Ben Grimm grew up on the mean streets of New York and looked for any possible way to get out. Thanks to a football scholarship to a leading university, he did. In college, Ben met the brilliant Reed Richards. Reed took good-hearted Ben under his wing and helped him study; Ben protected his best friend, the science geek, from the local bullies. As Reed's first choice to pilot his experimental space mission, Ben isn't happy to end up co-pilot under former junior officer Johnny Storm. Although he's an epert pilot, Johnny likes to joke and play pranks, especially on the old-fashioned Ben Grimm. The fateful accident in space turned Ben into The Thing -- a superhuman, super strong creature with an irreversible orange-colored rocky exterior. After many tests Reed has yet to find a weight that The Thing can't handle! Many people find him unsightly, but Ben struggles to maintain his sense of humor and honor - because under that tough exterior lies an ever-lovin' heart of gold.