The powerhouse of the Fantastic Four is having a hard time dealing with the loss of his powers. The Fantastic Four just had a confrontation with Doctor Doom, the new Sorcerer Supreme of the Marvel Universe, which left Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, without his powers. It was a startling development that came in One World Under Doom #2, but the ramifications are starting to play out in Marvel’s Fantastic Four ongoing series. How will Thing respond to be back to his natural human form, and not a giant mass of rocks? The answer to that is “Not well.” WARNING: Spoilers for Fantastic Four #30 below.
Fantastic Four #30 comes from the creative team of Ryan North, Cory Smith, Oren Junior, Jesus Aburtov, and VC’s Joe Caramagna. It catches readers up with what took place in One World Under Doom #2, where Doctor Doom stripped Thing of his powers at the United Nations. This brought Doom’s fight with the Fantastic Four to a quick end, with the team regrouping back at their home in Arizona. Alicia, Ben’s wife, and their adopted children try to cheer Ben up, but Ben can’t shake the funk he’s in. Poetically, the title of the story is “Rock Bottom.”
Alicia plans a special date for her and Ben in New York, with the night almost ending successfully until they’re confronted by a mugger. Ben reacts on instinct, fighting the mugger off. But when he places his hand over the gun barrel, he forgets his hand isn’t made of rocks anymore, and the bullet penetrates his hand. He suffers another gunshot to his leg before the mugger runs off and Alicia calls out for help. The Fantastic Four visit Ben in the hospital, and he lies to them about having an afternoon discharge the next day to pay someone a visit.
image credit: marvel comics
The next day, Ben Grimm grabs a taxi to The Raft, the supervillain prison on Ryker’s Island. He’s there to see his father-in-law, Phillip Masters, aka Puppet Master. Ben wants Puppet Master to turn him back into The Thing, but the only problem is Puppet Master reshapes minds, not bodies. Ben even goes so far as to bring Puppet Master his psychic clay, which he uses to mold a lifelike model of the hero.
Evening dinner at the new Fantastic Four headquarters is going well, but Alicia can tell something is up with Ben. He has a huge grin on his face that never leaves, and she learns that Ben was discharged from the hospital in the morning, not the afternoon. Alicia takes Ben to see her father in prison and berates Puppet Master for always interfering in her life. We learn Puppet Master isn’t controlling Ben. He only made a clean slate piece of clay for Ben to do whatever he wanted with it. And what Ben chose was to put a smile on his depressed face.
Things only get more sad from here. Ben pleads for Alicia not to fix him, that he doesn’t want to go back to being the weak individual he’s become without his powers. But the clay is only a shortcut, and Ben needs to heal naturally. What we’re witnessing are the stages of depression. Alicia holds Ben as she destroys his piece of clay, and they fall together to the floor in tears.
image credit: marvel comics
Ben Grimm is the literal rock of the Fantastic Four, serving as their muscle and the person they all turn to in times of need. He’s been Thing for so long that he doesn’t know how to be regular Ben Grimm anymore. The Thing never had to use crutches to walk, or fear that he couldn’t protect his loved ones. It’s a stark difference, and one that has sent The Thing into an emotional tailspin. Luckily, he has the love and support from Alicia to help guide him through the healing process.
What’s happened to Thing won’t be the only fallout from One World Under Doom. Marvel is ending the series with the Fantastic Four heading to the Big Bang to find a solution to stop Doctor Doom. Fantastic Four is relaunching in July from current FF writer Ryan North and artist Humberto Ramos. It takes place during One World Under Doom and sends Marvel’s First Family back to different eras in the past. Their only chance to get back home is to retrieve the Forever Stone, a piece of granite that is one of Earth’s longest-lasting rocks. It also has the distinction of being accessible in every time period, and a convenient MacGuffin for a time travel story.
Conveniently, the cover of July’s Fantastic Four #1 features Ben Grimm back as The Thing, which makes sense since July is also when The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters.
What do you think of what happened to Thing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
The Thing is battling depression after Doctor Doom stripped the Fantastic Four hero of his powers in the Marvel event One World Under Doom. Read More