Ben Grimm’s 10 Best Variants, Ranked

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The Thing is foundational to the continuity of Marvel Comics. His persevering spirit and awesome power are instrumental to the Fantastic Four’s continued success, but he’s also iconic as a solo act. As with every other Mighty Marvel, there are an infinite number of awesome Ben Grimm variants across the multiverse.

The Marvel multiverse is home to heroes of all kinds. Innumerable icons occupy infinite worlds; some of Ben’s are particularly memorable. The most powerful are probably too powerful to stay interesting; some are rad because they’re part of a world-changing rock band. The Thing is a big orange monster, and the best variants embrace his story with fun and interesting twists.

10

Unique Things From Variant Covers

Variant covers commonly feature art and events that don’t occur in the stories within the comic. The Thing variant series is no exception, featuring many Mighty Marvels with Ben’s trademark rocky features. Some variant heroes would be far more powerful, but The Amazing Spider-Man features a web-slinger too heavy to swing.

Nightcrawler and Daredevil look like absolute monsters on their Thing variant covers. Captain America looks much stronger, and She-Hulk wears the Thing’s rocks well. Jean Grey looks like an Elemental, the change is par for the course with Gwen Stacy, and Wolverine #3 features Ben as Weapon X. Iron Man’s custom Thing armor is pretty goofy, Spider-Boy looks silly, and Dazzler’s disco rocks are the most fun variant of the bunch.

9

Angrir, Breaker of Souls is a Worthy Force Of Nature

Ben Grimm became one of The Worthy when seven evil hammers fell to Earth. As Angrir, Breaker of Souls, he was even more powerful than usual. Multiple versions of Ben from throughout the multiverse remained in their blackened, corrupted state, potentially signifying Earths where Cul, the Serpent, won.

The Ben Grimm of Earth-15143 could’ve opposed Angrir’s wrath, especially with the help of the rest of the Fantastic Thors. The Thing is already one of the strongest heroes in the Marvel universe, but adding the power of Asgardian magic turns him into a raw force of nature.

8

Ultimate Ben Has Different Powers

The original Ultimate Marvel Universe is vastly different from Earth-616. Earth-1610 was more brutal than the world fans were accustomed to, and its Fantastic Four was quite different. The Ultimate version of Reed Richards faked his death to become one of the worst villains in the multiverse’s history, whereas Ben developed cool new powers and eventually killed Doctor Doom.

While opening up about his feelings for Sue Storm, Ben’s rocks fell off in Ultimate Enemy #3. He revealed his new, glowing purple humanoid form, which became one of two states he operated in. His powers are similar to Marvel heroes like Wonder Man, and he can change into human form at will. He’s arguably more powerful than his 616 counterpart, but he’s also missing many aspects that make him The Thing.

7

Ben Has A Family On Earth X

Earth X is a world where everyone has superpowers. A world full of Inhumans, mutants, and mutated means that The Thing’s monstrous form isn’t nearly as uncommon as that of his 616 counterpart. He retired with Alicia and had two children, both of whom have similarly rocky forms.

The struggles of Earth X are brutal, but Thing’s life is probably a little better than the life he leads on Earth-616. He feels comfortable in his own skin because everyone around him is going through similar issues. On a deeper level, that speaks to Ben’s vanity and negativity, and he’s more comfortable in a world where everyone else shares in his misery.

6

The Thing Fits Perfectly In Cartoon Worlds

The Thing is big, grouchy, and orange, so he’s a perfect character for cartoon adaptations. He was featured in the multiple Fantastic Four animated series that aired over the years, and he went on to guest star in other Marvel series led by the likes of Spider-Man and the X-Men.

The First Family is deeply ingrained in Marvel’s legacy, and the Thing’s many cartoon appearances paved the way for the animation powerhouse Marvel has become. In 1979, he led his eponymous cartoon series for twenty-six episodes, and while that’s not as many as other, more popular heroes, Reed Richards and the rest of the four never had solo series at all.

5

What If…? Has A Menagerie of Things

Marvel’s What If…? is a place for creative teams to explore wacky ideas and possibilities. The Thing is already such a wacky character that the variants who appear in What If comics never feel too far from the realm of possibility. One that drastically changes Ben and his world is What If Doctor Doom Had Become the Thing, where Victor becomes big and orange and Ben gets hit by a gamma bomb, becoming the Hulk.

Other issues are way sillier. In issue #10, readers see a version of Ben who became an Elvis impersonator. On the other end of the rockstar spectrum, the Ben Grimm from issue #41 is part of a rocking Fantastic Four led by Keith Richards. A couple of issues see him become the Dragonfly instead of the orange-skinned Thing, and issue #11 of volume two features four alternate timelines where each of the Four gets the same power. Issue #11 of the first original What If series featured Jack Kirby as a variant of The Thing, which is as silly as iconic.

4

The Dread Pirate Grimm

Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman reimagines the legendary heroes of Earth-616 in a new world resembling Elizabethan-era Europe. The Fantastick is a dreaded ship; Ben Grimm is its surly captain. His story began when Reed Richards hired his ship and embarked on a life-changing voyage. The setup harkens back to an early Fantastic Four story where Stan Lee established Ben as the inspiration for Black Beard through time travel, and time-divergent variant copies have appeared over the years.

When 1602‘s Grimm and his passengers passed through an eerie light on the sea, he and three others stayed above deck. They developed familiar superpowers, which only enhanced Grimm’s reputation as a hearty and fearsome force on the high seas. After the Four of the Fantastick gained notoriety, Grimm joined the troupe of William Shakespeare to become an idol of thousands.

3

Michael Chicklis Gave An Iconic Performance

Multiple film adaptations of The Fantastic Four were attempted, to varying degrees of success. Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s upcoming portrayal looks incredible, but Michael Chiklis from the 2005 film is the measuring stick against which his performance will be judged. Chiklis embodied all the essential qualities of the Thing.

He had Ben’s rough-and-tumble attitude and the cool blue eyes to match, and he captured the grief Ben felt at losing his life. His voice, like Moss-Bachrach’s, wasn’t edited in post when he became a monster, but unlike the newest portrayal, he did take on a more hoarse and gruff inflection after his transformation. Capturing a character’s voice is one of the most important parts of adapting a comic into any new medium.

Marvel Two-In-One was an episodic series that paired the Thing with other heroes with minimal narrative overlap between issues. One notable exception comes from an alternate timeline created by The Thing in issue #50. When he tries to go back in time to cure himself in the past, thus hopefully eliminating his years as the Thing, he accidentally learns about the multiverse and its many variant worlds.

The Ben Grimm, who received the only functional miracle cure Reed ever devised, was permanently changed. As a result, The Fantastic Four of Earth-7940 didn’t have his help in all the threats they faced. Their world fell to ruin, and Ben became a bartender and resistance leader, as later revealed in issue #100. He saved as many people as he could without his powers despite once again changing against his will.

1

The Infinity Thing Is Overpowered

Earth-21170 is home to the most powerful version of the Thing. In a world where Ben Grimm went to space alone to meet a cosmic threat, he was transformed into the Infinity Thing. His rocky skin is made entirely of infinity stones, and he is ridiculously powerful. Such abilities imply that staying in Thing form is his choice, as he could presumably revert to human form at any time.

He’s presumably just as physically capable as his 616 counterpart, but who cares about strength when he can warp reality to his whims? This variant is a member of the Multiversal Avengers and one of the sole protectors of his world, making him easily the coolest and most powerful Thing variant in the entirety of the multiverse. He’s too overpowered to feature more than a few times, but it’s nice to know that somewhere in the multiverse, the Idol of Millions has the power to save them all.

“}]] Ben Grimm is better known as the Fantastic Four’s Thing, though fans have seen several versions of the character appear in Marvel’s multiverse.  Read More