Marvel’s First Family are making their way back into the spotlight, thanks to the forthcoming blockbuster movie The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The new live-action reboot will not only place the team squarely within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but will bring the 1960s aesthetic of their first appearances to life onscreen — and fans have been especially excited to see what that means for Ben Grimm / The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach).
Set photos from earlier this summer appeared to show the MCU’s take on The Thing — a somewhat-practical design that seems to be directly inspired by his appearance in the pages of Marvel Comics. This news has not only made fans excited, it has led them to look back on the decades worth of comics that The Thing and his teammates have appeared. While countless Marvel Comics artists have brought The Thing to life over the years, quite a few have stood out for their approach to the character’s unique physiology. Here are a few of our favorites.
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Jack Kirby
This list truthfully can not exist without the man who started it all — Jack Kirby. Kirby and Stan Lee’s original run on Fantastic Four is a landmark of comic book storytelling for a multitude of reasons, with Kirby’s distinct art style arguably being chief among them. Before his passing in 1994, Kirby was open about his personal connection to The Thing, arguing that the two of them share many mannerisms and personality traits.
Kirby’s art on Fantastic Four puts that love on full display, as he renders The Thing with an expressiveness and attention to detail that still feels unprecedented in mainstream comics. If you read enough of that first volume, you will come across so many wacky facial expressions or lumbering action poses that shouldn’t even be possible, but end up being brilliant.
John Buscema
In the aftermath of Kirby’s exit from Marvel, John Buscema took over art duties on Fantastic Four, and brought his own sense of cartoony energy to The Thing.
From his interior art to a number of pin-ups to his crossovers with the Hulk, Buscema helped further establish The Thing’s stature in the larger Marvel universe.
George Pérez
While George Pérez is best known for his work on DC titles like The New Teen Titans, Wonder Woman, and Crisis on Infinite Earths, one of his big breaks in the industry was on Fantastic Four.
Pérez’s work takes Kirby’s established visual language for The Thing into Marvel’s 1970s house style, but with some fun flourishes. The approach to The Thing’s rocky exterior is dynamic enough, almost bringing each orange stone into the third dimension.
John Byrne
The Fantastic Four’s run in the 1980s is arguably defined by writer-artist John Byrne, who not only shook up the team’s roster, but spun The Thing off into his own solo series. Across both books, Byrne leaned into The Thing’s unrealistic, but emotive, aesthetic, all while putting him in some delightful outfits.
If you want an indication of just how well Byrne understood The Thing’s character design, look no further than his official “How to Draw The Thing!” instructions from 1983’s The Thing #5.
Mike Wieringo
Jumping a few decades to the Fantastic Four relaunch of the 2000s, Mike Wieringo’s approach to The Thing helped define the character for a new millennium.
The character’s massive frame and outlandish proportions were still present, but with an increased elasticity to his facial expressions. This proved to be a perfect match for the equal balance of heartfelt and heartbreaking moments from Mark Waid’s scripts.
Mike Allred
Some of the best The Thing art of the 21st century doesn’t even include Ben Grimm himself, but rather Darla Deering / Miss Thing. The pop star-turned-unlikely superhero of 2012’s FF run sported The Thing’s rocky body with her human head, resulting in some hilarious and goofy images.
Mike Allred, who co-created the character of Darla alongside Matt Fraction, brought crisp lines and a pop art sensibility to her superhero career that few could imitate.
Alex Ross
Over the years, Alex Ross has put his photorealistic and incredibly detailed stamp on nearly every character in the Marvel universe, but his work on The Thing is something special.
Both in standalone covers and in the recent graphic novel Fantastic Four: Full Circle, Ross translated the massive eyebrows established by Kirby into a “real world” sensibility, which is a marvel in and of itself.
Steve Skroce
And finally, Steve Skroce’s recent work on Marvel’s The Thing-focused Clobberin’ Time miniseries is a delightful translation of the character into a modern era.
Skroce’s work is expressive, absurdly detailed, and even ventures into some light body horror.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be released exclusively in theaters on July 25, 2025.
