the thing.

this thing is actually called the thing. he's a marvel comics super-hero—one of the fantastic four. here's what marvel says about their thing:

Once a skilled fighter-pilot, Ben Grimm is now the Thing, a member of the world-famous Fantastic Four. Bathed in cosmic radiation during a fateful trip into space with his three friends, Ben was transformed into a hideous creature of craggy, orange stone with superhuman strength. Many find him unsightly, but Ben has maintained his sense of humor and honor—because under that rocky exterior lies an ever-lovin' heart of gold!

Real Name: Benjamin Jacob Grimm
Occupation: Adventurer
Group Affiliation: Fantastic Four
Base of Operations: Baxter Building, New York City
First Appearance: Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #1 (1961)
Height: 6'
Weight: 500 lbs.
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Brown in human form, none as the Thing

Powers:
The Thing possesses superhuman strength, endurance and durability. The mutagenic, frequency-specific cosmic rays with which he was bombarded in outer space caused his muscles, bones, internal organs, soft tissue and skin to increase greatly in toughness and density. As such, the Thing's body is able to withstand extremes of temperature and the explosive effects of armor-piercing bazooka shells. His reflexes remain above average despite his additional mass, and the volume and efficiency of his lungs are greater than a normal man. Despite his rock-hard exterior, the Thing remains susceptible to colds, diseases and emotional stress.

History:
Ben Grimm may be one of the world's foremost superhuman adventurers, famous for his heart of gold and fists of stone—but even today, he is very much a product of his roots. Ben grew up in poverty on Manhattan's Lower East Side. His alcoholic father was unable to hold a job, and Ben's older brother Daniel was leader of the Yancy Street Gang. Ben idolized Daniel, and he became embittered against the world when his brother died during a violent encounter between rival gangs. Ben was only 8 at the time; within 10 years, he had succeeded Daniel as leader of the street gang.

After his parents died, Ben went to live with his Uncle Jake, a successful physician. Ben at first resisted the kindness of Jake and his wife Alyce, but eventually came to return their love. He left his life with the Yancy Street Gang behind, entered high school and became a football star. Earning a scholarship to State University, Ben roomed with scientific genius Reed Richards; the two became best friends. During their first meeting, Reed confided in Ben his intention to build an exploratory starship capable of interstellar travel. Ben jokingly promised he would pilot the craft.

Ben entered the Air Force upon graduation, becoming a highly skilled test pilot and astronaut, while Reed went on to realize his dreams as an aeronautical engineer. When Ben left the military, Reed recruited him to pilot his starship, for which the government had threatened to cut off its funding. Ben was opposed to Reed's idea for an unauthorized test flight, warning that the ship's shielding might prove inadequate protection against intense radiation. But he stood by his best friend, reluctantly consenting to take the pilot's seat. Rounding out the four-person crew were Reed's fiancée Sue Storm and her kid brother Johnny.

In space, Ben tried desperately to maintain control when the starship unexpectedly encountered intense radiation, but was forced to abort the flight. Surviving Ben's crash-landing in the New Jersey woods, all four discovered that the cosmic rays had mutagenically altered their bodies. Ben's freakish transformation was perhaps the most shocking: He was horrified to find that he had become an orange-colored, thick-skinned, heavily muscled, superhumanly strong "thing"—and unlike his friends, he could not return to normal. Grudgingly, the morose Ben agreed to help his friends use their unique powers for humanity's benefit.

Appalled by his monstrous appearance, Ben at first was angered by his situation. Eventually, he grew resigned to his fate—though no less miserable. Early on, Ben would sometimes revert to human form unexpectedly. Although he continues to hope for a lasting cure, neither these changes nor those induced by Reed ever proved permanent.

Ben is his own worst enemy:
In his eyes, he is a monster—though as a member of the world-famous Fantastic Four, he may be the idol of millions. Despite his poor outlook, the blue-eyed Thing has maintained his sense of humor and honor. Under his rocky, street-wise exterior, there beats an ever-lovin' heart of gold. His gruff nature also belies the high-level intelligence of a former astronaut and test pilot. But when clobberin' time comes around, the fiercely loyal Ben isn't afraid to use his brawn to back up his beloved teammates.

back