The Thing writer Walter Mosley explains how Ben Grimm differs from other Marvel heroes and what that could mean for the character in the future.
Ben Grimm has always had a bit of a hard time fitting into the Marvel Universe, given his physical appearance, brute strength and hot temper. For The Thing writer Walter Mosley, exploring those differences was part of what drew him to penning the new six-issue series for Marvel.
Mosley touched on the trouble Grimm has fitting in and how he differs from the other superheroes who occupy the same universe when he spoke with Angélique Roché on an episode of Marvel’s Voices. “When you think of the whole comic book universe, the Thing is kind of just a normal immortal,” Mosley said. “He can die. He’s kind of strong, but he’s not all that strong. He’s not as strong as the Hulk or as strong as Galactus. He doesn’t have any powers other than that physical strength to lift and to break. My whole idea of writing this new comic is to put him in a position of cosmic importance because that’s kind of how I feel about him. It’s not only that the cosmic rays changed him, but there’s something about his character which you can love.”
Mosley continued, “Some people say that you’re your own greatest enemy, but that seems like you have a choice. [The Thing] has no choice. He gets in his [own] way. He walks into a room and people run, they’re afraid of him. If you spray mace in his eyes, he goes backward and he’s going to knock a compact car across the street. It’s not his fault. He’s in trouble. He has that temper, he can’t help it. It was so much fun because I could begin to work with who he is, who his character is and what it means — and, you know, maybe set up some stuff for the future that we might wonder about. He’s going to have a place in infinity that nobody else has.”
The Thing first appeared in 1961’s The Fantastic Four #1 by Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. A founding member of the Fantastic Four, the character is known for his trademark rocky appearance, which was caused by radiation from a cosmic ray storm, and his infamous catchphrase, “It’s clobbering time!” The character has been played in live-action format by Michael Chiklis in 2005’s Fantastic Four and 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, along with Jamie Bell in the 2015 Fantastic Four reboot.
Mosley’s series takes Grimm on a mission across Manhatten and into the cosmos. A preview for The Thing #6 shows the character interacting with Death, who is keeping Alicia Masters, Grimm’s former love interest he’s broken up with, trapped in Death’s Netherworld.
The Thing #6 — which comes from Mosley and Tom Reilly, with variant cover art by Mahmud Asar — releases on April 6.
Source: Marvel’s Voices
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