Characters / The Thing (Marvel Comics)

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The Thing

Alter Ego: Benjamin Jacob Grimm

Notable Aliases: Blackbeard the Pirate, Angrir: Breaker of Souls, Dr. Josiah Verpoorteen, El Morrito

First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #1 (November 1961)

Idol o' Millions, one fourth of Marvel’s First Family, the ever-lovin' blue eyed Thing.

A quintessential tough guy and Ace Pilot, Ben Grimm was part of an outer space expedition led by Dr. Reed Richards, alongside Susan Storm, and Johnny Storm. A classic example of the Silver Age in science fiction, the group was hit by a wave of cosmic rays, resulting in Ben's skin mutating into a rock-like substance, granting him with superhuman levels of strength, stamina, and durability.

Naturally, Ben is not happy with his new appearance, though eventually grows comfortable with his new-found role as an "idol o' millions".

A founding member of Marvel's first family, Ben is known to show up frequently in other comic books. Most notably, however, he has appeared in the 2005 Fantastic Four film (and its 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer), as portrayed by Michael Chiklis. Ben also features in the 2015 Fantastic Four reboot, portrayed there by Jamie Bell, and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe starting with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, portrayed by Ebon Moss-Bachrach.

• Ace Pilot: The reason Reed wanted him flying the rocket. After becoming a superhero, his newfound chaotic life and exotic experiences therein has forged in him a Universal Driver's License, with his instincts honed to the point that he can drive almost any vehicle... ones he can fit into, anyway.
• Acrofatic: Ben's enormous weight and build don't impede his speed or agility at all, allowing him to match opponents in combat easily and run, jump and perform the same physical feats as before and perform martial arts moves.
• Action Hero: A cosmic empowered rock superhuman who can fight crime, travel dimensions, and save the day.
• Adult Sleeps with Stuffed Toy: Despite his status as the teams' muscle, Ben is occasionally shown sleeping with a teddy bear. And fluffy pink bunny slippers.
• Aesop Amnesia: Ben has come to terms with his monstrous state many times, only to go back to brooding over it later. Reed justifies this as simply the nature of depression; Ben has good days and bad ones.
• Age Lift: Like Reed and Doctor Doom, Ben in the classic Marvel Universe is a middle-aged man around a decade Sue and Johnny's senior. Also, like Reed and Doom, both the original Heroes Reborn and the Fantastic Four Duology depict him as closer in age to them. While also closer in age to Sue and Johnny and also again like Reed, Ultimate Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four (2015) depict Ben (and Doom and the Storm siblings) as a teenager or in his early 20s.
• Always Second Best: Ben is one of the physically strongest heroes on earth, only outdone by the company of those on the level of Thor, but he's always overshadowed by the Hulk. Hulk is just much stronger and a bit faster while Ben can usually only equal him with a mixture of wit, skill, and sheer determination and only surpasses him in turns of durability. This is a very big point of contention for Ben as a proud bruiser who hates losing to someone who he should be able to match. That being said, Ben did manage to decisively beat not just the Hulk, but the Immortal Hulk, even if Hulk was partially controlled by the Puppet Master at the time.
• Ambiguously Jewish: Gave many hints of it for years until he was explicitly stated as such in 2002. His full name is Benjamin Jacob Grimm.
• Author Avatar: Jack Kirby suggested that Grimm was something of an alter-ego for himself, and the two seem to have a lot in common - grumpy, blue-collar, kindhearted, cigar-smoking, tough, Jewish, and from the Lower East Side.
• Badass Adorable: The Marvel Universe's best example. No other character has such a perfect balance between being completely lovable and completely awesome.
• Badass Longcoat: He occasionally wears a trench coat to go into public while covering up most of his body, and while it is primarily his civilian wear, he won't hesitate to fight someone even while wearing it.
• Batman Can Breathe in Space: He can go for a spacewalk without a suit, needing only an air supply to keep him from suffocating
• Battle Strip: Ben Grimm, in the very first issue, had the habit of ripping off a trench coat, pair of pants, sunglasses, and a fedora every time he went into battle. This has continued right down to the present day, off and on. In his role as one of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Ben seems to wear jackets and flight suits specifically so he has something to tear off when Clobberin' Time rolls around.
• Beast and Beauty: The Beast to Alicia Masters Beauty.
• Beauty to Beast: Depending on the Artist, Ben Grimm was anywhere from average to ruggedly handsome in looks to start with. Now he... is not.
• Best Friend
  • Reed doesn't have many close friends, but he and Ben are by far the closest, with Ben even being able to get Reed to open up and listen about things Sue might not even be able to. They trust each other implicitly (even when they argue or have doubts about one another) and they were each other's best man at their weddings.
  • Ben is the best friend of the two other members of the Four as well, and is close with an assortment of heroes outside his team. For a grouchy rock guy, Ben makes a lot of friends.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Ben is one of the kindest, gentlest and most sweet-natured people you could ever hope to meet. But he's also a giant rock monster who is incredibly strong and can take blows from the Hulk, and he won't hesitate to demonstrate how frightening someone with his powers can be if you do something to piss him off, such as hurting those close to him.
• Big Eater: The man sure loves his food. This is partially due to his increased size and levels of activity requiring greater calorie intake but also just him taking advantage of his new body. A giant man made of rock doesn't need to worry about a beer belly or love handles, after all.
• The Big Guy: In every version of the team.
• Blessed with Suck: While most of the Fantastic Four embrace their powers, the Thing genuinely believes that his superpower is a curse, and who can blame him? Even though he possesses super strength and near invulnerability, it doesn't change the fact that he's been turned into a hideous rock monster that scares the shit out of anybody who sees him, and destroys his chances of living a normal life. He was also forced to quit his job as a test pilot because he was too big and heavy to fit in a plane. Oh yeah, and did we mention that he was turned into a hideous rock monster?
  • Every other member of the team can at least turn their altered state "off" at will, even Reed can become flesh and blood enough to be operated on if he concentrates enough, but no switching for Ben.
  • As Reed said once, "He has his good days and his bad." Ben will never really be at peace with his monstrous form. For every writer who gives him a break from the angst, there's one who brings it back because it's so central to his character. Mark Waid's run is a good example of the latter, with it even being speculated by Reed in a meta sort of way that he remains the way he is because he's more 'satisfying' (on a narrative level) that way.
  • In Hickman's run, he's given a serum that makes him human again, but only for one week a year. An unforeseen side-effect is that it will apparently slow his aging so that he only ages while human. And therefore he'll outlive all his friends and family (save Franklin) by thousands of years.
• Boisterous Bruiser: He used to play this trope in earlier comics and traces of it still show up now and again.
• Boring, but Practical: Ben hasn't got the wildest superpowers out there despite his appearances, but compared to Sue, Johnny, Reed, or even The Hulk or Spidey, Ben's abilities means that he's always ready for a combat situation, and this enables him to be a stalwart defender without much issue.
• Boxing Battler: He knows a few fighting styles but Ben's favorite form of combat is always simple boxing and he is very skilled in it, owing to his rough upbringing.
• Boxing Lessons for Superman: He's taken a fair number of such lessons, making him an experienced boxer and wrestler. In fact, this is what let him go three rounds with the Champion of the Universe; everyone else was too weak (Colossus, Sasquatch), too unskilled (Doc Samson, Wonder Man), or unable to abide by the rules (Namor, the Hulk, Thor).
• Breakout Character: Even though Johnny was the first one to get a series (likely catapulting off his Golden Age counterpart's name recognition), Ben is both the most popular member and the one who shows up most consistently in other books, including multiple stints on the Avengers, several solo series, and Marvel Two-in-One, a series that was essentially 100 issues of other heroes getting to team up with him.
• Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: His first fight against The Immortal Hulk ended with him slugging him in the face so hard that it literally ripped the rock off of his arm. Reed puts his arm in an vibranium cast so it can heal. Worse off, he was out like a light for a week, missing his honeymoon vacation.
• Brooklyn Rage: Even talks with a Brooklyn accent.
• Brought Down to Badass: Ben's regained his humanity on a couple of occasions. Not that it keeps him from contributing to the Four's efforts.
• Bruiser with a Soft Center: The quintessential example in the Marvel universe, and the basis for his entire character. Ben looks like a rocky, brutish monster, but is actually kind, gentle, intelligent, and humorous.
• Butt-Monkey: More so in the early years, but it's not uncommon for him to be put in embarrassing situations for the sake of comedy, or be mocked and feared because of his appearance, though the latter bothered him less once he mellowed out on his transformation.
• Can't Catch Up: His win/loss record against the Hulk is shaky, and while he technically managed to beat him the first time they clashed, Banner's monstrous alter ego has only gotten even more freakishly strong over the years whereas Ben has (at best) grown at a linear pace. Unfortunately, due to the popularity of their increasingly one-sided rivalry, Ben is often the initial line of defense against the Green Goliath when he goes on a rampage, and often suffers The Worf Effect as a result.
• Can't Stay Normal: Ben has been reverted to human form many times over the years, but for one reason or another (the cure wearing off, side effects which make the cure not worth it such as Ben acquiring a villainous personality or him becoming amnesiac so that he doesn't even remember Alicia let alone love her, or Ben choosing to change back to help his friends), he always returns to being the Thing. Reed speculates that there's a cosmic reason behind this, and that he is more 'satisfying' this way.
• Captain Colorbeard: Thanks to a very weird Stable Time Loop, The Thing was the famed pirate Blackbeard. Yes, that one.
• Catchphrase:
  • "It's CLOBBERIN' TIME!"
  • Other ones include, "My sweet aunt Petunia", "Whotta revoltin' development!" and "I'm the ever-lovin' blue-eyed idol of millions!"
• Character Development: Over the course of the Lee-Kirby run, he grows from a Token Evil Teammate to a genuine Jerk with a Heart of Gold, and reaches some level of peace with his condition and his teammates. This really kicks into motion when he meets Alicia, the first person able to look past his appearance.
• Characterization Marches On: Early Ben was much more temperamental and melancholy, callous and violent, rather than the ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing he is these days. Curiously enough, the first issue has Ben as a human speaking in the manner he's most known for, than being a stoic snarker after becoming the Thing.
• Cigar Chomper: Ben really loves his cigars.
• Close-Range Combatant: Ben is the only member of the Fantastic Four whose attack range is exactly what it looks like from taking a casual glance at him.
• Commonality Connection: In Spider Girl volume 2 #1, Ben Grimm has to save Gil Corazón in a flashback, after Gil attacks one of the Mole Man's monsters instead of running or taking cover. The Thing found himself and the rest of the Fantastic Four being interviewed by Gil after Ben started talking about football with Gil.
• Cursed with Awesome: He's had persistent issues with his powers and the ugly appearance it gives him (along with the general effects on his life), but one can't deny, being able to lift hundreds of tons is a pretty good deal.
• Custom Uniform: In the team costumes' first appearance in issue 3, Ben ripped his up until only shorts were left, because according to him he couldn't move in the full bodysuit. Since then he's usually worn just the trunks, but he's alternated with a belted singlet, full pants with no top, pants with a tank top, and yes, even a full bodysuit.
• Dagwood Sandwich: Ben loves to stack excessive amounts of content between slices of bread.
• Deadpan Snarker: He is also often sarcastic, quick to throw a wise crack.
• Determinator: The Champion once challenged the heroes of Earth to a boxing match, with the fate of the planet on the line. With Ben being the last remaining eligible fighter, he was subjected to three brutal rounds which left him with most of his bones broken. Despite how much pain he was in, he was snarking the whole time, and after being declared the loser, he continued to drag his bleeding body across the ring, insisting that the fight wasn't over. After seeing this, The Champion declared The Thing to be Earth's greatest hero because even if his body isn't the strongest, his spirit is truly indestructible, and was so impressed that he decided to spare the Earth. When it comes to tenacity, Ben is second only to the Amazing Spider-Man in never giving up on a fight.
• Distaff Counterpart: Ben has had two: She-Thing (Sharon Ventura, who transformed via cosmic rays) and Miss Thing (Darla Deering, who wears a modified version of the Thing exosuit).
• The Dreaded: He's feared throughout the Milky Way Galaxy due to word spreading of Thing "defeating" the Champion of the Universe while the Champion had the Power Gem. Even Gamora, the "Deadliest Woman In The Galaxy", is afraid of taking the Thing head on(unfortunately for Ben, she's not afraid of attacking while he's not looking)
• Dub Name Change: While Spanish-speaking translations vary, his name is known as "La cosa" in Spain, which is a fairly direct translation of his original name. In Mexico and Latin America, however, this wasn't "cool enough", so it was changed to "La Mole" (An archaic synonim). This name proved to be very popular, and has inspired a popular Mexican convention for geeks and the otaku crowd.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: The idea that he has specifically rocky skin seems to have taken a while to solidify. For his first few appearances, his skin looked more rumpled than anything, and some early issues depict him as able to swim without apparent difficulty (in fact, he's claimed to be a better swimmer than the Hulk), suggesting that it was meant to be more of a nonspecific disfiguring skin condition.
• Elemental Baggage: The Thing's rocky exterior makes him incredibly heavy, to the point where he has to use an elevator by himself to avoid overcoming the max lift weight and everything meant to accommodate him has to be built very large and reinforced. And, if you take the Ultimate Universe into consideration, his toilet arrangements apparently requires a rock grinder.
• Expy: Ben has a lot of overlap in personality and concept with the Doc Savage character Monk Mayfair: both are ugly to the point of disfigurement, sullen and surly but mostly goodhearted, powerful bruisers with surprising intelligence, frequently comedic (particularly when interacting with the smarmiest member of the group), and longtime friends of the Science Hero leader. The major differences between the two are that Ben isn't as overtly smart as Monk (who is billed as the world's best chemist), and is nowhere near as outright cruel, especially post-Character Development.
• Facial Horror: As if his looks hadn't taken enough of a hit as it is, during Tom DeFalco's run, Wolverine mauled Ben's face and Ben was forced to don a helmet he briefly wore early on to protect his face as it healed — resulting in a red splotch for scar tissue until Hyperstorm undid the damage. It understandably took Ben years if not the better part of a decade to forgive Logan for this.
• Faster Than You Look: Many villains find out the hard way that Ben's size and weight haven't done anything to impede his speed, agility or reflexes and he can still fight just as easily as before, just with a lot more power behind his blows.
• Fat Comic Relief: He definitely serves as a comic relief, but he's much more bulky than fat, though in Issue #45 of Fantastic Four - Volume 3, he has a beer belly when he detransforms.
• Fights Like a Normal: Ben has incredible strength and durability, but he tends to fight like any other human would, such as with boxing techniques or jiujitsu moves.
• Fluffy the Terrible: One of his nicknames is "The Ever Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing".
• Food as Bribe: In Spider-Girl volume 2 #1, Ben Grimm gives young Anya Corazón a tray full of Johnny Storm's cookies in exchange for Anya keeping quiet about Ben almost getting Reed drowned after pressing a button in the lab he shouldn't have. Sue immediately realizes Anya's being bribed, but decides to respect Anya' vow of secrecy if she lets Sue have a cookie.
• Friend to All Children: Ben has a soft spot for kids and absolutely adores his niece and nephew.
• Future Badass: He meet a future version of himself who is not only much stronger, saying the Thing will only become Stronger with Age, but can freely switch between human flesh and rock body forms at will, saying his ability to switch is simply coming later than it did for the other three Fantastic Four.
• The Gadfly: Under Paul Tobin's pen, Ben tries to pull a joke of some sort on every Baxter Building guest on their first visit
• Genius Bruiser: Although his smarts (Master's Degrees in Engineering, Aviation, and Chemistry plus whatever he's picked up over the years) are usually overshadowed by super-genius Reed, and despite assumptions made because of his appearance, strength, and way of speaking, Ben is very clever in his own right. Ben lampshades this as he assembles a cosmic ray device, musing that he's watched Reed long enough to play Mad Scientist himself. Furthermore, he is something of an unofficial translator for Reed whenever he goes too deep into Technobabble territory, and while he can't do a lot of what Reed does, he absolutely understands the principles behind it and can pick out the salient aspects right away. There is also the fact that Grimm was a highly qualified test pilot before he became The Thing; no mean feat brain-wise. And he's also a fully qualified aerospace engineer and founded a successful aeronautical R&D company, Grimm Aeronautics, again before becoming the Thing. Even aside from all that, he's well-read, skilled at thinking on his feet, a talented leader when he needs to be, has a track record of solving problems without the rest of his team, and he has an abundance of common sense and street-smarts. The idea of The Thing being simultaneously physically strong, ugly, and smart was seen as revolutionary in comics. It's often said the true test of a FF writer is knowing that Ben is the smart one, not Reed.
• Gentle Giant: As long as you don't make him mad, Ben is an absolute sweetheart, especially with his Val and Franklin.
• The Ghost
  • The Yancy Street Gang was never seen on-panel for decades. The adult gathering anyway, the brats who pester Ben Grimm were seen as early as Fantastic Four #15 in 1962. We finally got to actually meet the adults during one of Fantastic Four's tie ins to Civil War (2006).
  • Ditto for Ben's Aunt Petunia, though she finally made her first appearance in The '80s.
• Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: He's very much in the "good cigar-smoker" category; a rough-and-tumble strongman. He doesn't do it as much now, though.
• Guile Hero: Ben has a long track record of solving the crisis of the week with his smarts and cunning rather than brute strength. Even Doom has underestimated his intelligence more than once.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Could be considered his Fatal Flaw; every time he gets angry he gets physical. His anger at Akhenaten led him to lash out and it ended the superhero community in an Alternate Universe.
• Happily Married: In Dan Slott's run, Ben is officially married to Alicia Masters.
• Heroic Spirit: Perhaps one of the greatest in the Marvel Universe, his tremendous spirit even ended up gaining the respect of the Champion of the Universe.
• Honorary Uncle: Isn't related to either Reed or Sue, but both the Richard kids call him their uncle. He's lived with them since before they were born and took part in raising them, so he might as well be a blood relative at this point.
  Franklin: My middle name's Benjamin... Does that mean we're related, Unca Ben?
  Ben: ...Works fer me, kid. Works fer me.
• Hope Spot: During the early days of the series' run, Ben would periodically revert back to his old human self for a few minutes before turning back into The Thing again. Not only did this give Ben hope that the power of the cosmic rays were weakening on him, but it gave the rest of the four hope it might do the same for their powers.
• Hot-Blooded: Very passionate and willful towards whatever he's up against, whether it's the daily struggles of looking like a monster or the next two-bit bad guy. You can rely on him to put his all into it.
• Ignored Expert: He warned Reed about the threat of cosmic radiation, and refused to fly the ship at first. Mark Waid's run has Reed note that the Four's transformations were his fault, and as a result, he made them celebrities to try and make up for it.
• I Just Want to Be Normal: He is the poster boy for this trope. Despite his complaints about being an orange rock monster, every time he's been "cured", he finds a reason to become The Thing again. He actually enjoys being the FF's strong man and "The Idol of Millions", but just wishes he could walk down the street without being stared at.
  • Which by this point is probably more because of the whole "Idol of Millions" thing than because of his appearance, so he's got nothing to complain about. Apart from having non-reinforced floors give way under him, that is.
  • In Ben's case, while he does enjoy being the idol and helping out his friends, it does mean the everyday normal moments of his life are a lot more difficult because of his powers. Presumably, it does add up over time.
• Informed Deformity: Yes, he is a giant orange rock monster. But for all visibly non human traits, his design is hardly outright horrific or hideous the way he's drawn by most artists.
• Innocent Blue Eyes: The only thing that remains of his original human body, hence the nickname "The Ever-Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing".
• Interspecies Adoption: As of the conclusion of Empyre, the Thing and Alicia have been given official custody of Kree and Skrull children named Jo-Venn and N'Kalla, who the Fantastic Four had rescued from the exploitation of the Profiteer.
• Jack of All Stats: Despite appearances, Ben serves as this in the team. He may not be the most powerful, the toughest, or the smartest, but he's good at all those aspects to slot into whatever role he needs to fulfill, and many opponents have underestimated his adaptability to their own peril.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: On his worst days, he's very short-fused and self-pitying, but his heart is always in the right place, and everyone else consistently looks to him as a reliable ally.
• Jews Love to Argue: Ben is Jewish and tends to be cantankerous and short-tempered.
• Kavorka Man: Though not to the extent of Wolverine, Ben has had women find him very attractive, not because of his looks, but because of his personality and the fact that he's quite a gentleman.
• Large Ham: Especially when he and Johnny are bickering or arguing.
• Layman's Terms: Ben usually dumbs down the complex explanations Reed Richards comes up with for the people around him. When Reed starts speaking too Star-Trek even for him, it's also Ben who normally snaps at him to "Speak English, Stretcho!"
• Legacy Character: Of the classic Marvel Comics "has nothing to do with the previous character but references them anyway" variety also seen with the Human Torch. Marvel's second Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, is mortified when Ben Grimm informs her that she unwittingly accepted the title of a dead man Grimm knew, but Grimm tries to put Rambeau at ease by pointing out he wasn't the first Thing, alluding to the fury monster from Uncanny Tales #20, the giant pink African crocodile from Lorna the Jungle Girl #22, the Thing From Planet X in Strange Tales #3, and the Thing In Cell 13 from Strange Tales #81, before the pressure of the Comics Code Authority drove Marvel to publish super heroes again.
• Lightning Bruiser: Another thing that's often overlooked is that he's just as fast and agile as he was as a human. He's studied multiple martial arts and has even tutored other members of the team in them, the only thing that's suffered is his manual dexterity due to his fingers being the size of sausages.
• Logical Weakness: Ben's size means that small everyday tasks such as using a pen or dialing a phone are exceptionally hard. His weight also makes him unable to fly most military aircraft.
• Loved by All: Other than possibly Captain America, Ben is the most beloved hero in the entire Marvel superhero community. He may be scary to look at, but every civilian in the Marvel U still loves and respect Ben for his incorruptible heroism, and every single superhero worthy of the name loves, respects and supports Ben. He may not see himself as a leader, but if Ben ever needed help fighting a threat, he has Avengers Mansion, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, and many a powerful superhero's numbers on speed dial, and all of them would respond IMMEDIATELY. This is perhaps best shown in X-Men (2019) when, despite the X-Men having become decidedly unfriendly to most non-mutants and a tense jurisdiction stand-off between the X-Men (through Cyclops) and the Fantastic Four over the disposition of Sabretooth, Cyclops takes a moment to congratulate Ben on his recent marriage.
• Mark of Shame: During the 90s, the Thing hid his face behind a silver helmet (the same one Sue made for him back when she originally created the team's uniforms) after a battle between the Fantastic Four and the "All-New" Fantastic Four (Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine and Ghost Rider assembled as Dr. Strange's latest iteration of the Secret Defenders) led to Wolverine taking a huge hunk of Ben's face with his adamantium claws. Thankfully, the scar healed over time, but Ben was quite horrified by it.
• Military Superhero: An oft-overlooked in adaptations fact about Reed and Ben is that they served in the army. In the early comics, it was World War II until Comic-Book Time made that impossible and it spent decades dropped. In 2019, it was reinstated as part of the Siancong War. In Ben's case, an earlier attempt to update this was Heroes Reborn making Ben a vet of The Gulf War.
• Mistaken Ethnicity: An inversion, when a villain overhears through a conversation between Ben Grimm and a man from his neighborhood that Ben is Jewish, he asks him about it. Ben confirms that he's Jewish, while angrily asking if that was a problem for the villain. The villain quickly denies this, stating, "It's just...You don't look Jewish." Marvel Comics addressed the Stereotype of this prior to the comic being published, saying they were aware of the issues with that phrase, but that in Ben's case, the joke was that he didn't look Jewish. He didn't look like any ethnicity. He was a big, orange rock man. At the time, the comic was well-received for finally making Ben's Jewish status canon.
• Monster Modesty: Despite his issues with his appearance, he wears the least of the 4 - his standard "costume" is a pair of pants/shorts. His most consistently worn outfit that covers him up is still a Sleeves Are for Wimps version of the "Future Foundation" suit.
• Mr. Vice Guy: On his worse days, he can be self-focused and self-pitying and have a very volatile temper. However, his heart is always in the right place. He is a lovable, kind soul who is a Gentle Giant and a Nice Guy.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: "Grimm". Averted, however, in that Ben's a sweetie otherwise. However, while he is vastly respected by practically all the heroes in the Marvel Universe, most if not all of the villains regard him as someone who is simply not to be trifled with, and best steered clear of. One scene had a large number of the villains in Spider-Man's rogues gallery at a bar drinking beer. The subject of the Fantastic Four came up, and no one argued when one bad guy observed that Grimm was a powerhouse to be avoided.
• Negatives as a Positive: Benjamin Grimm, aka The Thing, is a well known Determinator. He'll also be the first to tell his foes he's simply too ugly and stupid to know when to quit.
• Nice Guy: Granted, he can have a short temper and be a bit gruff, but Ben remains one of the nicest, kindest heroes in Marvel. He's well known in-universe and out for being a generally helpful, selfless, heroic man who, when not weighed down by his own vices, is one of the most reliable people to go to for a problem.
• The Nicknamer: Some of his nicknames include "Stretcho" for Reed, "Bic-head" and "Matchstick" for Johnny, "Suzie-Q" for Susan, "Jade-Jaws" for Hulk, "Webs" for Spider-Man, etc.
• Nobody Calls Me "Chicken"!: The start of the Fantastic Four, and all of Ben's problems, came when he refused to fly Reed's rocket into space, and Sue called him a coward. That proved enough to get Ben on board.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Downplayed in the sense that he talks and acts like a brawler who came up in the rough part of the Lower East Side because he is one... but if people forget he is a test pilot with multiple post-graduate degrees and can at least catch the gist of things when Reed lapses into Highest Academic, it often suits his purposes.
• Odd Friendship: He's actually good friends with Sandman. They only fight because its their job, Sandman specifically being a career criminal. But when they're off the clock, there's no need for violence. The Sandman even sneaks into the Thing's hospital room to serve an injured Ben Grimm a drink. Must have something to do with both of them being blue-collar, earth-themed superbeings from New York.
• The One Who Made It Out: Of the Yancy Street Gang. Depending on the Writer, they either heavily resent him for it, or treat him as a kind of big brother type, (which he returns in kind) with the worst they'd do being childish pranks. One memorable story has Ben putting up a statue to his dead brother on Yancy Street, then taking a nap on a nearby bench. The gang comes by to deface the statue, realize who it's for and who put it up...and decide to paint the sleeping Ben instead.
• Organ Autonomy: In a bizarre case of Status Quo Is God, Ben's ability to switch between human and Thing form had to be removed at one time because of a bizarre reaction that caused his rocky skin to bud off into violent duplicates of himself. Apparently sentience is a potential evolution of his hide that this ability accelerated.
• Overshadowed by Awesome: The Thing was originally considered Hulk's rough equal and one of Marvel's true heavy hitters, but as both Hulk's strength and Marvel's world grew, Ben's feats became less and less impressive by comparison. While a notable Strong and Skilled fighter in a class that almost exclusively consists of people Unskilled, but Strong, Ben's Super-Strength and Super-Toughness isn't seen as impressive as it did during his early years.
• Papa Wolf: Again, the Richards children, who are his godchildren. Messing with them is a good way to get your face turned into goo by a large, rocky, orange fist. He now has adopted children too, and messing with them is likely the worst idea you could ever have.
• Personality Powers: Ben is very solid and stubborn and, appropriately, Ben as The Thing is made of rock and stone. He's also provides a solid base for the rest of his family, and everyone knows they can rely on him.
• Power Creep: One of the most severe cases in Marvel, actually. Originally Grimm could lift around 5 tons (which was more or less Spider-Man's maximum limit at the time, though Grimm was always tougher), but he got stronger and stronger until he could press about 90 tons. However he often displays feats of superhuman strength way beyond this theoretical limit (hauling skyscrapers, anchoring spaceships taking off from Earth) even though Marvel still swears up and down he can only do 90 tons - though at this point, the ton scale is generally taken as more for comparative purposes versus other characters than as an absolute limit. A future version of Ben managed to easily overpower him, stating "We keep getting stronger for the rest of our life."
• Powered Armor: At least twice, Ben was turned back into a human long-term and lost his powers as the Thing. Since he still wanted to help the rest of the team out, Reed constructed an Iron Man-like suit of armor for him that resembles his rocky Thing form. The suit allowed Ben to simulate the strength and durability he had when he was the actual Thing, albeit not quite on the same level.
• Power Returned Stronger: During an extended 1970s arc in Fantastic Four (1961), Ben reverted to human. Reed built him an exoskeleton shaped like his Thing form, so he could still participate in adventures as a member of the Fantastic Four. The suit actually had somewhat less strength and durability than his mutated form, but it sufficed. During an encounter with Galactus, Galactus sensed that Ben was wearing an exoskeleton, and hit him with an energy beam that apparently did nothing, but later caused him to transform back into his mutated form, tearing the suit apart as he did so. Upon transforming, he noted that he felt stronger, and Reed replied that he looked larger as well. Proof that he was stronger came shortly thereafter when he fought the Sandman, and the Sandman was astonished to see Ben shrugging off and giving a No-Sell to blows that formerly would have staggered him.
  Sandman: "What's with you, Grimm? Last time out, my hammer-blow would have at least made you wince!"
  Grimm: "Reed and me figgered out I'm stronger than I was before. And that, cupcake, isn't going to be the best news you've heard today."
• Properly Paranoid: Ben was vocally worried about the cosmic rays that would empower the team, which was one reason he didn't want to fly it up to begin with. That he wound up completely right due to becoming a Rock Monster has come up as an issue between him and Reed, and why Reed has tried so hard to cure him and, failing that, at least make him (and the rest of the Four) famous to compensate.
• Pro Wrestling Is Real: The Thing, as well as several other super strong characters are a part of a superhuman wrestling federation called Unlimited Championship Wrestling. It stopped being real, after it's ties to the criminal "power broker" lead Unlimited Class to try and distance itself from it's old image of creating evil professional wrestlers by putting on worked matches with non super powered participants, like other professional wrestling companies, but the Thing and Deadpool found themselves forced into an "old school" style Unlimited Class match by a wrestling obsessed Galactic Conqueror
• The Reliable One: Befitting his element, Ben serves as a solid foundation for the rest of the team, and they know that no matter what gets thrown their way, he will come through for them physically, intellectually, or emotionally. This even gets extended to the wider Marvel Universe, where the likes of Captain America remarks that The Thing is one of the most dependable people he has ever known.
• The Rival: To the Hulk, which is an amusing case given that the Hulk is usually portrayed as vastly stronger than the Thing physically, though they were originally depicted with equal strength, and Thing usually balances the power gap out with superior fighting skills and higher durability.
• Rock Monster: The Thing looks like he's made of rocks (even though he isn't) and many who don't know who he is think he's a monster.
• Running Gag: Ben's never-ending war against the Yancy Street Gang, a group of off-screen Harmless Villain street youths he sometimes obsesses over. He was a member in his youth, left them on somewhat bad terms, and then made a big name for himself as a super hero. They prank and tease him relentlessly over it.
• Series Mascot:invoked Maybe not as much as in the old days, but for true fans, Ben used to be second only to Spider-Man as the face of the Marvel Universe. He's so central to the mythos that when JLA/Avengers came out (being basically an attempt to redo Marvel Versus DC less... awkwardly), Busiek and Perez were sure to give him a prominent cameo (providing Captain America and Batman with a time-bike modified to travel across dimensions to track Metron), even though Ben had never been an Avenger by that point.
• Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: The Yancy Street Gang, or rather, a group of child delinquents on Yancy Street who named themselves after the gang Ben Grimm was a part of in his youth and view the Thing as a Sell-Out, publicly, but privately are just upset that he's the one who made it out. They prank the Thing whenever possible, but if someone else butts into their turf, even if that someone has Diplomatic Impunity like Doctor Doom, they they will gladly team up with Ben Grimm to send the trespasser packing.
• Smarter Than You Look: Ben Grimm is much smarter than most folks give him credit. A college graduate and former Marine, he was a test pilot and astronaut (which requires two Master's degrees or a PhD to be even considered for that kind of duty) as well as a gifted mechanic before his transformation. He might not be a scientific genius like Reed or Doctor Doom (though he can certainly understand what Reed is doing even if he can't replicate it), but he more than makes up for it with the street smarts he earned growing up in a rough lower-class neighborhood. Not only is he a college graduate (a fairly common thing nowadays) but he's a graduate of the same college that Reed Richards and Victor Von Doom (the two smartest people on the planet) went to—probably a pretty good school. It's a trait that comes up several times in the comics when he manages to outsmart several villains who think he's an idiot. Sadly, this is something that's lost in many adaptations. The live-action movie kept it in, though.
• Status Quo Is God: The Thing gets transformed into his previous normal physical form about once every few years, but always gets turned back, usually because he needs to help someone out.
  • It's something of a running gag. Sometimes when it happens, he actively tries to regain his rock form and powers as he feels useless and naked without them.
    • In one story arc, Reed tried to remove Ben's mutation and add it to his own elasticity, but Ben refused to let him. "You're you an' I'm me, an' that's the cosmic plan."
  • Cruelly played with in the "Three" storyline, where Ben is given a formula that allows him to become human for one week a year. It just so happens that the week he chose is the week Annihilus tries to invade via the Baxter Building, meaning Ben has to watch as Johnny sacrifices himself to save the Earth.
  • No matter how much Ben's life improves, he'll always be deeply sad inside, and never truly outgrow that empty feeling he has time and time again.
• Stepford Smiler: Despite insisting him insisting that he's the "Ever lovin' blue eyed Thing", Ben is deeply depressed, and while he attempts his best to hide it, it usually takes no more than a single bad day to send him spiraling into suicidal ideation. While he can have his mental health improve to where he genuinely smiles, it's pretty much Status Quo Is God that Ben's depression will come back with a vengeance whenever he needs something to angst about.
• Strong and Skilled: One of his main stated advantages over Marvel's other heavyweights is that while he may not be as strong as the others, he's an excellent boxer and wrestler and is skilled in Judo and Jujitsu and other fighting styles he learned in the military, giving him the edge against Unskilled, but Strong types. It helps that his speed and agility weren't impacted at all by his transformation.
• Strong as They Need to Be: Ben's physical strength is notoriously inconsistent across writers. He was initially established as being able to lift five tons before being upgraded to ninety yet many stories have him pull off feats closer to the Hulk's level. When required to explain it, writers chalk this up to a combination of him simply pushing past his base level and getting much stronger with both age and regular physical activity.
• Suddenly Ethnicity: While it's certainly arguable that it had been implied for decades, we didn't officially learn that Ben was Jewish until 2002.
• Super-Strength: The Thing's primary superhuman power is his great physical strength. His strength has continued to increase over the years due to a combination of further mutation and special exercise equipment designed for him by Reed Richards. His feats include successfully holding back a giant alien spacecraft from jettisoning from Earth, lifting an oil rig and stopping a multiple story building (weighing roughly 30,000 tons) from falling over and lifting it back into place.
• Super-Toughness: Being transformed into the Thing sucks in a number of ways, but it does come in mighty handy when you end up fighting guys like the Hulk and he punches you with a blow that would reduce any ordinary human to paste. He's occasionally been equated to be as tough as the Hulk is strong, though this largely is Depending on the Writer.
• Survivors Guilt: Developed this because of the aforementioned events of the "Three" storyline. It clears up once Johnny comes back.
• Taking the Bullet: For all he hates his transformation, when the prospect of the Four permanently swapping powers arose he flatly refused to let anyone else be saddled with his. An offscreen shouting match between him and Reed on the issue grew so heated Reed considered anesthetizing him to take the powers without his consent and Ben threatened to clobber him if he tried.
• There Was a Door: In the very first issue, Ben's covered up in the first page he appears. He doesn't appear in all his rocky glory until he sees Reed's signal and smashes through a nearby wall, bemoaning "why must they build doors so narrow?"
• This Looks Like a Job for Aquaman!: His skills as a pilot sometimes get a chance to shine when a superhero vehicle (many of which, including the Fantasticar, drive themselves) has its guidance system taken out for one reason or another.
• Token Evil Teammate: Surprisingly, this was his approximate role before his character really solidified; he had taken his transformation very badly, still bore a doomed crush on Sue, and was consistently the nastiest, the least caring for civilian safety, and the most likely to disobey orders or abandon a mission. Sometimes he'd even attack or outright try to kill the others (Johnny in particular). Lee's original notes explicitly describe him as someone whom the reader should always suspect might go rogue.
• Translator Buddy: For Reed. Ben is usually the first to ask his friend to dumb down for everyone else, but he's often the one to try and dumb it down himself for everyone else first, if it isn't Sue.
• Unexplained Recovery: During Fantastic Four volume 3, Ronon the Accuser teleports the Four's old plaza to the blue area of the moon, and, having unwanted stragglers, blasts the Thing out of the Blue Area's atmosphere. Ben Grimm can't fly, so he should be dead, but he shows up later at the building to save Reed and Johnny from some other kree soldiers. This didn't go unnoticed by Marvel's other writers, as Contest of Champions II had another fight in the Blue Area of the moon and Phoenix taking the Thing out of it flat out defeats him. Ben Grimm still doesn't die, but this is because Jean Grey has no interest in killing Ben. With a few exceptions "Contest II" was pretty blatant about having the more powerful characters run over the weaker without Plot Armor, especially when the environment itself favored someone.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Possibly. In one retelling of Victor von Doom's origins, Ben actually sabotaged the machine that Doom was working on to try to get his mother's soul from Mephisto, which resulted it in blowing up, marking Doom's face, and causing the man to blame Reed and hold intense hatred of him for the rest of his life as he became Doctor Doom. Of course, Ben was simply being spiteful and wanted to get back at Victor for his dismissive attitude, and if Victor had actually looked at Reed's corrections, or even bothered to double check his own work, Victor would have prevented his accident, but Ben's actions had major consequences.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Johnny. They spend most of their time either sniping and snarking at each other, planning increasingly elaborate practical jokes on each other, or lambasting each other with creatively brutal threats about what they'll do to the other (which are hardly ever followed through) after said practical jokes. They are, of course, practically inseparable - Ben missed him horribly (and had an awful case of Survivors Guilt) after Johnny died in the "Three" storyline, and they both heavily relied on each other for support when Sue and Reed appeared to be dead after Secret Wars (2015).
• Walking Shirtless Scene: Ben typically goes without shirts, since they either get ripped or damaged or shredded in the course of a typical adventure. His usual outfit consists of briefs... and nothing else, though this isn't meant to be played for fanservice.
• Weak, but Skilled: Compared to the Hulk and most heavy hitters in Marvel, Ben's a more skilled fighter, generally smarter, and a far competent martial artist. This contrasts with Hulk being Unskilled, but Strong.
• What Have I Become?: In the first few issues of the series back in the 1960s, Ben didn't take being transformed into a living pile of orange rocks too well. He's still not all that happy about it, but he's mostly come to terms with it.
  • As Reed says "He has his good days and his bad days."
• Wolverine Publicity: Briefly, when he was a member of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers simultaneously, plus appearing in FF (2011). Not so much after Avengers vs. X-Men.
• The Worf Effect: Ben is the toughest of the Fantastic Four, and one of the heavier hitters in Marvel, so to demonstrate just how much a threat someone has become, Ben's usually the first be beaten back.
• Yiddish as a Second Language: To be fair, he's a). Jewish and b). from Lower East Side. Comes with the territory.
• Your Size May Vary: When depicted originally by Jack Kirby, he was certainly beefy but he was actually slightly shorter than Reed. Artists over time have seemingly forgotten this particular fact, making him varying levels of "huge". At its most egregious, he's only slightly smaller than the Hulk.

Alicia Masters

Alter Ego: Alicia Reiss Grimm, nee Masters

Notable Aliases: Alicia Clay

First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #8 (November 1962)

Ben Grimm's Love Interest and confidant, Alicia Masters is a blind sculptor capable of creating incredibly lifelike representations of real people by touch and memory alone. Also happens to be the Puppet-Master's step-daughter.

• Blind and the Beast: This is how she and the Thing started their relationship in the series. There were many times, though, that he worried that the only reason she was with him was because she couldn't see how ugly he was (never mind that she has felt his face, knows it's rocky, and she is also a sculptor who has seen fit to use him as a subject a number of times).
  • Interestingly Ben's concerns were once inverted when Reed speculated that he was subconsciously resisting attempts to return to his human form because he feared that Alicia would only embrace his rock-like form. There is some precedence for this, as it's heavily implied (if not outright stated) that Alicia prefers Ben's rocky form.
• Deaf Composer: Alicia Masters is a blind sculptress. More impressive because she makes lifelike statues based purely on description.
• Disability Immunity: As a blind woman, Susan Richards' invisibility doesn't work on her. Alicia can detect Sue's presence since Alicia is already a master of detecting people without sight. This actually was a plot point on their first encounter, as she alerted her supervillain stepfather that two strangers entered their home but only Ben Grimm was actually visible.
• Excellent Judge of Character: She might not be able to see him, but she nails The Thing's character:
  Alicia: His face feels strong & powerful! And yet, I can sense a gentleness to him—there is something tragic—something sensitive!
• Handicapped Badass: She may be blind and not have superpowers like the rest of the family, but that does not stop her from participating in many of their adventures and being a critical part of the team.
• Her Heart Will Go On: For a time after 1985 (after Ben decided to stay on Battleworld after the first Secret Wars), Alicia seemed to grow fond of Johnny Storm and they eventually married. In this period, Alicia was a Skrull named Lyja, who did fall in love with Johnny while under Alicia's disguise.
• Identical Stranger: In her first appearance, Alicia was a dead ringer for Sue Storm, such that all it took was a wig to perfectly impersonate her.
• Love Interest: To the Thing. Eventually they become Happily Married.
• Mad Scientist's Beautiful Step-Daughter: Her step-father is the supervillain known as the Puppet Master. Alicia turns on her stepfather when she realizes that he is mad and power-hungry.
• Missing Mom: Her mother Marcia Deaton has appeared in a few flashback tales, but she is long dead. A wicked plot by the Puppet Master/Philip Masters accidentally exposed Marcia (the only woman he loved) to radioactive isotopes. Marcia died of radiation poisoning, leaving Philip heartbroken and feeling guilty.
• Morality Pet: Often serves as this for her stepfather the Puppet Master/Philip Masters, who is otherwise a ruthless villain. According to Philip's origin story, Alicia was not born blind. When Philip was trying to kill his hated rival Jacob Reiss (Alicia's biological father) in an explosion, he did not expect anyone else to get hurt. Alicia was unexpected collateral damage, blinded by the blast. Philip has always felt guilty, and decided to both raise her and treat her as his own daughter. The same story mentions that Alicia was a talented painter before going blind, and Philip was disturbed that Alicia could not follow her passion for art after going blind. Since Philip himself was an amateur sculptor, he taught her how to sculpt instead.
• Nice Girl: Tender, caring, and was the one who explained human emotions to the Silver Surfer.
• Nightmare Fetishist: A rare example of this being entirely benign. She knew Ben first by feeling his face, and immediately found it beautiful. By contrast, her reaction to his human form was mostly confusion, and she was relieved when she felt his rocky features returning. Many of her sculptures are also of traditionally "ugly" subjects, such as the Fantastic Four's villains and Ben himself. This is framed as less a sign of anything malevolent and more of Alicia's ability to find the good in people.
• Relationship Revolving Door: Ben and Alicia's status as a romantic couple is constantly on and off. In the Dan Slott run, they finally marry when she said yes to Ben.
• Sensitive Artist: A skilled sculptor while also being a very kind and understanding individual, able to empathize with aliens and deeply traumatized people alike.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: She initially aids her step-father out of obedience in his first scheme against the Fantastic Four, though she immediately senses the "gentle" and "sensitive" spirit of the Thing when she first feels his palpably monstrous face.
• Sixth Ranger: After getting married to Ben, she becomes a prominent member of the family and despite not having any powers, joins in on many of their adventures, sometimes even providing important assistance.

Tarianna

Notable Aliases: The Reckoner

First Appearance: Thing #12 (February, 1984)

• Braids of Action: In warrior garb she has her long hair in two long braids.
• Significant Green-Eyed Redhead: She's got pretty red hair and green eyes and she's Ben's most prominent ally on Battleworld.
• Statuesque Stunner: Stands at 6'8"/2m tall and certainly beautiful.

Ms. Marvel / She-Thing

Alter Ego: Sharon Ventura

Notable Aliases: Ms. Marvel, She-Thing

First Appearance: The Thing #27 (September 1985)

Sharon Ventura was a former pro-wrestler who fell in love with the Thing and subsequently joined the Fantastic Four as Ms. Marvel. During an adventure in space, she was exposed to Cosmic Rays which mutated her body into a rock-like form similar to that of the Thing. She is not to be confused with Darla Deering (a.k.a. Ms. Thing).

Marvel Boy /Justice (Vance Astrovik)

• Abusive Parents: Arnold Astrovik, his father who beat him due to his son being a mutant. He also beat Vance’s mother. Eventually, Vance hits back with his telekinesis, which causes Arnold's death.
• Alternate Self: Has one in the form of Vance Astro, a.k.a. Major Victory, leader of the classic Guardians of the Galaxy.
• Ambiguously Jewish: Justice is half-Jewish, but it took many issues to mention and prove his Jewish background.
• Ascended Fanboy: When Justice joined the Avengers, he spent most of his tenure either fanboying over getting to work with A-listers like Captain America, or berating himself over not measuring up to his childhood idols.
• Big Brother Mentor: Towards the younger New Warrior members.
• The Cape: Very much The Cape, he's very devoted to law and order, fights For Great Justice and is charismatic in his helping people.
• Comic-Book Time: First introduced in the pages of Defenders as a young kid in the 70s, teenager in the 80s, and since the 90s has been in a vague "young adult" area.
• A Father to His Men: When Justice takes his leadership role for the New Warriors, he cares too deeply about his friends and younger teammates. At one time when Speedball "died", it affected him emotionally in one of the old New Warriors issues.
• Flight: His telekinesis allows him to fly through sheer willpower.
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Refuses to be sprung from jail when he's convicted of manslaughter for accidentally killing his father in self-defense. "I believe in the system, so I'm going to abide by it. Just because I have powers which would make it tempting to ignore the law — doesn't give me the right to."
• In-Series Nickname: "Super-Tights" by Nova.
• Legacy Character: To his alternate reality self Vance Astro.
  • Timey-Wimey Ball: Because the classic incarnation of the Guardians of the Galaxy are honorary Avengers, Vance is the only member of the Avengers to be on the roster twice as the same person.
• Mind Over Matter: He's not the physical type and thus relies heavily on his telekinesis, which can perform spectacular feats like flight, applying of pressure to anything, carrying people with him, and levitating objects with his mind.
• Mutant: His origin story.
• My Greatest Failure: In Avengers: The Initiative, when the young recruit MVP died in a training accident; Justice was wrecked with guilt as he was responsible for recruiting him to Camp Hammond.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: After MVP's death, he got so fed up of the corruption and incompetence of the adults in Camp Hammond that he left the camp and formed his own team, composed of former New Warrior members acting as whistle-blowers calling themselves 'Counter Force' in Avengers: The Initiative. Unfortunately, they helped Norman Osborn's rise to power in the process.
• Something Person: Marvel Boy.
• Took a Level in Badass: After doing a stint in the Vault for accidentally killing his father with his powers, Marvel Boy matured emotionally and learned to control his powers. This would eventually lead to him changing his name to Justice and leading the New Warriors.
• Wrestler in All of Us: Was a former professional wrestler in the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation.

Alter Ego: Dennis Dunphy

Notable Aliases: D-Man, Demolition Dunphy, Scourge of the Underworld

Team Affiliations: The Avengers

First Appearance: The Thing #28 (October, 1985) ^note As Dennis Dunphy; Captain America #328 (April, 1987) ^note As Demolition-Man

A former professional wrestler, Demolition Man has had a dubious and difficult career as a costumed adventurer. Although he began as one of Captain America’s closest allies during a difficult time for the patriotic hero, much of his life following that has proven hard. Recently he has started working as Sam Wilson's pilot and field back up.

Puppet Master

Alter Ego: Phillip Masters

Notable Aliases:

First Appearance: Fantastic Four #8 (Nov. 1962)

Born in Transia and once childhood friends with Jessica Drew, Phillip Masters became obsessed with making dolls of the clay he found near the base of Wundagore Mountain. Emigrating to America at a young age and subsequently placed in an orphanage, his obsession with his special (and radioactive) clay grew. An attempt to develop it for market backfired due to Phillip's jealousy toward his business partner, who would die in a lab explosion. Masters would then marry his partner's widow and adopt their daughter Alicia, who had been blinded by the same explosion. But the death of his wife proved to be the final straw for his sanity, and after securing more clay from his homeland he began his life of crime as the Puppet Master.

The Grapplers

Alter Egos: Battleaxe, Letha, Poundcakes, Auntie Freeze, Cowgirl, Gladiatrix, Screaming Mimi (Melissa Gold), Screaming Mimi (Lanie), Sushi, Titania

First Appearance: Marvel Two-in-One #54 (August, 1979)

The Grapplers were a group of mostly female wrestlers, led by Auntie Freeze. The original group worked for Roxxon, and the second were a division of the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation.