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As Marvel Comics celebrates The Thingwith a series of variant mash-ups with other heroes, the Fantastic Fourstrongman officially takes the form of one of the X-Men’s most iconic mutants. The stunning variant cover showcases a super-creative blend of Ben Grimm and Nightcrawler mid-bamf, in one of the most visually exciting redesigns of the variant series.
As announced by Marvel, Javier Garrón’s variant cover for Uncanny X-Men (2024) #5 – written by Gail Simone, with art by David Marquez – combines the two familiar heroes in a thrilling illustration. The gorgeous redesign is immediately one of Nightcrawler’s best new looks, making the mash-up deserving of an official Marvel Comics appearance.
Blending the two characters of the X-Men and Fantastic Four into one highlights their many similarities; Garrón’s design beautifully comes together as a pair of Marvel’s most likable heroes colliding in an all-new form.
New Marvel Variant Cover Features A Striking Combination of Thing And Nightcrawler
Uncanny X-Men #5 – Variant Cover By Javier Garrón
Marvel’s Thing/Nightcrawler mash-up design showcases the iconic aspects of both heroes’ looks, and designs a brand-new type of mutant in the process. Garrón’s The Thing variant cover makes Nightcrawler’s costume part of his rocky body design, with the cosmic rock enveloping not only his blue skin, but his entire form; his traditional costume with red and white accents becomes enmeshed within his new rough and pebbly texture. Of course, the absolute best part of this cover are the adorable bamf demons that resemble little blue Thing babies, complete with Nightcrawler tails, floating around Kurt in his superhero pose.
Their shared struggle makes the two characters more alike than they may seem on the outside, with Garrón’s variant cover molding them into one fascinating cosmic mutant combination.
One of the defining aspects of Nightcrawler’s character is his unique mutant look, with blue skin, sharp ears and teeth, with a long prehensile tail. Because of his appearance, he’s been ostracized by humans and personally had trouble with his apparent demon-like physical aspects as a religious mutant. Ben Grimm has also struggled with self-image since becoming the Thing and his body changing into the current form that fans know and love. Their shared struggle makes the two characters more alike than they may seem on the outside, with Garrón’s variant cover molding them into one fascinating cosmic mutant combination.
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Thing Variants Available Through December From Marvel Comics
It is possible Marvel could be teasing more interactions between the Thing and the X-Men.
Nightcrawler isn’t the only member of the X-Men to receive the special rocky redesign, with Jean Grey’s Phoenix, Dazzler, and Wolverine also getting makeovers on Thing-styled variant covers.Elizabeth Torque’s Phoenix #5 cover in particular takes Jean Grey’s extreme cosmic power and mixes it with the Thing’s skin after his exposure to cosmic rays. As Ben Grimm’s design gets repurposed for Marvel’s mutants, it highlights how his appearance has mutated and evolved after his superhero transformation. Ben being the only member of his team of four to experience a permanent physical abnormality makes him more empathetic to the mutants’ plight.
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Ben doesn’t have much of a relationship with many mutants, with more narrative connections to those who have also appeared in an Avengers line-up. The Fantastic Four’s biggest and latest crossover with the mutants is Chip Zdarsky’s X-Men/Fantastic Four from 2020, with art by Terry Dodson, Rachel Dodson, and Laura Martin. This crossover saw the groups at odds over Franklin Richards’ mutant status, eventually taking on Doctor Doom together. While this is not always the case with variant cover designs, it is possible Marvel could be teasing more interactions between the Thing and the X-Men.
Twists On An All-Time Classic
The whole collection of variant covers celebrating The Thing, releasing throughout the month of November with a bonus She-Hulk cover for Fantastic Four out in December, put a well-deserved emphasis on Ben Grimm’s instantly recognizable and beloved character design. The comic book icon Jack Kirby co-created the Fantastic Four, and his Thing design makes him their most eye-catching member with exceedingly unique physical attributes. As he’s creatively combined with other Marvel heroes like Nightcrawler, the most famous aspects of his character are easily transferred to the others, further proving the standout quality of his legendary rough and stony design.
With Marvel expanding on his famous design with mash-ups with other iconic heroes, Javier Garrón’s cover of Nightcrawler’s transformation is one of the most creative and fully realized.
Ben Grimm is one of the best and strongest figures in Marvel’s entire multiversal line-up of characters, so him being celebrated across twelve all-new variant covers is a worthy celebration for the gruff but lovable hero. With Marvel xxpanding on his famous design with mash-ups with other iconic heroes, Javier Garrón’s cover of Nightcrawler’s transformation is one of the most creative and fully realized. Mixing together some of the most visually recognizable members of theX-Men and Fantastic Fourto create some sort of Thingcrawler, Marvel has created one of the most fascinating alternate versions of the Thing ever.
Source: Marvel
Javier Garrón’s Uncanny X-Men (2024) #5 The Thing! Variant Cover will be available November 13, 2024 from Marvel Comics.
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a superhero franchise centered on Marvel Comics’ first family of superheroes. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the team made its comic book debut in 1961 and quickly became a cornerstone of Marvel’s success. The franchise follows four astronauts—Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm—who gain superpowers after being exposed to cosmic radiation. Over the years, Fantastic Four has been adapted into several live-action films, animated series, and video games. The films have seen multiple reboots, with varying levels of success, and are now set to be integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with a new film slated for release in 2025.
“}]] The Thing goes BAMF with this redesign. Read More