Benjamin Jacob Grimm, better known as the Thing, is a founding member of the Fantastic Four and one of Marvel Comics' most enduring superheroes, distinguished by his rocky orange hide and immense physical power. He first appeared in The Fantastic Four #1 (November 1961), created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. A skilled test pilot, wartime veteran, and former college football star from New York's Yancy Street, Grimm joined his college friend Reed Richards, Sue Storm, and Johnny Storm on an experimental space flight that was bombarded by cosmic rays. The radiation mutated him into a super-strong, nearly invulnerable being with craggy, stone-like skin, forever altering his life and establishing his signature gruff demeanor, Brooklyn accent, and catchphrase, "It's clobberin' time!"

As the powerhouse of the Fantastic Four, the Thing has been central to the team's battles against major threats including Doctor Doom, Galactus, Annihilus, and the Skrulls, often serving as the group's emotional core and comic relief amid family-like tensions. His condition has caused profound personal anguish, leading to repeated attempts to cure or temporarily reverse it, most notably through Reed Richards' scientific interventions or external means like the Hulk's gamma energy. Romantic relationships, particularly his long-term partnership with the blind sculptress Alicia Masters (later complicated by revelations involving a Skrull impersonator), provided emotional depth, while his banter and occasional rivalry with the Human Torch reinforced the team's dynamic.

In later decades, the Thing's narrative expanded with explorations of his Jewish heritage, leadership stints heading the Fantastic Four, and memberships in other teams such as the West Coast Avengers, New Avengers, and Guardians of the Galaxy. Major events like Secret Wars (1984-1985), where he briefly abandoned the team, and Civil War (2006-2007), where he sided against registration, highlighted internal conflicts. More recent stories have seen temporary returns to human form, fatal sacrifices followed by resurrections, and continued prominence in Fantastic Four reboots, cementing his status as a tragic yet resilient everyman hero within the Marvel Universe.