An alternate version of the Fantastic Four's Thing who exists on a desolate world within the Marvel multiverse takes a new, cosmically powerful role.
Warning! This article contains spoilers for Avengers: Forever #4
The Fantastic Four’s Ben Grimm aka The Thing is known for his expertise in clobberin’, but now he has taken a new role in Marvel Comics as an Infinity Stone Builder. At least, one version of him is making this dramatic change. In a dark and desolate alternate world within the Marvel Multiverse, the Thing is a much more powerful version of himself after getting blasted with more than just cosmic rays during his superhero origin story. This version of the Thing possesses all of the powers of the Infinity Stones, virtually becoming the collective stones' incarnate. In his latest Marvel Comics appearance, it's revealed exactly what he plans on doing with all of that power.
In Avengers: Forever #4 by Jason Aaron, James Towe, and Guru-eFX, the Avengers of Earth-818 taken aback after their victory over Black Skull, a Venom-possessed version of the Red Skull on this world. The reason is due to the dramatic appearance of Red Skull variants who have crossed over into Earth-818 in their conquest to take over the multiverse. After the Avengers fight them off with the help of Earth-616’s Ghost Rider who has recently taken on the mantle as the All-Rider, the team sets out on a new quest, one that was set into motion because of the Red Skull invasion.
After defeating the Red Skulls, Ghost Rider, Deathlok, Tony Stark’s Ant-Man, and this version of the Thing known as Infinity Thing take to the multiverse to save every world they travel to so they don’t end up as desolate wastelands like Earth-818. As they are loading into Ghost Rider’s Hell Charger, Infinity Thing perfectly describes their mission with one phrase, “It’s rebuilding time.” This phrase is seemingly a flip on the Thing’s classic catchphrase, “It’s clobberin’ time” but on a truly epic scale. While the original Thing is the muscle of the Fantastic Four, making him absolutely exceptional at clobberin’, Infinity Thing has the power the original never had and is using it to do more than beat down the enemy, but literally rebuild entire realities.
Not only does this version of the Thing have godlike abilities that can rival even the most powerful cosmic beings, but these powers prove that Ben Grimm is a true hero. The Thing’s will has been put to the test in the main continuity with his appearance and being a public outcast because of it, despite his many feats of heroism with the Fantastic Four. However, a true test to a hero’s character is when they wield absolute power, and the Thing just proved that he is a true hero as he suddenly has no interest in clobberin’, but rather takes this opportunity to rebuild any world impacted by the multiversal villainy he encountered in this issue.
The Thing has himself become a living Infinity Stone, one which wields all of their powers simultaneously. Instead of using this absolute power to vanquish his enemies in a single thought, Infinity Thing is actually a pacifist who is all-too aware of the stain killing leaves on one’s soul. From the flip of his iconic catchphrase to the undeniable proof that he is a true hero, Fantastic Four’s Thing has officially taken on his new role as Marvel’s Infinity Stone Builder, not one who builds Infinity Stone, but a living stone who builds better worlds across the multiverse.
