Superhero Sundays: The Thing
By Ian T. Wilson
Rating: G
Word Count: 348
Summary: A brief biography of Marvel’s Thing
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to another Superhero Sunday. I am Ian Wilson, Fellowship and Fairydust’s comic book expert. This week we’re discussing one my favorite characters: Marvel Comics’ the Thing.
Benjamin J Grimm was a pilot in the United States Air Force; in fact, he was one of the best pilots the Air Force ever had. They called him the “Grimm Reaper”. So when Reed Richards was in need of a pilot to help him win the Space Race, he looked no further than his best friend Ben. Reed, Ben, Susan Storm and her younger brother Johnny boarded the spacecraft and took off for the moon. But there was an accident; the four were exposed to excessive amounts of cosmic rays that altered their biology, giving them new powers. When they landed, they vowed to use these new powers for good. They called themselves the Fantastic Four.
The accident had given Ben superhuman strength and invulnerability, however, it had also given him rock-like skin and a grotesque appearance. Thus he dubbed himself the Thing. He was monstrous! Throughout the Fantastic Four comics, Reed is constantly trying to restore his friend’s normal appearance, having little success. His strength has made him a valuable asset to the Fantastic Four on many occasions; for example, Ben has had to fight the Hulk several times. There’s a debate about whether he could actually defeat the Hulk; I am of the opinion that he can, based on the fact that the Hulk has to return to being Bruce Banner eventually, while the Thing does not.
Ben grew up on the streets of New York, so he’s a pretty tough guy. This often leads to personality conflicts with the other characters, particularly Johnny. But at the end of the day, Ben has a heart of gold and he wouldn’t hesitate to help Johnny and the others out of a jam.
The Thing first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 way back in 1961. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Well, mostly Jack Kirby, but let’s not argue semantics.