Thing

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The Thing, born Benjamin "Ben" Grimm, is an American superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. He serves as the muscle of the group, possessing superhuman strength and impenetrable, orange, rocklike skin. He has a personality to match, preferring simple, brute-force solutions to subtlety. He is very often at odds with team member Human Torch, though this rarely escalates beyond good-natured roughhousing, and the two maintain a deep and caring friendship. He is dating sculptor Alicia Masters, who has helped him come to terms with his rocky exterior.

Biography

Origin

Ben Grimm attended State University on a football scholarship and met Reed Richards, his roommate. After graduating, Grimm served in World War II as an ace fighter pilot.[1][2] Given his experience, Grimm was recruited for Richards' planned mission to space; he was hesitant, but Sue Storm convinced him by questioning his courage. She and her brother Johnny also joined the mission. The four of them were subjected to cosmic rays in space and crash landed to earth, changing physically in the process. Grimm experienced arguably the only negative effects of these changes, as his skin was transformed into hard orange rock, seemingly permanently. However, he also gained incredible strength, as well as virtual invulnerability due to his new skin. Grimm dubbed himself The Thing, and formed the Fantastic Four with the other three.

1961-1963

The Thing has been involved in the Fantastic Four's battles with Mole Man,[3] the Skrulls,[4] Miracle Man,[5] and Namor the Sub-Mariner.[6] In their first encounter with Doctor Doom, the Four traveled back in time and discovered that, due to a bizarre effect of their time travel, Thing was the true identity of the legendary pirate Blackbeard.[7] The Four further defeated Doom and Namor together,[8] rescued the people of Xanth from destruction,[9] and fended off the villainous Puppet Master. In the latter adventure, Thing met Alicia Masters, the Puppet Master's stepdaughter. A blind sculptor, Alicia appreciated Thing's rocky skin like no one else, and the two quickly developed an affection for one another.[10] The Four once again defeated Namor[11] and Doctor Doom,[12] as well as the bizarre Impossible Man.[13] Thing was instrumental in the Four's battle against the monstrous Hulk,[14] and was one of the first humans to walk on the Moon when they fought the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes.[15] The Four again defeated Puppet Master, seemingly ending in his death when his submarine was attacked by a giant octopus.[16] They also defeated the Mad Thinker,[17] chased Doctor Doom through the Micro-World,[18][19] and defeated a powerful invader known as the Super-Skrull.[20] They again repelled the efforts of Namor the Sub-Mariner, who had reassembled his Atlantean army and attempted to invade the surface world.[21] They also traveled through time and defeated Rama-Tut,[22] as well as Molecule Man[23] and the Hate-Monger in their own time.[24]

1964-1965

Full article: Biography of the Thing, 1964-1965

In 1964, Thing and Human Torch began to fight crime as a duo in addition to their involvement with the Fantastic Four. Along the way, Ben and Alicia grew ever closer, even as the Puppet Master continued to antagonize the heroes, including as part of a duo with the Mad Thinker. Thing proved a vital part of the Four's defense of New York against the Hulk, a battle which required the assistance of the Avengers to see through. The Four also fought returning foes Mole Man, Doctor Doom, and the Super-Skrull, as well as new terrors like Diablo and Attuma.

References

  1. ↑ The Fantastic Four #11a: "A Visit with the Fantastic Four." (February 1963) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  2. ↑ Strange Tales #101a: "The Human Torch." (October 1962) Lee, Stan and Larry Lieber (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  3. ↑ The Fantastic Four #1: "The Fantastic Four!" (November 1961) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Klein, George (i), Goldberg, Stan (col), Simek, Artie (let).
  4. ↑ The Fantastic Four #2: "The Fantastic Four Meet the Skrulls from Outer Space!" (January 1962) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Klein, George and Brodsky, Sol (i), Goldberg, Stan (col), Duffy, John (let).
  5. ↑ The Fantastic Four #3: "The Menace of the Miracle Man!" (March 1962) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Brodsky, Sol (i), Goldberg, Stan (col), Simek, Artie (let).
  6. ↑ The Fantastic Four #4: "The Coming of the Sub-Mariner!" (May 1962) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Brodsky, Sol (i), Goldberg, Stan (col), Simek, Artie (let).
  7. ↑ The Fantastic Four #5: "Prisoners of Doctor Doom!" (July 1962) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Sinnott, Joe (i), Goldberg, Stan (col), Simek, Artie (let).
  8. ↑ The Fantastic Four #6: "Captives of the Deadly Duo!" (September 1962) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Goldberg, Stan (col), Simek, Artie (let).
  9. ↑ The Fantastic Four #7: "Prisoners of Kurrgo, Master of Planet X." (October 1962) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Goldberg, Stan (col), Simek, Artie (let).
  10. ↑ The Fantastic Four #8: "Prisoners of the Puppet Master!" (November 1962) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Goldberg, Stan (col), Simek, Artie (let).
  11. ↑ The Fantastic Four #9: "The End of the Fantastic Four!" (December 1962) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Goldberg, Stan (col), Simek, Artie (let).
  12. ↑ The Fantastic Four #10: "The Return of Doctor Doom!" (January 1963) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Goldberg, Stan (col), Simek, Artie (let).
  13. ↑ The Fantastic Four #11b: "The Impossible Man." (February 1963) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  14. ↑ The Fantastic Four #12: "The Incredible Hulk." (March 1963) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  15. ↑ The Fantastic Four #13: "The Red Ghost and His Indescribable Super-Apes." (April 1963) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ditko, Steve (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  16. ↑ The Fantastic Four #14: "The Merciless Puppet Master." (May 1963) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  17. ↑ The Fantastic Four #15: "The Mad Thinker and His Awesome Android!" (June 1963) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  18. ↑ Fantastic Four #16: "The Micro-World of Doctor Doom!" (July 1963) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  19. ↑ Fantastic Four #17: "Defeated by Doctor Doom!" (August 1963) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  20. ↑ Fantastic Four #18: "A Skrull Walks Among Us!" (September 1963) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  21. ↑ Fantastic Four Annual #1a: "Sub-Mariner Versus the Human Race!" (June 1963) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  22. ↑ Fantastic Four #19: "Prisoners of the Pharoah!" [sic] (October 1963) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Goldberg, Stan (col), Simek, Artie (let).
  23. ↑ Fantastic Four #20: "The Mysterious Molecule Man!" (November 1963) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Goldberg, Stan (col), Simek, Artie (let).
  24. ↑ Fantastic Four #21: "The Hate-Monger!" (December 1963) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Bell, George (i), Simek, Artie (let).
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