Thing (Ben Grimm)

The Thing
Biographical Information
Real Name	Benjamin J. Grimm
Aliases	Grim Reaper The Thing
Hometown	New York City, New York
Home country	United States of America
Homeworld	Earth
Physical Information
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Chronological / Political Information
Affiliation(s)	United States Marine Corps Fantastic Four
Citizenship	American
Base of Operations	Baxter Building
Fictional Information
Created by	Stan Lee Jack Kirby
First Appearance	The Fantastic Four Volume 1 #1

“	It's clobbering time!	”
–Ben Grimm's battle cry

Benjamin Grimm was an American military officer, ace pilot, and superhero of the 20th century.

Biography

Early Life

Youth

Grimm was raised in poverty.

Aviation Career

Second World War

Grimm enlisted in the United States Marine Corps slightly after graduating, becoming recognised as an ace pilot, while Richards served with the O.S.S..

Grimm was enlisted by Nick Fury to fly a transport plane behind enemy lines in Nazi-occupied territory and enable them to destroy a troublesome radar station. Grimm flew the plain through treacherous mountains to avoid detection by radar, and fought off two enemy fighters. After landing, the group fought enemy combatants, before rescuing partisan leader Carlos LeBlanc, who led them to the targeted facility. Afterward, the group was forced to fight back to Grimm's transport plane to escape. (COMIC: Only the Swamp Survives!)

In 1944, Grimm partook in a battle against the in the South Pacific. After sustaining heavy damage to his plane during a dogfight, he was forced to crash land on a Japanese-occupied island. He was captured and held as a prisoner of war by infamous propagandist Colonel Sakata. Captain Simon Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders were dispatched to rescue him. (COMIC: OBJECTIVE: BEN GRIMM!)

Test Piloting

Grimm in adulthood, pre-transformation

After the war's conclusion, Grimm successfully transitioned into a career as a test pilot.

Experimental Flight

“	Afraid?!! No one ever used that word to me before! Okay, I'll do it! It's crazy, but you got yourself a pilot!	”
–Ben Grimm

Grimm was Richards' first pick to pilot his experimental ship. Richards pleaded with Grimm that he was the only suitable candidate for the job, though it was Susan Storm who managed to convince Grimm to take the job after accusing him of cowardice. (COMIC: The Fantastic Four, A Visit With the Fantastic Four)

Weapons and Abilities

Qualities

• Willpower: Grimm possessed an indomitable will that allowed him to rise to any challenge.
  • After being subjected to sadistic torture by Colonel Sakata, Grimm willed himself to overlook the pain to rise and attack Sakata and allow Captain Savage to take out the enemy officer. (COMIC: OBJECTIVE: BEN GRIMM!)
  • After crashing the FX-24, Grimm staggered for miles through the swamps of the Florida Everglades in excruciating pain while resisting the effects of a concussion. (COMIC: Only the Swamp Survives!)

Skills

• Pilotry: Grimm's skills as a WW2 flying ace were well known during the war.
  • Japanese airmen referred to Grimm's skills as a "demon flying ability". (COMIC: OBJECTIVE: BEN GRIMM!)

Notes

Behind the Scenes

• Grimm was created by American comic book creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
• During the character's initial appearances, his depiction altered in subtle ways before reaching Kirby's preferred design.
• Grimm's and Richards's military backstories were ignored for decades because of the sliding timescale, before they were retconned to have in fact occurred during the Sin-Cong conflict. Other experiences were retconned to have occurred to Grimm's grandfather of the same name.

Links

• Ben Grimm on Wikipedia
• Benjamin Grimm on the Marvel Database