Anybody remember when the Thing mutated?

[enyawd72]

I seem to remember the Thing mutating and getting bigger with sharp pointy rocks in the late 80's maybe early 90's but I can't seem to remember exactly when or where.

[emeraldknight47]

I believe it was sometime mid-nineties. I pretty much dropped FF after Byrne left the book, but I remember picking an issue up with "The Pointy Thing" and commenting on ridiculous he looked.

[enyawd72]

I had one comic with him like that where he fought the grey Hulk. I remember thinking he looked pretty cool.

[ShadowAvenger]

Fantastic Four #310 (January 1988) features the mutated Thing on the cover according to this Comic Book DB page and then he gets worse:

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[clemso]

I remember that. Its the only time that Thing was stronger than the Hulk.
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I seem to remember the Thing mutating and getting bigger with sharp pointy rocks in the late 80's maybe early 90's but I can't seem to remember exactly when or where.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Yep, I remember that. Reed and Sue took some time off, and Crystal and a new Ms. Marvel, who eventually mutated into a lumpy She-Thing, filled out the team.

Chris

[enyawd72]

I remember that. Its the only time that Thing was stronger than the Hulk.
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That's the book! Mutated or not, that's a great cover...love the way Doom and the Hulk look.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Ron Frenz is highly underrated. Equal parts Kirby, Ditko and Buscema. He's like the result of a Marvel cloning project!

Chris

[enyawd72]

^Ron Frenz is highly underrated. Equal parts Kirby, Ditko and Buscema. He's like the result of a Marvel cloning project!

Chris

Agreed...I freaking LOVED his Hobgoblin stuff. I see a lot of Romita Sr. in his work too.
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[hedrap]

Shadow got it. It was after they dropped the solo book and wanted to change the team up. IIRC, Reed and Sue joined the Avengers around this time, Ms. marvel became She-Thing and Ben became Ben again at the end of the run.

Thing's mutation sprang from one of the greatest What If issues ever, where he and Beast keep changing.

[Iron Mego]

This thread brought up a long forgotten memory of mine, that I may be making up, but was there a time--probably mid- to late-70s--where the Thing was just Ben in a costume? He had been healed, for lack of a better term, but still dressed up as the Thing. Did that happen?

[clemso]

Yes I think it did. Think all of them lost their powers.

This thread brought up a long forgotten memory of mine, that I may be making up, but was there a time--probably mid- to late-70s--where the Thing was just Ben in a costume? He had been healed, for lack of a better term, but still dressed up as the Thing. Did that happen?

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Was that originally seen in the Lee/Kirby FF/Daredevil story where Doom takes over the Baxter Building? I know the FF lost their powers, but I can't remember if he had a remote-controlled robot filling in for him, or it was him in a suit.

I know Walter Simonson had Ben in the suit immediately following this run, and then when he became the Thing again, it was the classic version.

Chris

[Iron Mego]

Just found this on marvel.com. "During a period where Ben had made a seemingly permanent reversion to his human form, the FF hired super-mercenary Luke Cage to serve as Ben's replacement; however, Ben soon rejoined the FF after Reed provided Ben with a suit of strength-enhancing armor that outwardly resembled his Thing form."

I'm pretty sure that's what I'm remembering. Now I just need to figure out what issue(s) that was in.

And sorry for the thread hi-jack!

[emeraldknight47]

Can't remember the exact issues, but I do remember that Ben was fighting/buddying up with the Hulk and Reed reasoned that his prolonged exposure to the Hulk's gamma radiation is what triggered the change. I remember Ben and the Hulk dukin' it out (on top of the St. Louis Arch, I think) and the Hulk knocks Ben off. He changes back to Ben Grimm on the way down and The Human Torch keeps him from becoming a Benjy pancake...