stalwart member of the Fantastic Four for years. The Thing first fought theHulk early in his career,[25] with many such further clashes over the years. Not long after that, he is first reverted to his human form, but is then restored to his Thing form to battleDoctor Doom.[26]
Grimm has been temporarily replaced on the team twice. First, after Grimm temporarily lost his powers and reverted to human form,[27] Reed Richards hiredLuke Cage (then using the code name "Power Man") to take his place until Richards had completed a Thing-suit for Ben (however, Ben unexpectedly reverted into the actual Thing again later on).[28]
Years later, after Grimm chose to remain onBattleworld in the aftermath of the "Secret Wars" due to his apparent control over his transformation between his human and mutated states, he asked theShe-Hulk to fill in for him. Mister Fantastic did leave him with the device needed to return to Earth when it comes time.[29][30] The Thing's time on Battleworld lasted until Ben eventually decides to return home after defeating Ultron and slaying his manifested dark side Grimm the Sorcerer. Once he left, the planet had no more reason to exist and so it broke apart.[31]
On returning to Earth, he learns that Alicia had become romantically involved with his teammate Johnny Storm during his absence[32] (it is eventually revealed that this Alicia was theSkrull impostorLyja).[33] An angry Grimm wallows in self-pity for a time, later on accompanying theWest Coast Avengers,[34] and actually joining the team for a while.[35] Eventually, he returns to his surrogate family as leader of the Fantastic Four when Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman leave the team to raise their son Franklin, at which point Ben invitesCrystal andMs. Marvel II (Sharon Ventura) to fill their slots.[36] Soon after Sharon and Ben are irradiated with cosmic rays, Sharon becomes the She-Thing, lumpy much like Ben was in his first few appearances, while Ben mutates into a new rockier, more powerful form.[37]
After being further mutated into the more monstrous rocky form, Ben is briefly changed back to his human form, and returned leadership of the Fantastic Four to Reed Richards.[38] Grimm once more returned to his traditional orange rocky form out of love for Ms. Marvel.[39] He remains a steadfast member of the Fantastic Four.
In aFantastic Four comic published in 2005, Ben learns that he is entitled to a large sum of money, his share of the Fantastic Four fortune, which Reed Richards had never touched, as he had the shares of the other teammates (who were family members) to pay off various debts of the group.
The Thing uses his newfound wealth to build a community center in his old neighborhood on Yancy Street, the "Grimm Youth Center". Thinking the center is named after the Thing himself, theYancy Street Gang plans to graffiti the building exterior, but discovers the building was actually named after Daniel Grimm, Ben's deceased older brother and former leader of the gang. The relationship between the Yancy Streeters and the Thing is then effectively reconciled, or at least changed to a more good-natured, playful rivalry (as exemplified by the comic ending, with the Yancy Streeters spray-painting the sleeping Thing).
Some personality traits of the cantankerously lovable, occasionally cigar-smoking,Jewish native of the Lower East Side are popularly recognized as having been inspired by those of co-creator Jack Kirby, who in interviews has said he intended Grimm to be an alter ego of himself.[40]
Initially in the 2006 storyline "Civil War", Ben is a reluctant member of the pro-registration side of the controversy over theSuperhuman Registration Act (SHRA), until he witnesses a battle on Yancy Street in whichCaptain America's forces try to rescue captured allies held byIron Man's forces. The Fantastic Four's foes theMad Thinker and thePuppet Master try to escalate the battle, using a mind-controlled Yancy Streeter to deliver a bomb. The young man dies and the Thing verbally blasts both sides for not caring about the civilians caught in the conflict. He announces that, while he thinks the registration is wrong, he is also not going to fight the government and is thus leaving the country for France. While in France, he meetsLes Héros de Paris ("The Heroes of Paris").[41]
Ben returns to New York as both sides of the SHRA battle in the city. Indifferent to choosing sides, Ben focuses on protecting civilians from harm.[42]
InFantastic Four #543 (March 2007), Ben celebrates the Fantastic Four's 11th anniversary along with the Human Torch, and latecomers Reed and Sue. The aftermath of the Civil War is still being felt in this issue, as Ben and Johnny (and evenFranklin Richards) consider the future of the team and Reed and Sue's marriage. When Reed and Sue arrive near the issue's end, they announce that they are taking a break from the team and have found two replacement members: theBlack Panther, andStorm of theX-Men. The title of the story in this issue is a quote from Ben, "Come on, Suzie, don't leave us hangin'."[43]
Ben Grimm served as one of the pallbearers at the memorial service for Captain America, along with Tony Stark, Ms. Marvel, Rick Jones, T'Challa and Sam Wilson.[44]
Ben has been identified as Number 53 of the 142 registered superheroes who appear on the cover of the comic bookAvengers: The Initiative #1.[45]
Ben once again tries to take on the Hulk within the events of the 2007 storyline "World War Hulk" to buy Reed Richards the time he needs to complete his plans for the Hulk. Ben gives his best shots, but the Hulk takes his punches without slowing down. The Hulk proceeds to knock out Ben by punching both sides of his head simultaneously.[46] He is later seen captive in Madison Square Garden, which the Hulk has turned into a gladiatorial arena, with an obedience disk fitted on him.[47]
Released from his imprisonment, Ben,Spider-Man, andLuke Cage attack theWarbound, with Ben fightingKorg. Their battle is brought to an abrupt end whenHiroim repairs the damage toManhattan Island, drawing energy from Ben and Korg to do so.[48]
In theSecret Invasion: Fantastic Four miniseries, the Skrull Lyja, posing as Sue, sends theBaxter Building, with Ben, Johnny, Franklin, andValeria Richards inside, into theNegative Zone. Not long after their arrival, Ben has to protect Franklin and Valeria from an impending onslaught of giant insects.[49] With the aid of theTinkerer, who Ben broke out of the Negative Zone Prison, they, with the exception of Lyja who stayed behind,[50] were able to return to the regular Marvel Universe just after the invasion was over.[51]
Following theSiege ofAsgard,Luke Cage asks Ben to serve on hisNew Avengers team. Although Ben states that his loyalty will always be to the Fantastic Four, Cage confirms that he is not asking Ben to resign from his original team, merely suggesting that Ben split his time between the two teams, asWolverine divides his time between theX-Men and the Avengers.[52]
During the 2011 "Fear Itself" storyline, Ben lifts one of the seven fallen hammers of theSerpent and becomes Angrir: Breaker of Souls.[53] In this form, he then destroys Yancy Street and Avengers Tower,[54] and battles Spider-Man,[55] Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman,[56] before confronting Thor, who seriously wounds him.[57] Franklin then uses his powers to restore Ben to his normal self, free from the Serpent's possession.[58]
In the 2014 "Original Sin" storyline, after learning from the eye of the murderedUatu that Johnny Storm unintentionally sabotaged an experiment that could have allowed Grimm to become human again,[59] Ben is found having apparently murdered thePuppet Master; the crime was committed in a sealed room that even Reed Richards could barely penetrate, with Alicia Masters as the only witness.[60] Although Ben claims innocence, his depression over recent events prompts him to accept incarceration in the Raft.[61] Although power-dampeners in the Raft restrict his strength to a more manageable level, he is attacked by various other thick-skinned superhumans — including theArmadillo andIronclad — on orders of the current 'boss' of the prison,Sharon Ventura, the She-Thing.[62] Eventually, Ben forms an alliance with theSandman and manages to escape the prison with the aid of a plan coordinated by theShe-Hulk andAnt-Man, allowing him to rejoin Sue and Johnny to investigate Reed's recent abduction,[63] revealing that the dead Puppet Master came from the alternate Earth Franklin had created.[volume & issue needed]
As the Fantastic Four disbanded in the aftermath of the "Secret Wars" storyline, the Thing is working with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Human Torch is acting as an ambassador with the Inhumans and becoming part of the Uncanny Avengers.[64]
During the 2017 "Secret Empire" storyline, the Thing appears as a member of the Underground, which is a resistance movement againstHydra ever since they took over the United States, until the real Captain America returns, ending Hydra's empires and defeating his Hydra counterpart.[65]
To help the Thing cope with Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman's disappearance, the Human Torch takes him on a journey through the Multiverse, using the Multisect to find them.[66] They have not been able to find Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, as they return to Earth-616 empty-handed.[67] The Thing and the Human Torch were reunited with Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman to help alongside other superheroes who were part of the Fantastic Four (includingX-Men memberIceman) fight the Griever at the End of All Things after Mister Fantastic persuaded the Griever to let him summon the Thing and the Human Torch. As the Thing and his teammates finally return to 616, while the Future Foundation stays behind to keep learning about the Multiverse, the Thing reveals to them that he and Alicia proposed their wedding and are about to get married soon. Although the Baxter Building is now owned by a new superhero team, Fantastix, the Thing allows his teammates to use his hometown in Yancy Street as their current operation base.[68]
The Thing is generally well liked by other heroes within theMarvel Universe. Grimm's relationship with his teammates has been a close but occasionally edgy one given his temper. He and Johnny Storm (the Human Torch) often argue and clash but they do respect each other.[citation needed]
Grimm's first love interest is the blind Alicia Masters, and he is intensely protective of her. When Johnny starts a relationship of his own with Alicia and they become engaged, Grimm is upset. However, he has to concede that, unlike himself and his stone-covered body, Johnny can "be a man".[69] He agrees to act asbest man at their wedding.[70] The relationship between Alicia and Johnny ends with the revelation that the Alicia that Johnny fell in love with is actuallyLyja, a member of the shape-changing alien race known as theSkrulls. The real Alicia, who was kept insuspended animation, is rescued by the Fantastic Four and reunited with the Thing.[volume & issue needed]
Ben begins dating a teacher named Debbie Green.[71] Ben soon asks Debbie to marry him, which she accepts.[72] He later leaves her at the altar when he realizes the dangers of thewives of superheroes.[73]
Ben and Alicia, on the other hand, do get married, despite an attack by Galactus.[74] Later, in the aftermath of conflict between theKree, theSkrulls and the Cotati, Ben and Alicia adopt two orphans, Kree boy Jo-Venn and Skrull girl N'Kala.[75]
Grimm is best friends withReed Richards, whom he addresses with the nickname "Stretch", due to Richards' natural height and his ability to stretch his body. However, Grimm also holds Reed responsible for his condition, since Richards had dismissed the potential danger of the cosmic rays that gave them their powers, although Grimm had taken them very seriously.[20] At times of real frustration towards Reed, Grimm refers to him simply as "Richards".[76][77]
Grimm is thegodfather of Reed andSue's sonFranklin, who affectionately calls him "Unca Ben".[78]
The Thing's primary superhuman power is his great physical strength.[79] Over the years, as a result of further mutation and rigorous training on machines designed by Reed Richards, his strength has increased dramatically.[volume & issue needed]
He is capable of surviving impacts of great force without sustaining injury, as his body is covered with an orange, flexible, rock-like hide. He is also able to withstand gunfire from high-caliber weapons as well as armor-piercing rounds. It is possible to breach his exterior, and he does bleed as a result. One such instance involvedWolverine'sadamantium claws scarring The Thing's face.[80]
The Thing's highly advanced musculature generates fewer fatigue toxins during physical activity, granting him superhuman levels of stamina. When in his Thing form, he has only four fingers on each hand and four toes on each foot. The loss of one digit of each hand and foot, aside from the increase in volume of the remainder, does not affect his manual dexterity. That said, he has been shown doing things like holding a pencil and using it to dial a phone (even withrotary dials), or to push buttons on a keypad, to use devices that would ordinarily be too small for him.[volume & issue needed]
Although he very rarely does so, the Thing is capable of performing super-human leaps several stories high.[81][82][83][84]
Aside from his physical attributes, the Thing's senses can withstand higher levels of sensory stimulation than an ordinary human, with the exception of his sense of touch. His lungs are possessed of greater efficiency and volume than those of an ordinary human. As a result, the Thing is capable of holding his breath for much longer periods of time.[volume & issue needed]
The Thing is an exceptionally skilledpilot, due to his time spent as a test pilot in theUnited States Marine Corps and as a founding member of the Fantastic Four. He is also a formidable and relentless hand-to-hand combatant. His fighting style incorporates elements ofboxing,[85]wrestling,judo,[85]jujitsu, andstreet-fighting techniques, as well ashand-to-hand combat training from the military.[volume & issue needed]
On occasion, when Ben Grimm regained his human form and lost his Thing powers, he used a suit of powered battle armor designed by Reed Richards that simulated the strength and durability of his mutated body, albeit to a weaker degree. Wearing the suit, which was designed to physically resemble his rocky form, Ben continued to participate in the Fantastic Four's adventures. The first exo-skeletal Thing suit was destroyed afterGalactus restored Ben's natural powers and form. A second suit was built (presumably by Richards) and used sporadically when Ben had been returned to his human form again.[86]
Reed has failed many times to restore Ben permanently to human form. When Doom reverses Sharon Ventura's similar cosmic-ray transformation, he uses both science and magic.[87] Ben is almost immortal when in his Thing form, as he only ages when he is human. After Franklin and Valeria create a formula that allows Ben to become human for one week each year, Reed and Nathaniel traveled over 3,000 years into the future to see Ben still alive after all that time.[88]
In theAge of Apocalypse, Ben Grimm never becomes the Thing, and instead is a Human High Council Agent, fighting Apocalypse's forces, alongside Clint Barton (Hawkeye), Donald Blake (Thor), Carol Danvers (Ms. Marvel),Gateway,Gwen Stacy, Tony Stark (Iron Man), Susan Storm (Invisible Woman), and Victor von Doom (Doctor Doom). In his place,Bruce Banner becomes aGrey Hulk-like monster called the Thing. InWhat If?: X-Men Age of Apocalypse #1 (2007), Ben is a member of the Defenders, the Age of Apocalypse version of the Avengers/Ultimates.
In the "Age of Ultron" reality, the Thing along with Human Torch and Mister Fantastic are shown to seemingly perish by attacks from multiple Ultron drones.[89]
OnCounter Earth, counterparts of the Fantastic Four hijack an experimental spaceship to be the first humans in space.Man-Beast negates the effects of the cosmic radiation for all of them exceptReed Richards who succumbs to the effects a decade later.[90] Ben Grimm's counterpart is shown to be unaffected by the cosmic radiation and is currently assisting Richards by gathering data held by theHigh Evolutionary.[91]
In this universe, Ben andReed Richards are the only occupants of the experimental spacecraft that exposes them to cosmic rays. Ben is called "Mr. Fantastic" and has stretching and flame powers instead.[92]
On Earth-818, which was conquered by Multiversal Masters of Evil memberBlack Skull, a version of Ben Grimm called Infinity Thing appears as a member of the resistance against Black Skull that is led byAnt-Man (this Earth's version of Tony Stark). He is described as an astronaut who went into outer space and came back with a multicolored rock-skinned body. Following Black Skull's defeat, Ant-Man joinsRobbie Reyes and hisDeathlok companion in their quest to liberate the enslaved Earths from the Multiversal Masters of Evil as he leaves Infinity Thing andWonder Man to rebuild Earth-818.[93]
Following Ghost Rider's sacrifice to stop the flow of the ancient Multiverse's energies from the other side, Infinity Thing and Wonder Man are shown to be members of the Multiversal Avengers.[94]
In this six-issue miniseries, the entire Solar System is being colonized by humanity, with humanity undergoing a Golden Age because of the use of technology developed by Reed Richards in an effort to create a utopia. The Thing is married to Alicia Masters, has three super-powered children, and resides on Mars with the Inhumans. He is now capable of shifting between his human form and 'Thing' form at will.[95]
In the 1996 "Heroes Reborn" universe, Ben and Johnny share a more dangerous adversarial relationship, knowing each other even before the ill-fated spaceflight.[volume & issue needed]
In the 2021 "Heroes Reborn" universe, Benjamin Grimm and Reed Richards never traveled to outer space and are just normal humans.[96]
In theHouse of M limited series, Ben is the pilot in Reed Richards' voyage to space, alongside Susan Storm andJohn Jameson. Like the others, Grimm is mutated, though he is the only survivor of the rocket's explosion. Ben is transformed into a rock-skinned creature with superhuman strength and a diminished intellect. He is taken in by Dr. Doom, who names himthe It. The It becomes one of the Fearsome Four, though he is treated like an animal and often the victim of Doom's frustrations.[97]
InNeil Gaiman'sMarvel 1602, Benjamin Grimm is the captain of the shipThe Fantastick, before gaining his abilities from the Anomaly. His power is associated with theclassical element ofearth.[98]
In the sequel,1602: Fantastick Four, Benjamin finds work as an actor withWilliam Shakespeare's troupe, where he can hide his monstrous form behind false whiskers asFalstaff. He is soon forced to reveal himself, however, when Otto von Doom'svulture soldiers kidnap Shakespeare.[99]
On theMarvel 2099 reality of Earth-96943, the Thing of 2099 is a clone of Ben Grimm. He and his fellowFantastic Four clones were created by the 2099 version ofUatu the Watcher.[100]
In theMarvel Mangaverse comics, Benjamin (pronounced "Ben-ya-meen") Grimm is a member of the Megascale Metatalent Response Team Fantastic Four.[101]
In this miniseries, the Thing, along with the other three members of theFantastic Four, is acannibalisticzombie because of an alienvirus infection that has spread to all heroes.[volume & issue needed] Reed Richards has gone insane after deliberately infecting Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm.[volume & issue needed] They turn into zombies and infect Reed, too, who willingly allows them to do so to feel what being infected is like. Zombie Reed contacts Ultimate Reed and hisUltimate team counterparts and is subsequently foiled.[volume & issue needed] They are even foiled byMagneto, who had saved Ultimate Reed from the zombies. The Thing and the others find Ultimate Doctor Doom's body swapped with Ultimate Reed. Ultimate Reed (in Ultimate Doom's body) kills all of the Fantastic Four. The Thing is seemingly killed by Reed/Doom when he rips off his arm and beats him with it, but his remains are sent back to his universe.[volume & issue needed]
In the alternative future timeline of the Marvel universe published under theMC2 imprint, Ben is still a member of the Fantastic Four, whose roster has expanded to make them theFantastic 5. In this future, he is married toSharon Ventura and has a set of twin children by her (Jacob and Alyce), though they are now divorced. He appears alongside the F5 whenever they appear in theSpider-Girl series and related mini-series.[102]
InMarvel Two-in-One #50 (April 1979), Reed Richards advises Ben that the cure Reed has developed for his condition will not work. Ben time-travels to the past to give himself the cure at an earlier stage, where it might work. It does, but on return to the present, nothing has changed. Reed advises him that he succeeded only in creating an alternative universe. InMarvel Two-in-One #100 (June 1983), Reed examines records of that trip and determines that Ben did not create that reality after all, based on a newspaper that shows the name of the city as "New Amsterdam" instead of "New York". Ben returns to that reality, where Ben Grimm is a bartender and the leader of the remaining humans in a post-apocalyptic city.
InWarren Ellis' 1995Ruins miniseries, Ben refuses to fly Reed's ship theAstraea, feeling it inadequately engineered. Victor von Doom pilots it instead. This results in the horrific mutation and subsequent deaths of all on board. Grimm avoids becoming the Thing, but is left to live with the guilt of thinking he could have prevented the tragedy. Grimm's decision to refuse Richards' offer seems to be the single moment that caused this reality to go horribly wrong, with ramifications leading to a corrupt government, concentration camps and the horrific fates of the would-be Marvels of this universe.[103]
In this reality whereGwen Stacy became Spider-Woman, Ben Grimm is an NYPD cop who never became Thing. Noticeably out of all the Fantastic Four members in this reality, Ben is the only one who is an adult, as Johnny and Sue are child television stars and Reed is a kid genius.[104]
In theUltimate Marvel universe, Ben is Reed's childhood friend: Ben would protect Reed from bullies and Reed would help Ben with his homework. When Ben is invited to watch Reed's teleportation experiment, he is caught in it with Reed and the others. The resulting event gives Ben a rocky hide and enormous strength.[105]
In one storyline, the four travel through time to prevent Reed's experiment from failing. Instead, he contacts the Skrulls, and the resultant trade of information gives humanity super-powers from the aliens, rather than from the accident. While most of the Fantastic Four gain the same powers they would have in most other worlds, Ben himself opts to refuse. When the Skrulls betray humanity and the super-powered humans are all killed, Ben confronts their leader and travels back in time once more to set things "right," although he sacrifices himself in the process.
Later, Ben transforms again, potentially thanks to Reed, back to a more human form, as if the rocky exterior were a cocoon. In his new form, he typically appears human, but his skin may take on a purple glow accompanying moments of strength. Other abilities include the capacity to move through Susan's force fields and others hinted at but yet unclear. He later demonstrated the ability to go back and forth between his two forms.[106]
At the end of the Doomsday trilogy, Ben and Susan are engaged.[107]
During the "Ultimate Invasion" storyline,Maker traveled toEarth-6160 and remade it into his own image. One of the things he did was to make sure that those who would have become the Fantastic Four did not fly into the cosmic storm. Maker's memory log lists Ben Grimm as "deceased".[108] This was further elaborated inDoom's flashback where they took the shuttle into outer space againstFranklin Storm's orders. Because of Maker's sabotage, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm were killed, Susan Storm sustained terminal radiation poisoning, and Reed Richards was imprisoned.[109]
Thing has been featured in severalWhat If stories.
The Thing appears in the BBC radio adaptation of theSpider Man comics, voiced by Gary Martin.[133]
In 2011,IGN ranked the Thing 18th in the "Top 100 Comic Book Heroes",[135] and 23rd in their list of "The Top 50 Avengers" in 2012.[136] The Thing was namedEmpire magazine's tenth of "The 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters" in 2008.[137]
The Thing was ranked #2 on a listing of Marvel Comics' monster characters in 2015.[138]
In 2022,Screen Rant included The Thing in their "MCU: 10 Most Desired Fan Favorite Debuts Expected In The Multiverse Saga" list.[139]
Lee later noted that The Thing was themost popular character in the Fantastic Four; he surmised that the character fit the classicgrotesque archetype, much asQuasimodo was more popular thanClaude Frollo, Esmerelda or the more "glamorous" characters inThe Hunchback of Notre-Dame. For his next superhero creation, he deliberately drew on that popularity in creating the similarly monstrousHulk.[140]
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thing Classic Vol. 1 | Thing (vol. 1) #1–10 | March 2011 | 978-0785153085 |
| Thing Classic Vol. 2 | Thing (vol. 1) #11–22,Fantastic Four #274 | August 2012 | 978-0785159797 |
| Thing Omnibus | Thing (vol. 1) #1–36;Fantastic Four #274, 277, 296;Secret Wars II #7;West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #10;Questprobe #3;Marvel Tales #198;The Incredible Hulk and the Thing: The Big Change and material fromMarvel Fanfare #15,Marvel Super-Heroes #5 | November 2022 | 978-1302945787 |
| Hulk & Thing: Hard Knocks | Hulk & Thing: Hard Knocks #1–4,Giant-Size Super Stars #1 | February 2005 | 978-0785115762 |
| Fantastic Four: Clobberin' Time | Tales of The Thing #1–3,Marvel Age Fantastic Four Tales #1,Spider-Man Team-Up Special #1 | June 2005 | 978-0785117384 |
| The Thing: Freakshow | Thing: Freakshow #1–4,Thing & She-Hulk: The Long Night #1 | July 2005 | 978-0785119111 |
| Stan Lee Meets | Stan Lee Meets the Thing #1 andStan Lee Meets the Amazing Spider-Man #1,Stan Lee Meets Doctor Strange #1,Stan Lee Meets Doctor Doom #1,Stan Lee Meets Silver Surfer #1;Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #87,Fantastic Four (vol. 1) #79, 87,Marvel Premiere #3,Silver Surfer (vol. 1) #14. | March 2007 | 978-0785122722 |
| Thing: Idol of Millions | Thing (vol. 2) #1–8 | September 2006 | 978-0785118138 |
| Thing: The Next Big Thing | Thing (vol. 3) #1–6 | September 2022 | 978-1302927998 |
| Clobberin' Time | Clobberin' Time #1–5 | October 2023 | 978-1302934668 |
The Thing has joined the Guardians Of The Galaxy amidst cosmic wordplay between Rocket Raccoon and the Kitty Pryde Starlord. While the Human Torch has joined the Uncanny Avengers, and we already know is getting down with Inhuman Queen Medusa.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)The horror tropes surrounding the Thing really didn't last too long, but seriously, read those early FFs, you can almost hear the classic eerie organ music when Ben steps onto the page - classic horror goodness.
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