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Warning: Spoilers for Fantastic Four #30!The Thing has had a rough go of it in Marvel Comics, but a new scheme by Doctor Doom is giving him a challenge that he never expected, and one that not so long ago he would have traded anything for. It’s a scenario that Ben Grimm was never really prepared for, but one he’ll have to overcome regardless of whether the Fantastic Four want any chance of normalcy.
Preview pages for Fantastic Four #30 by Ryan North and Cory Smith have revealed that, without his powers and rocky appearance, the Thing is actually miserable, proving his life-long dream of being “cured” is actually a living nightmare.
In North and artist R.B. Silva’s One World Under Doom #2, Doctor Doom surprised the FF by turning the Thing back into Ben Grimm, and now Ben’s going to have to live with that, at least until he can be fixed. It’s ironic, since in classic Fantastic Four stories, Ben wished more than anything else that he could be “fixed.”
Doctor Doom Has Finally “Cured” the Thing, and the Hero Hates It
Fantastic Four #30 by Ryan North, Cory Smith, Oren Junior, Jesus Aburtov, and Joe Caramagna; Cover Art by Joshua Cassara, and Dean White
One World Under Doom is also the name of the current Marvel event and status quo, in which Doctor Doom has taken over the world. However, unlike most supervillains, Doom is fighting his battles with soft power, working to make the world love him via propaganda. In this context, depowering the Thing is just another step in Doom’s grand plans. Doom gets to neutralize one of his biggest foes, but he also has plausible deniability and can claim that he was only doing what Ben always wanted. What’s almost as bad for the Thing in this preview is how Doom turned the moment into a media circus.
Ben’s desire to turn back into his human form was a constant throughline of early Fantastic Four stories…
Ben’s desire to turn back into his human form was a constant throughline of early Fantastic Four stories, especially in the original run by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. There are multiple stories in that original run where Ben reverts to his human shape, only for the effect to either be temporary, or for whatever science gizmo is facilitating the change to be destroyed with no hope of repair. The only real solace in those original stories came from Thing’s blind girlfriend, Alicia Masters, who saw Ben for the man he was underneath, but also admired the feel of his rocky visage.
He Never Quite Gets Used to It, Though
This new story is also far from the first time that Ben has been transformed for a potentially extended period of time. Writer Steve Engelhart played this aspect up in his late-1980s Fantastic Four run, with the Thing first becoming rockier and more inhuman than ever, before again losing his powers for a time. It certainly didn’t help that during this time, “Alicia” had actually been replaced by a Skrull, Lyja, who married Johnny Storm, which only reawakened Ben’s feelings of insecurity and his belief that no-one could possibly love him because of his appearance.
However, it’s near impossible that Ben’s going to be de-powered for long. The solicitation for Fantastic Four #31, also by North and Smith,suggests that the FF are about to embark on a mission to restore their powers, and, unless it’s a classic case of the cover differing from the interiors, Joshua Cassara’s cover to #32 seems to confirm that they succeed, with Ben re-rockified. Just because it’s clearly temporary doesn’t mean that Ben’s story has no impact, however. The importance is in Ben’s immediate reaction and how he inevitably bounces back. Just because the ending is predetermined doesn’t make the journey any less interesting.
That Doesn’t Make His Latest Setback Any Easier
If Fantastic Four #30shows anything, it’s how far Ben has come as a character since those early stories. Ben’s had a long road to self-acceptance, but he’s arrived at a place where his rocky form is his natural one, and he doesn’t have to feel insecure about his appearance or his relationship with Alicia. The challenge is whether he can keep up that positive mindset when everything changes for him yet again. Readers know this change is only going to be temporary, but Ben certainly doesn’t, and his challenge is not letting the possibility of staying like this forever get to him.
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This story offers the chance to see Ben struggle with the exact opposite problem that he used to. The preview ends with him and Alicia being held up by a mugger, and if he were still the Thing, Ben would have no problem saving the day. How is he going to feel if he can’t protect the ones he loves, or even himself? It could be a potent combination of worthlessness and emasculation. However, if readers know anything, it’s that the Thing never gives up, and even these setbacks won’t keep him down for long.
Fantastic Four #30 is available March 26th, 2025 from Marvel Comics.
Ben Grimm / The Thing
“}]] Be careful what you wish for, Ben Grimm! Read More