Character profile
The Thing
Benjamin Jacob Grimm
It's clobberin' time, and it always has been.
Biography
Ben Grimm is the price of the Fantastic Four's origin. Reed's rocket gave the others powers they could switch off; it gave Ben an orange rock hide he cannot take off, and sixty years of comics have never let him forget it. He is Marvel's great tragic strongman, a decorated test pilot from Yancy Street who lost his face and kept his sense of humour anyway.
The tragedy would be unbearable if he were not so much fun. Ben's rivalry with Johnny Storm, his running war with the Yancy Street Gang, and his poker nights with half the Marvel Universe make him the warmest character in the family. He is also its physical foundation, capable of trading punches with the Hulk, absorbing a hit from a Celestial-forged weapon and getting back up out of pure stubbornness.
His love story with the blind sculptor Alicia Masters is the longest-running romance in the line, and it finally got its wedding in 2019. Ben's arc is not about becoming human again, even though he has managed it more than once. It is about a man deciding that the body he hates is still going to be used for something worth doing.
Vital statistics
- Real name
- Benjamin Jacob Grimm
- Also known as
- Ben Grimm, Benjy, The Ever-Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing
- Species
- Human mutate
- Place of origin
- Yancy Street, Lower East Side, New York City
- First appearance
- Fantastic Four #1 (November 1961)
- Created by
- Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
- Affiliations
- Fantastic Four, Future Foundation, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy
- Groups
- Heroes Fantastic Four
Power grid
Intelligence3
Strength6
Speed2
Durability6
Energy1
Fighting5
Rated 1–7 on the classic Marvel power-grid scale.
Powers
- Superhuman Strength
Ben lifts in the range of a hundred tons at full exertion and has fought the Hulk to a standstill.
- Rock Hide
His lithic epidermis shrugs off bullets, artillery, extreme heat and the vacuum of space.
- Impact Resistance
He absorbs falls, collapsing buildings and cosmic blasts with little more than a complaint.
- No Need to Eat or Breathe Constantly
His altered physiology needs far less air, food and sleep than a human body.
- Thunderclap
Slamming his hands together generates a concussive shockwave.
- Regeneration of Hide
Cracked and chipped plating reforms over time.
- Immunity to Disease
His transformed biology is effectively immune to conventional illness and toxins.
Abilities
- Elite test pilot and astronaut, cleared to fly experimental craft
- Trained boxer and brawler with decades of front-line experience
- Skilled mechanic and engineer, the only member who can keep the Fantasticar running
- Natural leader in the field when Reed and Sue are down
Weaknesses
- Slow and heavy, easily outmanoeuvred by faster opponents
- Cannot swim, and his mass works against him in water
- Deep-seated self-loathing about his appearance
- Reverts to human form at unpredictable moments, always at the worst time
Comics history
Ben carried Marvel Two-in-One from 1974 to 1983, teaming him with practically the entire line, then rolled straight into his own solo title The Thing. Those years gave him his Yancy Street backstory, his Jewish heritage and his life outside the Baxter Building, including the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation run that let John Byrne play the tragedy as farce.
The original Secret Wars in 1984 handed him the cruellest twist of his life. On Battleworld, Ben could change back to human at will, so he stayed behind when the heroes went home, which is how She-Hulk ended up on the Fantastic Four roster. He came back to Earth to find the transformation had stopped working.
Fantastic Four vol 3 #56 in 2002 confirmed Ben's Judaism in a story about him reciting the Shema over a dying man, now considered one of the definitive Thing stories. He finally married Alicia Masters in Fantastic Four #5 in 2019, and later spent a stretch riding along with the Guardians of the Galaxy.
MCU appearances
| Title | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|
| The Fantastic Four: First Steps | 2025 | Ebon Moss-Bachrach plays Ben Grimm in the MCU |
On screen
Allies
- Human Torch
- Alicia Masters
- Mister Fantastic
- Invisible Woman
- Hulk
Enemies
- Doctor Doom
- Yancy Street Gang
- Annihilus
- Super-Skrull
- Molecule Man
Weapons & equipment
- His fists, exclusively
- Fantasticar
- Reinforced Baxter Building gym
- Unstable molecule trunks
Trivia
- Ben's Jewish faith was made canon in 2002, in a Fantastic Four story where he says the Shema over a dying man.
- He headlined Marvel Two-in-One for nine years, teaming with almost every character Marvel published.
- During the 1984 Secret Wars he could turn human at will on Battleworld, so he stayed, and She-Hulk replaced him on the team.
- The Yancy Street Gang has been pranking him since the 1960s and Marvel has never confirmed who runs it.
- He married Alicia Masters in Fantastic Four #5 in 2019, after fifty-seven years of on-and-off romance.
- Ben has fought the Hulk more times than any other hero and refuses to admit he loses most of them.
- The catchphrase It's clobberin' time is Ben's, and Marvel has trademarked variations of it for decades.
Famous quotes
It's clobberin' time!
I'm the Thing. Big, ugly, and still standing.
You wanna go a round with old Benjy? Get in line, pal.
Aw, Stretch, you always gotta make it complicated.
I ain't pretty and I ain't smart. But I don't quit.
Timeline
- 1961
Transformed into the Thing in Fantastic Four #1.
- 1962
Meets Alicia Masters in Fantastic Four #8, beginning the line's longest romance.
- 1974
Becomes the lead of Marvel Two-in-One for nine years.
- 1984
Stays behind on Battleworld after Secret Wars, opening a roster spot for She-Hulk.
- 2002
His Jewish heritage is confirmed in Fantastic Four vol 3 #56.
- 2011
Mourns Johnny Storm and carries the FF era of the team.
- 2019
Marries Alicia Masters in Fantastic Four #5.
- 2025
Ebon Moss-Bachrach plays him in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Gallery
Poster art is generated from each character’s signature palette. Drop official art into assets/images/ and set the img field to swap it in.
Related characters
Human Torch
Jonathan Lowell Spencer Storm
Mister Fantastic
Reed Richards
Invisible Woman
Susan Storm Richards
Hulk
Robert Bruce Banner
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom
Silver Surfer
Norrin Radd
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Frequently asked
How strong is the Thing?
Marvel's power grid puts him at the top of the human-scale strength bracket, lifting around a hundred tons when pushed. More importantly, his durability lets him keep swinging against opponents far above his weight class, including the Hulk and cosmic-powered heralds.
Can Ben Grimm turn back into a human?
He has, several times, and it never lasts. Reed has cured him temporarily, the Battleworld of the 1984 Secret Wars let him switch at will, and various cosmic events have reset him. Modern comics treat the rock form as who Ben actually is now.
Is the Thing Jewish?
Yes. Ben's Jewish upbringing on Yancy Street was made explicit in Fantastic Four vol 3 #56 in 2002, and later stories have shown him observing holidays and wearing a Star of David. It is now a core part of the character.
Who plays the Thing in the MCU?
Ebon Moss-Bachrach in The Fantastic Four: First Steps in 2025. Michael Chiklis played him in 2005 and 2007 and Jamie Bell in 2015.