Thing

Powers and abilities

• Superhuman strength: can lift close to 100 tons
• Rock-like hide: orange stony skin resists bullets and heavy blows
• Stamina: fights for long periods without tiring
• Slowed aging: his mutated body ages far more slowly
• Pilot expertise: highly skilled pilot of aircraft and spacecraft
• Brawling: tough street fighter and veteran wrestler

Overview

The Thing is Benjamin Jacob "Ben" Grimm, a founding member of the Fantastic Four created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Fantastic Four #1 (1961). Transformed into a rocky, orange-hided powerhouse by cosmic radiation, he is Marvel's archetypal tragic strongman: immensely strong, endlessly wisecracking, and privately mournful of the human appearance he lost. His catchphrase "It's clobberin' time!" and his blue-collar Yancy Street sensibility have made him one of the most beloved figures in superhero comics.

History

Raised in poverty on New York's Yancy Street after losing his parents and older brother, Ben became a college football star, Air Force pilot, and astronaut, where he met Reed Richards. Piloting Reed's experimental rocket, he was bombarded with cosmic rays alongside Reed, Susan Storm, and Johnny Storm, emerging as the monstrous Thing and joining the Fantastic Four. Across decades of stories he has struggled with his appearance, temporarily regained human form more than once, quit and rejoined the team, spent time as a solo hero and wrestler, and served with cosmic-scale conflicts such as the Secret Wars and, in one storyline, was corrupted into the hammer-wielding Angrir.

Family & Relationships

Ben was raised by his aunt Alyce and uncle Jake Grimm after his parents' deaths, and often invokes his "Aunt Petunia" in his banter. His longest and most defining relationships are with the Fantastic Four: best friend and rival Reed Richards, Susan Richards, and Johnny Storm, whose bickering friendship with Ben is a series staple. He is godfather to Franklin Richards and has had a long romance with the blind sculptor Alicia Masters.

Teams & Affiliations

Thing is a charter member of the Fantastic Four and has associated with the Defenders and other hero groups over the years. He has also worked with international allies such as Les Heroes de Paris and served alongside the U.S. military and NASA in his pre-transformation career.

Notable Facts

Ben Grimm is one of Marvel's most prominent Jewish characters, a heritage confirmed in a well-known Fantastic Four story where he recites the Shema. His many nicknames include "The Ever-Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing," "Bashful Benjy," and aliases used in disguise such as Blackbeard the Pirate. He is a running-gag target of the prank-loving Yancy Street Gang and has appeared widely in animation, film, and video games.