Thing (Marvel Comics)

The Thing (Benjamin Jacob "Ben" Grimm) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. The Thing was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 (cover-dated Nov. 1961). Known for his trademark rocky appearance, he has superhuman strength, a sense of humor, and the battle cry and catchphrase "It's clobberin' time!".

The Thing's personality and background is heavily modeled by Kirby's own background. A key feature throughout his character arc is his struggle to accept his newfound powers and form, an experience which often parallels real-world experiences of disfigured people and those with body dysmorphic disorder. This arc culminates in him returning to his human form before again going back to his mutated form. Eventually, the Thing came to accept his mutated form and found love with the blind sculptor Alicia Masters, with whom he was married and adopted two alien children.

The Thing has appeared in other notable media, including live-action films, with Michael Bailey Smith and Carl Ciarfalio playing the character in his human and mutated forms respectively in the unreleased film The Fantastic Four, Michael Chiklis in the 2005 Fantastic Four film and its 2007 sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Jamie Bell in the 2015 reboot, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), who will reprise the role in Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).