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Marvel Database

History

Years ago, the man called Ben Grimm, along with three others, stole a Skrullship and tried to escape the Skrull ruled Earth, however, they came across cosmic waves which mutated them and caused the ship to crash. One of the crew died, and the others, Ben included, mutated. They were captured and forced to battle in "the Games", except for Reed Richards, who managed to escape and set up a secret lab.

During his time in the games, Ben battled many opponents, including Piotr Rasputin. When Galactus' herald Terrax arrived on Earth, he caused a power failure which freed all superhumans, Ben included, from imprisonment. During the battle with Terrax, Alex Summers and Johnny Storm blast him out of the sky, and the Banner Beast and Ben beat him up on the ground. Soon all heroes that are left standing join the fight and Terrax' fate is sealed.

During the battle with Galactus, Ben combined his strength with Piotr and Banner, while Shiro Yoshida, Johnny Storm and Ororo Munroe attacked from the air. Usually Galactus' herald would deal with such attacks, but the master proves that he can deal with it too, and the heroes were sent flying.

After Galactus was driven off, Ben, along with all the other heroes, started rebuilding their world after a century of slavery by the Skrulls.[1]

Attributes

Powers

The Thing received his powers when cosmic rays bombarded his body. Ben's powers represent the element of earth.

Rock-like Skin: Ben possesses a smooth, rock-like hide as a result of exposure to cosmic rays. The mutagenic process caused his musculature, bone structure, internal organ composition, soft tissue structure, and skin to greatly increase in toughness and density.

  • Superhuman Strength: Ben's primary superhuman power is his great physical strength. Initially, he was only strong enough to lift about 5 tons. Over the years, through rigerous training and further mutation, his strength dramatically increased to the point where he could lift roughly 85 tons. He has continued to exercise over the years using special equipment designed by Reed Richards. It is believed his strength has increased further, sufficient to lift at least 100 tons.
  • Superhuman Stamina: Ben's advanced musculature produces considerably less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of a normal human. At his peak, he can exert himself for about 24 hours before the build up of fatigue toxins in his blood begins to affect him. Incidentally, Ben's lungs are of greater volume and efficiency than a normal man's, enabling him to hold his breath underwater for up to 9 minutes,despite the fact that he used to smoke.
  • Superhuman Durability: The rock-like composition of Ben's body renders him highly resistant to physical injury. The Thing's body can resist extremely powerful impact forces, such as being repeatedly punched by the Hulk. He can also withstand exposure to high levels of explosives, such as being struck full with bazooka shells, without sustaining injury. His body can also withstand extreme temperatures ranging from -75 degrees to 800 degrees Fahrenheit for up to one hour before exposure or heat prostration occurs.
  • Superhuman Sensory Adaptation: Though his senses aren't superhumanly acute, his five senses can withstand greater amounts of sensory stimuli than he could when he was a normal human being, with no reduced sensitivity.

Abilities

Expert Pilot: Ben is an exceptionally skilled and experienced pilot, proficient with many varieties of both conventional and exotic aircraft

Experienced Astronaut: Ben has also trained as an astronaut and was piloting Reed Richard's Skrullship during the team's fateful bombardment with cosmic rays.

Master Combatant: He is uniquely gifted in the art of hand-to-hand combat (a skill Ben honed long before he became the Thing), though his fighting style tends to be a rather loose brawling technique all his own. This style often incorporates wrestling techniques, boxing (as he has been stated to have spent hours upon hours honing his boxing skills in the gym during college), and on at least one occasion even Jujitsu.

Weaknesses

None known

See Also

Links and References

References

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