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He’s the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing! But who is the man behind the stony skin? What makes Ben Grimm rock so hard? Let’s find out!

Benjamin Jacob Grimm was born to Daniel and Elsie Grimm along with his elder brother, Daniel Jr. They grew up in a poor neighborhood of New York City on Yancy Street. Ben would idolize his older brother who was the leader of the Yancy Street Gang, making him the main provider for the family. Ben would witness his brother’s murder in a gang fight, vowing to take over the Yancy Street Gang when he was older. This would happen and while Ben was able to provide for his family like his brother before him, his parents would end up dying relatively young.

Alone, Ben would go to live with his Uncle Jake and Aunt Petunia, who turned out to be a perfect fit for him. Their love and support had Ben prospering in school and athletics, getting him a college scholarship for football. He would go to live in the dorms and his roommate, Reed Richards, became his best friend rather quickly. The two would talk about their goals in life, Reed would tell Ben he wished to make a space ship and get humanity travelling the stars as commonly as they take to freeways.

Ben encouraged his friend and told him if he ever needed a pilot, he would be there for him. His own education would get him into being a top Air Force pilot and even becoming an astronaut. When his service was over, he would find out Reed wanted to make him a man of his word. Reed had gotten government aide to fund his spaceship project and wanted Ben to pilot it for him. Ben immediately saw that it wasn’t quite ready for take off, needing more shielding from cosmic radiation to be safe.

Problem was, the funding was running out and Reed needed to prove his ship could fly. Ben wanted Reed to be as safe as he could be given the radiation risk, so he took on piloting the ship for him. Along with Reed, Reed’s girlfriend Sue Storm and her brother Johnny, the four took flight to test Reed’s ship. It was a success, it flew, but Ben was right, the shielding wasn’t strong enough to protect them from cosmic rays. They were irradiated and would land and begin transforming.

Reed found himself highly elastic, his body malleable and able to stretch great lengths. Sue was able to project invisible force fields and make herself invisible. Johnny could ignite himself to combust into a walking flame, capable of flight and shooting fireballs. Ben… grew in size and his skin changed into a orange, craggy, rock-hard material, becoming some sort of Thing. Ben was horrified by his new appearance, the others still looked the same, all but him.

The four would being to use their powers to deal with strange and unusual problems the world faced. They became the Fantastic Four, but even though they were now famous, Ben still felt he had to hid himself in public, so as to not scare people. Ben’s self-esteem was at an all-time low, he could only see a freak where others saw a hero. He would even find love over the years, often with on-again-off-again girlfriend, Alicia Masters. There would be times where Ben would be able to become his old human looking self but some threat would arrive, and Ben knew that only his Thing form could stop it.

His life as adventurer would take him all over time and space. He would even become the legendary pirate, Blackbeard. Ben Grimm is legitimately Blackbeard the pirate, all those stories are just him in a wig and false beard while in a pirate costume. He would team up with other heroes and fight all manner of villains. He would meet his creator, by visiting the afterlife as an explorer, not as a dead person. Even when it seemed like the Fantastic Four family were gone, Ben would find new explorers to team up with like the Guardians of the Galaxy. No matter what happens, it’s hard to keep Ben from getting back in the fight.

There you have it! Ben Grimm can easily be a tragic heroic figure, but he can also be a fun-loving adventurer. He might just be one of the most versatile characters in comics. Throw him into fights with aliens, cavemen, pirates, cowboys, samurai, ninja, monsters and whatever. He’s been in cartoons and in live-action multiple times, will he make an appearance in the MCU? We’ll have to wait and see, until then, see you next time!

Suggested Reading
Fantastic Four
Secret Wars
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4