Hero of the Day is a hero in need....

Real name : Benjamin Jacob Grimm
Status : Active
Affiliations : Fantastic Four
Previous affiliations : West Coast Avengers, former leader of the Yancy Street Gang
Notable aliases : Blackbeard the Pirate
Notable relatives : Franklin Richards (god-son), Alicia Masters (ex-girlfriend), She-Thing (ex-girlfriend), Petunia Grimm (aunt)
Notable powers : Superhuman strength Class 100, stamina and durability, enhanced speed

Character Biography

Renowned test pilot Ben Grimm, accompanied by long-time friend and scientist Reed Richards, Richards' future wife Susan Storm, and her brother Johnny Storm took an experimental ride into the upper atmosphere of Earth where they were unluckily pelted by a cosmic ray storm. Upon crashing down to Earth each of the four learned that they had developed fantastic superpowers. Grimm had been transformed initially into a lumpy orange thing, and later into the more familiar massive orange humanoid pile of slightly jagged earthy rock. Richards proposed the quartet band together to use their new abilities for the betterment of humanity, and Grimm, in a moment of understandable self-pity, adopted the superheroic sobriquet The Thing. Ben Grimms exploits as a US Marine Aviator were chronicled to a limited extent in the Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders issue entitled Operation:Ben Grimm

Trapped in his monstrous form, Grimm was an unhappy yet reliable member of the team. He trusted in his friend Reed Richards to one day develop a cure for his condition. However, when he encountered blind sculptress Alicia Masters, Grimm developed a subconscious resistance to being transformed back to his human form. Fearing that Masters preferred him to remain in the monstrous form of the Thing, Grimm's body rejected various attempts by Richards to restore his human form lest he lose the love of Masters. His subconscious fear kept him in his rocky form and Grimm remained a stalwart member of the Fantastic Four for years.

He left the team when he opted to remain on an alien planet where he could control his transformation to and from his rocky superpowered form. Upon returning to Earth he learned that Masters had become romantically involved with his partner Johnny Storm while he was absent. Grimm wallowed in self-pity for a time but eventually returned to his surrogate family. It should be noted that the relationship between Johnny and Alicia was an outrage amongst fans. It was later retconned, that the Alicia that Johnny fell in love with was actually Lyja, a member of the Skrull. The real Alicia, who was in a frozen state was soon rescued by the Fantastic Four and reunited with the Thing.

Ben became the leader of the Fantastic Four for a time when the Richards took a sabbatical.

After being further mutated into a more monstrous rocky form and briefly being changed back to his human form, Grimm has once more returned to his traditional orange rocky form. He remains a steadfast member of the Fantastic Four and one of the most easily recognizable characters of the Marvel Universe.

In 2005, Ben learned he was entitled to a large sum of money, his share of the Fantastic Four fortune (which Reed Richards had never touched over the years to pay off various costs and debts of the group, unlike the shares of the other teammates, who were family members). The following year, the Thing, under writer Dan Slott, began starring in his first solo title in more than 20 years.

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 Kirby, who in interviews [citation needed] said he'd intended Grimm to be an alter ego of himself. However, as was usual for comic-book characters of that era, no religion was publicly mentioned. Grimm was revealed to be Jewish, like Kirby, in the 2002 issue "Remembrance of Things Past".

Powers & Abilities

The Thing possesses vast superhuman strength, endurance, and durability. The cosmic ray bombardment caused his musculature, bone structure, internal organ composition, soft-tissue structure and skin to greatly increase in toughness and density as a rock like substance.

The Thing can exert himself at high levels for about a day before being significantly weakened by the effort. The Thing's lungs are of greater volume and efficiency than a normal man, enabling him to hold his breath underwater for several times longer than a normal human. The Thing's five senses can withstand greater amounts of sensory stimuli than he could when he was a normal human being, with no reduced sensitivity save in his sense of touch. The Thing's body is able to withstand temperature extremes for some time before feeling the effects. He can withstand the effects of armor-piercing shells against his skin with no injury. He is still susceptible to colds, disease, and emotional stress.

Unlike the Hulk, the Thing has suffered no loss in intelligence nor change in personality in his transformation to his monstrous form, possibly because he does not suffer from Banner's multiple personality disorder (which predates Banner becoming the Hulk).

The Thing's strength has increased over the years since his initial exposure to cosmic rays. Originally, the Thing possessed superhuman strength sufficient to lift about 5 tons. His strength has increased considerably over the years, due partially to the unique exercise equipment designed for him by Reed Richards. Gradually, the Thing's strength has been increasing more and more, and he is no longer a 85-ton range character, but now a "Class 100" Level character, meaning the upward limits of his strength are, for the most part, unknown. Currently, the Thing has vast superhuman strength with an unknown limit of far over 100 tons, yet it is still known that, although his strength has increased over time, he is still inferior to other characters such as the Hulk and Juggernaut.

The Thing is typically able to hold his own amongst the strongest superhumans due to his indominitable resolve, tough rocky hide, and exceptional fighting skills he learned as a normal human. Grimm has admitted to spending "countless" hours in his campus' boxing ring while in college, and has demonstrated advanced knowledge and skill with that style of fighting. Characters with superhuman strength tend to lack real fighting skills, having always had the luxury of relying on brute force alone. He also retains the athletic agility he enjoyed as a football superstar, whereas most characters with vast superhuman strength are physically bulky and awkward.

Aside from his great physical advantages, the Thing is an excellent pilot, although aircraft have to be specially designed for him to fly them. Originally a test pilot for the Air Force, he's flown many types of aircraft in his career. His agility and reflexes, despite his enormous bulk, are that of an athlete. Ben's gruff mannerism and his tendency to do the major physical labor of Reed Richards' projects hide the fact that he is actually an intelligent and well-educated man. As he was once a member of a street gang, the Thing is an excellent street fighter and also has experience with wrestling. His appearance belies his intellect and his agility as a fighter, leading foes to underestimate him.
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Ultimate Thing

In the Ultimate Marvel universe, Ben is Reed's childhood friend. When they were in school together, Ben would protect Reed from bullies and Reed would help Ben with his homework. Ben moved on to college and was invited to watch Reed's teleportation experiment. The experiment gave Ben a rocky hide which boosts his strength (so much so that, according to the Ultimate Marvel's strength chart, Thing is only second to Ultimate Hulk) and makes him nigh-invulnerable to physical damage and physiologically stressful conditions (such as a toxic breathing environment).