The Thing is an interesting character on so many levels. Despite his impressive physique and his immense strength, he is a sensitive soul who'd trade away his powers in a second if it would guarantee him a normal life again. He is the poster child for Marvel Comics because it was him more than any other character in the Fantastic Four (the modern Marvel's first book) that showed how they were different from DC; they focused less on the amazing powers of the superheroes and chose instead to focus on the human drama that was born out of their situation.
From a creative standpoint, the sad thing about the Thing is that he's fairly easy to do but a little bit harder to actually understand. The recipe to follow has been laid down by some of the great comic writers, so as long as you follow it you'll at least not embarrass yourself. Basically have him use a bit of self-depreciating humor, bicker with the Human Torch and say things that we assume that people from Brooklyn said in the fifties.
The true core of Ben Grimm is deeper than that. Many of our comic pantheon are a reflection of the readers and this case is no different: Grimm is the young teenager. Let's first take a look at the structure of the Fantastic Four, often called "Marvel's first family," and we will see how much they're structured like a family. Sue Storm and Reed Richards (aka the Invisible Woman and Mr. Fantastic) are obviously the parents of the group, despite the fact that they are actually married; they also are the most responsible members of the team. Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, is practically a child. He has no impulse control and always wants his way.
Ben Grimm on the other hand, woke up one day to find that his body had changed, that it had in a sense betrayed him. Yes he was more physically imposing but that he was also more awkward both physically and socially. Also, his physical appearance had changed for the worse. Ask any teenager who is starting to sprout the first few bits of facial hair (not when they look like cool stubble but are just in random uneven patches) and pimples and most of them would trade some of their height and broader shoulders to look a little more, well, normal. This is Ben Grimm.
What's interesting, and often untapped, is that the metaphor of the Thing is actually gender neutral. When his transformation first happened (and some since then), he took to wearing baggy, ill-fitting clothes in an attempt to hide his new body. Many young teenage girls go through a similar awkward growth where they find themselves repulsive and so decide to hide behind such clothes (of course, they go for sweatshirts that are too big rather than a trench coat and a fedora, but the desire is the same).
The story of the Thing was not a different person the day before he left for space and the day after he got back. Inside he knows the same things, likes the same jokes, and hates the same things yet society treats him differently. Some would say that this provides a nice racial paradigm and I think the casting of a black woman to play Alicia Masters in the Fantastic Four movie obviously means that there is some validity to that claim. Unlike with race, though, Ben Grimm was the once not superpowered whereas a black man has never been white. Also, as the Fantastic Four has become famous people have been willing to look past his rocky hide and not see him as a monster. But as with any teenager, the issue is that it doesn't matter how society really sees him, it matters more how he thinks society views him.
Tagged with: The Thing
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