It's Clobbering Time! The Ben Grimm/ Thing moments we want to see in the MCU

[Willie Lumpkin]

Eh... Ben's pathos is a big part of his character, as is Reed's guilt about his friend's situation. Just because it hasn't been adapted well on screen in live action before is not a compelling reason right now to skip over it.

Also, given the Marvel Studios track record I doubt we end up with a film where the FF are already active. We are gonna likely get a look at their origins. Ben's angst is a part of that. The audience needs to see what informs the characters. Starting out with Ben having already adjusted to being the Thing robs the story of a lot of meaty dramatics. Yes, he should eventually be everybody's favorite blue eye'd Thing, but starting him off in the MCU proper as if he's made his peace with his old life being gone feels off to me.

I agree. But I also don't think we need to start out with him as a lumpy ugly mess. Kirby refined his design in the early years until he got to something that he and the fans liked so well that it became iconic.

But even that refined look, while not as lumpy and ugly as the very first appearance, is frightening to the uninitiated. As I touched on above, it's not the appearance, but our perception of the person behind the appearance that affects our feelings about him. Until he becomes well-known and recognized, I'd like to see situations in which people recoil in fear from him. Once he's better known people will treat him a little differently (though there will still be some who will be frightened... and others who will want to pick fights to show they're tougher than him).

And no matter how accepted he may eventually become, part of Ben's personality is that he has deep-seated insecurities and the 'idol-o-millions' talk is bluster that he hides behind.

 

[Dark Raven]

Well even in that Imaginauts comic I posted on the previous page, just a few pages later he is ranting about being stuck as a monster and all the cruel jokes that the Yancy Street gang have played on him over the years (which it turns out was mostly Johnny Storm).

And even in Marvel Two-in-One #50 where he met his past self, the present day Thing still had a degree of angst about him.

But he doesn't need to be so bitter and angry that he's practically a killing machine like the early issues of the FF. There, the premise was almost about having a villain on the team that could barely be controlled. He was almost more Hulk like, but even spoke like early Hulk who was very brutish and bitter and less childlike. We saw the killing machine version in Trank's movie where it spoke about how many kills he'd made as the Thing.

The later design of the Thing is the one that is iconic. Just go with that like they've gone with the green Hulk rather than the grey Hulk in the MCU.

Ben Grimm can still be grouchy and cantankerous, which he is even as the more iconic teddy bear-like Thing. But he doesn't have to be so angry and bitter to the point of being a complete loose cannon and an uncontrollable beast.

 

[Power Cosmic]

Well even in that Imaginauts comic I posted on the previous page, just a few pages later he is ranting about being stuck as a monster and all the cruel jokes that the Yancy Street gang have played on him over the years (which it turns out was mostly Johnny Storm).

And even in Marvel Two-in-One #50 where he met his past self, the present day Thing still had a degree of angst about him.

But he doesn't need to be so bitter and angry that he's practically a killing machine like the early issues of the FF. There, the premise was almost about having a villain on the team that could barely be controlled. He was almost more Hulk like, but even spoke like early Hulk who was very brutish and bitter and less childlike. We saw the killing machine version in Trank's movie where it spoke about how many kills he'd made as the Thing.

The later design of the Thing is the one that is iconic. Just go with that like they've gone with the green Hulk rather than the grey Hulk in the MCU.

Ben Grimm can still be grouchy and cantankerous, which he is even as the more iconic teddy bear-like Thing. But he doesn't have to be so angry and bitter to the point of being a complete loose cannon and an uncontrollable beast.

Indeed, there are many similarities between Thing and Hulk: both became very different from their early day versions, even though the Hulk incorporated aspects of his first incarnation again.

 

[Dark Raven]

I agree. But I also don't think we need to start out with him as a lumpy ugly mess. Kirby refined his design in the early years until he got to something that he and the fans liked so well that it became iconic.

But even that refined look, while not as lumpy and ugly as the very first appearance, is frightening to the uninitiated. As I touched on above, it's not the appearance, but our perception of the person behind the appearance that affects our feelings about him. Until he becomes well-known and recognized, I'd like to see situations in which people recoil in fear from him. Once he's better known people will treat him a little differently (though there will still be some who will be frightened... and others who will want to pick fights to show they're tougher than him).

And no matter how accepted he may eventually become, part of Ben's personality is that he has deep-seated insecurities and the 'idol-o-millions' talk is bluster that he hides behind.

I think they can play on this in the film. Yes, it is partly his appearance to the uninitiated that is scary. But it's also his attitude and resulting personality. Because he thinks he's a monster, he acts like a monster and expects everyone to recoil from him in horror, so that's exactly what they do. Who are they to argue with him when he tells them they should all flee from him or that he wants to cover himself up?

But this can even be the case for people in real life. If they think that everyone hates them and finds them ugly, they will act accordingly, and then people will begin to treat them exactly the way they think they deserve. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Even the most beautiful or handsome of people can be scary if they act in a scary and angry way that is threatening to others.

But it's when Ben Grimm allows his heart of gold to shine through that people see him as the hero that everyone comes to love. It's when he starts to accept himself and allow others in that people are less frightened - not so much by his appearance but by his attitude.

He could come to see that the monster wasn't so much the way he looked but the way he acted because he believed he was a monster, and that people wouldn't have been scared at all but would've loved his appearance if he let them.

 

[Willie Lumpkin]

Well even in that Imaginauts comic I posted on the previous page, just a few pages later he is ranting about being stuck as a monster and all the cruel jokes that the Yancy Street gang have played on him over the years (which it turns out was mostly Johnny Storm).

And even in Marvel Two-in-One #50 where he met his past self, the present day Thing still had a degree of angst about him.

But he doesn't need to be so bitter and angry that he's practically a killing machine like the early issues of the FF. There, the premise was almost about having a villain on the team that could barely be controlled. He was almost more Hulk like, but even spoke like early Hulk who was very brutish and bitter and less childlike. We saw the killing machine version in Trank's movie where it spoke about how many kills he'd made as the Thing.

The later design of the Thing is the one that is iconic. Just go with that like they've gone with the green Hulk rather than the grey Hulk in the MCU.

Ben Grimm can still be grouchy and cantankerous, which he is even as the more iconic teddy bear-like Thing. But he doesn't have to be so angry and bitter to the point of being a complete loose cannon and an uncontrollable beast.

I think they can play on this in the film. Yes, it is partly his appearance to the uninitiated that is scary. But it's also his attitude and resulting personality. Because he thinks he's a monster, he acts like a monster and expects everyone to recoil from him in horror, so that's exactly what they do. Who are they to argue with him when he tells them they should all flee from him or that he wants to cover himself up?

But this can even be the case for people in real life. If they think that everyone hates them and finds them ugly, they will act accordingly, and then people will begin to treat them exactly the way they think they deserve. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Even the most beautiful or handsome of people can be scary if they act in a scary and angry way that is threatening to others.

But it's when Ben Grimm allows his heart of gold to shine through that people see him as the hero that everyone comes to love. It's when he starts to accept himself and allow others in that people are less frightened - not so much by his appearance but by his attitude.

He could come to see that the monster wasn't so much the way he looked but the way he acted because he believed he was a monster, and that people wouldn't have been scared at all but would've loved his appearance if he let them.

 

[LaughterLives]

Tim Story's Thing looked like an ugly Plush toy And Corman's version was a comic accurate version of that. The Trank version is too pretty for most of you.

Uglier is the way to go. It worked for Hulk, it should work for Thing.

 

[Mangle77]

Everybody's favorite blue eye'd Thing

That is a VERY significant point. While Chicklis' makeup wasn't perfect, and I DO understand why some people want the eyebrows, we really should be able to see his eyes as much as possible. When Ben looks in the mirror, the only part of him he recognizes is his blue eyes; the only part that wasn't changed. I've always thought that was why he mentions them so often.

 

[Dark Raven]

That is a VERY significant point. While Chicklis' makeup wasn't perfect, and I DO understand why some people want the eyebrows, we really should be able to see his eyes as much as possible. When Ben looks in the mirror, the only part of him he recognizes is his blue eyes; the only part that wasn't changed. I've always thought that was why he mentions them so often.

I don't want to see it that much at the cost of his eyebrows. You can still see his eyes clearly in all those busts or statues or action figures. I'm sure they can find a way to make it work without sacrificing the eyebrows.

 

[Willie Lumpkin]

I don't want to see it that much at the cost of his eyebrows. You can still see his eyes clearly in all those busts or statues or action figures. I'm sure they can find a way to make it work without sacrificing the eyebrows.

Yep. He had the brow in the comics and we saw his blue eyes in the comics. We don't need to see his eyes all the time in every scene. But when we see them, they'll be blue.

 

[Boom]

Jack Kirby design or bust.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Well even in that Imaginauts comic I posted on the previous page, just a few pages later he is ranting about being stuck as a monster and all the cruel jokes that the Yancy Street gang have played on him over the years (which it turns out was mostly Johnny Storm).

And even in Marvel Two-in-One #50 where he met his past self, the present day Thing still had a degree of angst about him.

But he doesn't need to be so bitter and angry that he's practically a killing machine like the early issues of the FF. There, the premise was almost about having a villain on the team that could barely be controlled. He was almost more Hulk like, but even spoke like early Hulk who was very brutish and bitter and less childlike. We saw the killing machine version in Trank's movie where it spoke about how many kills he'd made as the Thing.

The later design of the Thing is the one that is iconic. Just go with that like they've gone with the green Hulk rather than the grey Hulk in the MCU.

Ben Grimm can still be grouchy and cantankerous, which he is even as the more iconic teddy bear-like Thing. But he doesn't have to be so angry and bitter to the point of being a complete loose cannon and an uncontrollable beast.

Who said him having his angst as compared to already being comfortable being the Thing means he has to be a borderline killing machine? That's just silly. The choice isn't just being at peace and acceptance or psychologically broken to the point of mass murder. There are shades, and his bitterness at his transformation is a HUGE part of Ben's character and feeds into Reed's character as he feels guilt over what happened to his dear friend.

 

[Iceman]

Our boy needs a great showing in his first MCU appearance.

 

[Stark Bauer]

My #1 Ben Grimm moment would be to see this on the big screen using IMAX cameras

 

[Iceman]

I’d love to see a scene where Thing and Hulk are clobbering the same bad guys(s).

 

[Silvermoth]

I desperately desperately need to see them acknowledge Ben’s faith and how his Jewishness affects him

 

[Stark Bauer]

I desperately desperately need to see them acknowledge Ben’s faith and how his Jewishness affects him

maybe a flashback to his bar mitzvah or traditional Jewish wedding with Alicia

 

[Silvermoth]

Yeah or like, right before he and the team fights Galactus he has a heart to heart with his rabbi to reconcile what it’s like to go up against something that’s basically a god

 

[Stark Bauer]

Yeah or like, right before he and the team fights Galactus he has a heart to heart with his rabbi to reconcile what it’s like to go up against something that’s basically a god

I love that idea!

Reminds me of Matt Murdock scenes in Netflix DD speaking to the priest

 

[Dark Raven]

I think that whoever writes the Fantastic Four needs to watch a ton of Rodney Dangerfield beforehand to get an idea of how to write Ben Grimm's self-deprecating humour. Maybe also watch Jack Klugman in the Odd Couple.

 

[Silvermoth]

Oh my gosh I love that! Rodney Dangerfield! What a legend!

it’s funny I watched a show recently called Rover Dangerfield where he played a dog and he was pretty much the perfect Ben. Grump but loveable lol

 

[Willie Lumpkin]

This may be an unpopular opinion, but despite all the love for Chiklis, I thought Ben was pretty far off target in the previous films. He was too much of a patsy/straight-man for Johnny.

In the comics it's much more back and forth, and Ben is like the older brother who gives at least as good as he gets.

 

[Dark Raven]

This may be an unpopular opinion, but despite all the love for Chiklis, I thought Ben was pretty far off target in the previous films. He was too much of a patsy/straight-man for Johnny.

In the comics it's much more back and forth, and Ben is like the older brother who gives at least as good as he gets.

I didn't think Chiklis was so great. Ben Grimm is very witty and definitely can easily outwit the likes of Johnny in the humour stakes.

 

[Stark Bauer]

This may be an unpopular opinion, but despite all the love for Chiklis, I thought Ben was pretty far off target in the previous films. He was too much of a patsy/straight-man for Johnny.

In the comics it's much more back and forth, and Ben is like the older brother who gives at least as good as he gets.

I am 100% on the side of comic book accuracy. Especially the Jack Kirby run

 

[MilkmanDan]

I didn't think Chiklis was so great. Ben Grimm is very witty and definitely can easily outwit the likes of Johnny in the humour stakes.

Sad part is that Chiklis could have delivered the witty aspect of Ben's character if the script had allowed that. He was a great casting choice who did the best he could with what he was given.

 

[Stark Bauer]

obviously for him to fight the Hulk...but even better to team up WITH. Seeing something like this on screen would have me getting up out of my seat and hollering