Thing (comics)

The Thing joined his Fantastic Four partner and frequent rival the Human Torch in #124 (1964) of Strange Tales, which previously featured solo adventures of the Human Torch and backup Doctor Strange stories. The change was intended to liven the comic through the always humorous chemistry between the Torch and the Thing. They were replaced in #135 (1965) with the "modern-day" version of Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., who had already been appearing in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos.

After a 1973 try-out in two issues of Marvel Feature, the Thing starred in the long-running series Marvel Two-in-One.[6] In each issue, Ben Grimm would team up with another character from the Marvel Universe, often an obscure or colorful character. The series helped to introduce characters from Marvel's lineup, by way of teaming up with the more recognizable Thing. In 1992, Marvel reprinted four Two-in-One stories (#50, 51, 77 and 80) as a miniseries under the title The Adventures of the Thing. The series was cancelled after 100 issues and seven annuals to make way for a solo series.

The cancellation of Marvel Two-in-One led to the Thing's first completely solo series, which ran for 36 issues. It was originally written by John Byrne and later, Mike Carlin. The series also featured art by Ron Wilson and later by Paul Neary. It elaborated on Ben Grimm's poor childhood on Yancy Street in its early issue, and chronicled the Thing's later foray into the world of professional wrestling. It also featured a major storyline offshoot from Marvel's Secret Wars event, in which the Thing elects to remain on the Beyonder's Battleworld after discovering that the planet enables him to return to human form at will. A full third of the series' stories take place on Battleworld.

In 2002, Marvel released The Thing: Freakshow, a four-issue miniseries written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Scott Kolins, in which the Thing travels across the United States by train, inadvertently stumbling on a deformed gypsy boy he once ridiculed as a teenager, who is now the super-strong main attraction of a troupe of traveling circus freaks. He later discovers a town full of alien Kree and Skrull warriors fighting over a Watcher infant.

In 2003, Marvel released a four-issue miniseries written by Evan Dorkin and illustrated by Dean Haspiel, The Thing: Night Falls on Yancy Street. The story was more character-driven than the stories that usually feature the Thing. Tom Spurgeon found its outlook on relationships "depressing".[7]

After the success of the 2005 Fantastic Four feature film and events in the comics series that resulted in Grimm becoming a millionaire, the Thing was once again given his own series in 2005, The Thing, written by Dan Slott and penciled by Andrea Di Vito and Kieron Dwyer. It was canceled with issue #8 in 2006.

The Thing was a member of The New Avengers, when that team debuted in their self-titled series in 2010.[8] He appeared as a regular character throughout the 2010–2013 New Avengers series, from issue #1 (Aug. 2010) through its final issue #34 (Jan. 2013).

Born on Yancy Street in New York City's Lower East Side, to a Jewish[9] family, Benjamin Jacob "Ben" Grimm had an early life of poverty and hardship, shaping him into a tough, streetwise scrapper. His older brother Daniel, whom Ben idolized, was killed in a street gang fight when Ben was eight years old. This portion of his own life is modeled on that of Jack Kirby, who grew up on tough Delancey Street, whose brother died when he was young, whose father was named Benjamin, and who was named Jacob at birth.[10] Following the death of his parents, Ben was raised by his Uncle Jake (who had married a much younger wife, Petunia, who would become a frequent reference used by the character until her death[11]).[12] He comes to lead the Yancy Street gang at one point.[13]

Excelling in football as a high school student, Ben received a full scholarship to Empire State University, where he first met his eventual lifelong friend in a teenaged genius named Reed Richards, as well as future enemy Victor von Doom.[14] Despite their being from radically different backgrounds, science student Richards described to Grimm his dream of building a space rocket to explore the regions of space around Mars; Grimm jokingly agreed to fly that rocket when the day came.

The details of his life story have been modified over the decades. Prior to the stories published in the 1970s, Grimm, after earning multiple advanced degrees in engineering, served in the United States Marine Corps as a test pilot during World War II.[15] These exploits are chronicled to a limited extent in Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders #7. While in the military, Nick Fury sends him, Logan and Carol Danvers on a top secret surveillance mission into Vladivostok.[16] Following this, he becomes an astronaut for NASA, taking part in attempts to reach the Moon, occurring at a time before any manned space ship had escaped Earth's orbit.[17]

In keeping with an early taboo in the comic superhero world against revealing a character's religion, the fact that Grimm was Jewish was not explicitly revealed until four decades after his creation, in the story "Remembrance of Things Past" in Fantastic Four vol. 3, #56 (Aug. 2002). Marvel Comics. In this story, Grimm returns to his old neighborhood to find Mr. Sheckerberg, a pawn shop owner he had known as a child. Flashbacks during this story reveal Grimm's Jewish heritage. He recites the Shema, an important Jewish prayer often recited, over the dying Sheckerberg, who eventually recovers.[9] In a later story, Grimm agrees to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah, since it has been 13 years, the age a Jewish boy celebrates his Bar Mitzvah, since he began his "second life" as the Thing. To celebrate the ceremony, Grimm organizes a poker tournament for every available superhero in the Marvel Universe.[18]

In the 2004 Fantastic Four story "Hereafter Part 1: A Glimpse of God", the Thing is killed by an energy weapon wielded by Reed Richards, but is brought back to life in one story by the hand of God.[9][19]

Out of universe, Jack Kirby featured the Thing on his family's 1976 Hanukkah card.[20]

Some years later, Reed Richards, now a successful scientist, once again makes contact with Grimm. Richards has built his spaceship, and reminds Grimm of his promise to fly the ship. After the government denies him permission to fly the spaceship himself, Richards plots a clandestine flight piloted by Grimm and accompanied by his future wife Susan Storm, who had helped provide funding for the rocket, and her younger brother Johnny Storm, who helped the group gain access to the launch system. Although reluctant to fly the rocket, Ben is persuaded to do so by Sue, for whom he has a soft spot. During this unauthorized ride into the upper atmosphere of Earth and the Van Allen Belts, they are pelted by a cosmic ray storm and exposed to radiation against which the ship's shields are no protection. Upon crashing down to Earth, each of the four learn that they have developed fantastic superhuman abilities. Grimm's skin is transformed into a thick, lumpy orange hide, which gradually evolves into his now-familiar craggy covering of large rocky plates. Richards proposes the quartet band together to use their new abilities for the betterment of humanity, and Grimm, in a moment of self-pity, adopts the super-heroic sobriquet, the Thing. The team clashes with the Mole Man in their first appearance.[17]

Trapped in his monstrous form, Grimm is an unhappy yet reliable member of the team. He trusts in his friend Reed Richards to one day develop a cure for his condition. However, when he encounters blind sculptress Alicia Masters,[21] Grimm develops an unconscious resistance to being transformed back to his human form. Subconsciously fearing that Masters prefers him to remain in the monstrous form of the Thing, Grimm's body rejects various attempts by Richards to restore his human form, lest he lose Masters' love. Grimm has remained a stalwart member of the Fantastic Four for years. The Thing first fought the Hulk early in his career,[22] with many such further clashes over the years. Not long after that, he is first reverted to his human form, but is then restored to his Thing form to battle Doctor Doom.[23]

Grimm has been temporarily replaced on the team twice. First, after Grimm temporarily lost his powers and reverted to human form,[24] Reed Richards hired Luke Cage (then using the code name "Power Man") to take his place until Richards had completed a Thing-suit for Ben (however, Ben unexpectedly reverted into the actual Thing again later on).[25]

Years later, after Grimm chose to remain on Battleworld in the aftermath of the "Secret Wars" due to his apparent control over his transformation between his human and mutated states, he asked the She-Hulk to fill in for him, Mister Fantastic did leave him with the device needed to return to Earth when it comes time.[26][27] Thing's time on Battleworld lasted until Ben eventually deciding to return home after defeating Ultron and slaying his manifested dark side Grimm the Sorcerer. Once he left, the planet had no more reason to exist and so it broke apart.[28]

On returning to Earth, he learns that Alicia had become romantically involved with his teammate Johnny Storm during his absence[29] (it is eventually revealed that this Alicia was actually the Skrull impostor Lyja).[30] An angry Grimm wallows in self-pity for a time, later on accompanying the West Coast Avengers,[31] and actually joining the team for a moment.[32] Eventually, he returns to his surrogate family as leader of the Fantastic Four when Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman leave the team to raise their son Franklin, at which point Ben invites Crystal and Ms. Marvel II (Sharon Ventura) to fill their slots.[33] Soon after Sharon and Ben are irradiated with cosmic rays, Sharon becomes a lumpy Thing much like Ben was in his first few appearances, while Ben mutates into a new rockier, more powerful form.[34]

After being further mutated into the more monstrous rocky form, Ben is briefly changed back to his human form, and returned leadership of the Fantastic Four to Reed Richards.[35] Grimm once more returned to his traditional orange rocky form, out of love for Ms. Marvel.[36] He remains a steadfast member of the Fantastic Four.

In a Fantastic Four comic published in 2005, Ben learns that he is entitled to a large sum of money, his share of the Fantastic Four fortune, which Reed Richards had never touched, as he had the shares of the other teammates (who were family members) in order to pay off various debts of the group.

The Thing uses his newfound wealth to build a community center in his old neighborhood on Yancy Street, the "Grimm Youth Center". Thinking the center is named after the Thing himself, the Yancy Street Gang plans to graffiti the building exterior, but discovers the building was actually named after Daniel Grimm, Ben's deceased older brother and former leader of the gang. The relationship between the Yancy Streeters and the Thing is then effectively reconciled, or at least changed to a more good-natured, playful rivalry (as exemplified by the comic ending, with Yancy Streeters spray-painting the sleeping Thing).

Some personality traits of the cantankerously lovable, occasionally cigar-smoking, Jewish native of the Lower East Side are popularly recognized as having been inspired by those of co-creator Jack Kirby, who in interviews has said he intended Grimm to be an alter ego of himself.[37]

Initially in the 2006 storyline "Civil War", Ben is a reluctant member of the pro-registration side of the controversy over the 2006 Superhuman Registration Act (SHRA), until he witnesses a battle on Yancy Street in which Captain America's forces try to rescue captured allies held by Iron Man's forces. The Fantastic Four's foes the Mad Thinker and the Puppet Master try to escalate the battle, using a mind-controlled Yancy Streeter to deliver a bomb. The young man dies and the Thing verbally blasts both sides for not caring about the civilians caught in the conflict. He announces that, while he thinks the registration is wrong, he is also not going to fight the government and is thus leaving the country for France. While in France he meets Les Héros de Paris (The Heroes of Paris).[38]

Ben returns to New York as both sides of the SHRA battle in the city. Indifferent to choosing sides, Ben focuses on protecting civilians from harm.[39]

In Fantastic Four #543 (March 2007), Ben celebrates the Fantastic Four's 11th anniversary along with the Human Torch, and late-comers Reed and Sue. The aftermath of the Civil War is still being felt in this issue, as Ben and Johnny (and even Franklin) consider the future of the team and Reed and Sue's marriage. When Reed and Sue arrive near issue's end, they announce that they are taking a break from the team and have found two replacement members: Black Panther, and Storm of the X-Men. The title of the story in this issue is a quote from Ben, "Come on, Suzie, don't leave us hangin'."[40]

Ben Grimm served as one of the pallbearers at the memorial service for Captain America, along with Tony Stark, Ms. Marvel, Rick Jones, T'Challa and Sam Wilson.[41]

Ben has been identified as Number 53 of the 142 registered superheroes who appear on the cover of the comic book Avengers: The Initiative #1.[42]

Ben once again tries to take on the Hulk within the events of the 2007 storyline "World War Hulk" in order to buy Reed Richards the time he needs to complete his plans for the Hulk. Ben gives his best shots, but the Hulk takes his punches without slowing down. The Hulk proceeds to knock out Ben by punching both sides of his head simultaneously.[43] He is later seen captive in Madison Square Garden, which the Hulk has turned into a gladiatorial arena, with an obedience disk fitted on him.[44]

Released from his imprisonment, Ben, Spider-Man, and Luke Cage attack the Warbound, with Ben fighting Korg. Their battle is brought to an abrupt end when Hiroim repairs the damage to Manhattan Island, drawing the energy to do so from Ben and Korg.[45]

In the Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four miniseries, the Skrull Lyja, posing as Sue, sends the Baxter Building, with Ben, Johnny, Franklin, and Valeria inside, into the Negative Zone. Not long after their arrival, Ben has to protect Franklin and Valeria from an impending onslaught of giant insects.[46] With the aid of the Tinkerer, who Ben broke out of the Negative Zone Prison, they, with the exception of Lyja who stayed behind,[47] were able to return to the regular Marvel Universe just after the invasion was over.[48]

Following the Siege of Asgard, Luke Cage asks Ben to serve on his Avengers team. Although Ben states that his loyalty will always be to the Fantastic Four, Cage confirms that he is not asking Ben to resign from his original team, merely suggesting that Ben split his time between the two teams, as Wolverine divides his time between the X-Men and the Avengers.[49]

During the 2011 "Fear Itself" storyline, Ben lifts one of the seven fallen hammers of the Serpent and becomes Angrir: Breaker of Souls.[50] In this form, he then destroys Yancy Street and Avengers Tower,[51] and battles Spider-Man,[52] Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman,[53] before confronting Thor, who seriously wounds him.[54] Franklin then uses his powers to restore Ben to his normal self, free from the Serpent's possession.[55]

In the 2014 "Original Sin" storyline, after learning from the eye of the murdered Uatu that Johnny Storm unintentionally sabotaged an experiment that could have allowed Grimm to become human again,[56] Ben is found having apparently murdered the Puppet Master; the crime was committed in a sealed room that even Reed Richards could barely penetrate with Alicia Masters as the only witness.[57] Although Ben claims innocence, his depression over recent events prompts him to accept incarceration in the Raft.[58] Although power-dampeners in the Raft restrict his strength to a more manageable level, he is attacked by various other thick-skinned superhumans — including the Armadillo and Ironclad — on orders of the current 'boss' of the prison, Sharon Ventura, the She-Thing.[59] Eventually, Ben forms an alliance with the Sandman and manages to escape the prison with the aid of a plan coordinated by She-Hulk and Ant-Man, allowing him to rejoin Sue and Johnny to investigate Reed's recent abduction,[60] revealing that the dead Puppet Master came from the alternate Earth Franklin had created.

As Fantastic Four disbanded in the aftermath of the "Secret Wars" storyline, the Thing is working with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Human Torch is acting as an ambassador with the Inhumans and becoming part of Uncanny Avengers.[61]

During the 2017 "Secret Empire" storyline, Thing appears as a member of the Underground, which is a resistance movement against HYDRA ever since they took over the United States, until the real Captain America returns, ending Hydra's empires and defeating his Hydra counterpart.[62]

To help Thing cope with Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman's disappearance, Human Torch takes him on a journey through the Multiverse using the Multisect in order to find them.[63] They have not been able to find Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman as they return to Earth-616 empty-handed.[64] Thing and Human Torch were reunited with Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman to help alongside other superheroes who were part of Fantastic Four (including surprisingly X-Men's Iceman) fight the Griever at the End of All Things after Mister Fantastic persuaded the Griever to let him summon Thing and Human Torch. As Thing and his teammates finally return to 616, while Future Foundation stays behind to keep learning multiverse, Thing reveals to them that he and Alicia propose their wedding and about to get married soon. Although the Baxter Building is now owned by a new superhero team Fantastix, Thing allows his teammates to use his hometown Yancy Street as their current operation base.[65]

• The Thing is a regular character in the 1967 Fantastic Four cartoon, voiced by Paul Frees.[78][79]
• The Thing is a regular character in the 1978 Fantastic Four cartoon, voiced by Ted Cassidy.[78]
• Although The Thing has always been closely identified with the Fantastic Four, he did star as a solo character in a bizarre and short-lived 1979 animated series, placed alongside a spin-off of The Flintstones in the package show Fred and Barney Meet the Thing with Benjy Grimm voiced by Wayne Morton and Thing voiced by Joe Baker.[78] This incarnation of the Thing was a scrawny, teenaged "Benjy" Grimm who could transform into his heroic identity with his "Thing rings", one worn on each hand, by bringing his fists together to connect the rings (with the cry, "Thing ring, do your thing!").
• The Thing is a regular character in the 1994 Fantastic Four cartoon, voiced by Chuck McCann.[78]
• Thing later appears in the 1990s Spider-Man cartoon, voiced by Patrick Pinney.[78] He appears during the "Secret Wars" storyline along with the rest of the Fantastic Four. Thing plays a major role in the final conflict with Doctor Doom. Doctor Doom captures the Thing at New Latveria and reverts him back into his human form while providing him a special wrist device that enables him to change at will. Doctor Doom uses the information he gives Ben to steal the Beyonder's power and is only defeated when he turns his own weapon on him. After Spider-Man's side is declared victorious and his allies are to be returned to Earth, Thing commented that he would lose his ability to change back into Ben Grimm
• The Thing also makes a single episode appearance in the 1990s Incredible Hulk cartoon, with Chuck McCann reprising Thing.[78] The episode seems to place this show in the same continuity with the Fantastic Four cartoon of the same decade as this episode plays off the Hulk's appearance in the other show. She-Hulk flirted with him, but Ben chose to rekindle his relationship with Alicia Masters. Thing also fell for the pranks of the Yancy Street Gang as well.
• Thing appears in Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes, voiced by Brian Dobson.[78] He is seen with the Fantastic Four symbol spray painted onto his chest.
• Thing appears on The Super Hero Squad Show, voiced by Dave Boat.[78] He makes a cameo appearance with the other Fantastic Four members in the show's pilot episode, and has a much bigger role on the second episode where he helps save the Silver Surfer.[80]
• Thing appeared in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes in the episode "The Casket of Ancient Winters", voiced by Fred Tatasciore.[78] He and Human Torch help the Avengers fight ice monsters after Malekith the Accursed opened the Casket of Ancient Winters. Thing returns alongside the rest of the Fantastic Four in the episode "The Private War of Doctor Doom". He and Hulk have a somewhat childish rivalry because Thing never beat him in a fight. Thing joins the New Avengers in the episode of the same name after the regular Avengers are trapped by Kang the Conqueror. Thing and the Fantastic Four assist the Avengers while battling Galactus and his heralds in the season 2 finale "Avengers Assemble".
• The Thing appears in the Ultimate Spider-Man episode "The Incredible Spider-Hulk", voiced again by Dave Boat.[78] When Spider-Man (mind-switched into Hulk's body by Mesmero) ends up in town, he is attacked by Thing when he was summoned by Nick Fury to try to contain the Hulk. Spider-Man, Hulk (who is in Spider-Man's body), and Thing eventually clear things up, corner Mesmero, and force him to switch Spider-Man and Hulk's minds back.
• The Thing appears in the Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. episode "The Collector", with Dave Boat reprising his role.[78] He is seen playing poker with Hulk, Red Hulk and She Hulk. Thing is captured alongside them and is taken by the Collector to be a part of his collection. The Agents of S.M.A.S.H and Spider-Man free him along with the other heroes. In the episode "Monsters No More", Thing was with the Fantastic Four when they and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. fight the Tribbitites.
• The Thing appears in the Avengers Assemble episode "Hulk's Day Out", voiced again by Dave Boat.[78] It is revealed that Thing and Hulk go bowling at a bowling alley on Yancy Street.

• Michael Bailey Smith plays Ben Grimm (with Carl Ciarfalio portraying The Thing) in the 1994 The Fantastic Four produced by Roger Corman. Created to secure copyright to the property, the producers never intended it for release although the director, actors, and other participants were not informed of this fact.
• The Thing is featured in the 2005 film released by 20th Century Fox, in which he is portrayed by Michael Chiklis. In the film, a small explanation is given for why his physical alterations are the most severe of the entire team as he is exposed to the cosmic cloud with the least amount of protection, being outside the space station carrying out surveys while the rest of the team were inside when the storm hit. He is briefly cured of his 'condition' when Victor von Doom powers a chamber Mister Fantastic made that can negate the cosmic radiation that transforms him. After learning that Doom perfected the process so that he could drain the power of the Thing and use it to enhance his own (prior to this it was assumed that Doom had been unaffected by the cloud as he was in the shielded core of the station), Grimm subjects himself to the chamber again so that he can turn himself into the Thing. In this film, the Thing is from Brooklyn, rather than the Lower East Side, and was engaged before his transformation, with his fiancé leaving him as she cannot cope with his change and Ben meeting Alicia while drinking in a bar.
  • Chiklis reprised his role as The Thing in the sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, in which he has mostly accepted his appearance, accepting the occasional joke about his relationship with Alicia. He briefly swaps powers with Johnny (Human Torch) to demonstrate Johnny's odd condition, Johnny's powers having become unstable after his encounter with the Silver Surfer. When Victor shows himself Ben immediately charges him and threatens to break his neck. He is later one of three to let Johnny borrow his powers, using a crane to help Johnny separate Doom from the Surfer's board while Reed stays with the injured Sue.
• Jamie Bell portrayed Grimm in Fantastic Four while also providing the voice and motion-capture for Thing.[81][82] When he and Reed work on a prototype teleporter, they attract the attention of the Baxter Foundation's director Franklin Storm. During a mission to Planet Zero, Ben is transformed into a rocky form. Though Reed sees Ben in his mutated state, he was unable to free him upon the alarm going off about Reed's escape. Reed vows to come back for Ben. One year later, Ben was shown taking part in stopping wars. When Susan Storm finds Reed, Ben is sent with the government to South America where Ben manages to headbutt Reed into unconsciousness. While being brought to Area 57, Reed apologizes to Ben for not finding a cure for him. At the time when Victor von Doom returns from Planet Zero and plans to use it on Earth, Ben helps Reed, Susan, and Johnny fight Victor.
• Tim Miller's originals plans for Deadpool 2 involved having the Thing from the 2015 Fantastic Four film fighting against Juggernaut during the film's climax. However, while the studio approved the character's appearance, these were dropped once Miller exited out the project and the part went to Colossus.[83]

• The Thing's first video game appearance was in 1984 in the Scott Adams adventure game Questprobe featuring the Human Torch and the Thing which was released for the following 8-bit platforms: Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and a DOS version for the PC.[84]
• The Thing's first console appearance was a cameo in the Spider-Man game based on the Spider-Man 1994 animated series for Sega Mega Drive and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. After reaching certain levels of the game, the player can call the Thing a limited number of times for assistance against foes.
• An evil doppelganger of the Thing appears as an enemy in Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems for the SNES.
• The Thing is a playable character in the Fantastic Four game for the PlayStation.
• The Thing is also playable in the game based on the 2005 film, voiced by Michael Chiklis with his classic appearance voiced by Fred Tatasciore in the bonus levels.[78] One level featured Thing returned to his usual Ben Grimm identity and having to avoid Doom's robots to reactivate the chamber to restore him to the Thing
• The Thing is a playable character in the fighting game Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects voiced by Mark Gibbon.[78]
• The Thing is also a playable hero in the game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance voiced by Gregg Berger.[78] He has special dialogue with Rhino, Human Torch, Karnak, Black Bolt, Lockjaw, Crystal, Uatu, and the Vision. The costumes available for him are his Classic costume, his Ultimate costume, his Original costume, and his Modern costume. A simulation disk has Thing protecting Mr. Fantastic from Rhino on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Omega Base.[85]
• The Thing is a playable character in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer voiced by Joey Camen.[78]
• The Thing appears in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, voiced again by Fred Tatasciore.[78] Like in the comics, Thing tries to stay neutral regarding the Superhero Registration Act, becoming unavailable in Act 2 of the game as the Act goes into effect, although he becomes available again during a mission involving a superhuman prison convoy moving through New York. If the player is Anti-Registration, the Thing will agree to help them after witnessing the Pro-Registration side's use of nanite-controlled supervillains as agents. If the player is Pro-Registration, he sides with them after the White Star (renegade S.H.I.E.L.D. agents working with Captain America's forces) endanger civilians while trying to put the team down.
• The Thing appeared in three virtual pinball games for Pinball FX 2 voiced by Zach Hanks.[78] The first was the Fantastic Four,[86] while the other were games that were a part of the Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles. The games being World War Hulk[87] and (as Angrir: Breaker of Souls) Fear Itself.[88]
• The Thing appears in the Marvel Super Hero Squad video game, voiced by Dave Boat.[78]
• The Thing is a playable character in Marvel Super Hero Squad Online, voiced by Dave Boat.[78][89]
• The Thing is available as downloadable content for the game LittleBigPlanet, as part of "Marvel Costume Kit 1".[90]
• The Thing is a playable character in the MMORPG Marvel Heroes, voiced by Dave Boat.[78][91]
• The Thing appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes,[92] voiced again by Dave Boat.[78] One bonus mission had him helping Spider-Man fight Lizard in the Central Park Zoo's Reptile House.
• The Thing is playable in Marvel: Contest of Champions.[93]
• The Thing is a playable character in the mobile game Marvel: Future Fight.[93]
• The Thing is a playable character in the mobile game Marvel Puzzle Quest.[93]
• The Thing appears in the "Shadow of Doom" DLC of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, voiced again by Dave Boat.[78]