Ben Grimm

* Biography
* Threat Assessment
* Trivia and Notes
* Gallery

## The Thing

* The Thing
* Ben Grimm

Bashful, Ben, Benjy, Benny, Big Orange Golem of Yancy Street, The Ever-Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing (Nicknames)

### Relatives

Daniel Grimm (Father, Deceased)
Elsie Grimm (Mother, Deceased)
Daniel Grimm Jr. (Brother, Deceased)
Jake Grimm (Uncle)
Petunia Grimm (Aunt)

### Affiliation

Fantastic Four (Member)
Shield (Associate)

## Biographical Information

### Education

Bachelor's Degree (Aviation Major)
(ESU)

### Marital Status

Recently Single (Debbie McIlvane, Ex-Fiancée)

## Background Narrative

### Ben Grimm: 1966 - 1985

Benjamin J. Grimm was born and raised at 7135 Yancy Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side, where he grew up in poverty. His alcoholic father Daniel was unable to hold down a job for any considerable amount of time. Much of the family's income came from Ben's much older brother Daniel Jr, the leader of the Yancy Street Gang.

Money became so thin at one point, Ben went to live with his Aunt Sophie. A year later, however, Sophie fell ill from cancer. When doctors could do little for his ailing aunt, Ben prayed to God to save her. When Sophie eventually died, Ben returned to live with his family on Yancy Street. Very angry, Ben acted out violently at school. This was further agitated when Ben's brother was killed in a gang war.

Wanting to join the Yancy Street Gang to avenge his brother, Ben stole a Star of David pendant from the local pawnshop as part of his gang initiation. From age ten to seventeen, Ben climbed the ranks of the gang, eventually succeeding his brother as leader of the Yancy Street Gang. However, shortly after taking the reigns of the gang, Ben's mother shot his father before taking her own life.

Still a minor, Grimm was sent to live with his Uncle Jake, a successful physician, and his wife Petunia. At first, Ben resisted his new guardians' kindness towards him. But eventually, their love wore him down and they even managed to smooth out some of his rough edges. To help Ben find a productive means of working through his anger and violent urges, Petunia taught Ben to express his emotions through a creative outlet, introducing him to music and teaching him how to play the saxophone. Meanwhile, Jake taught Ben to play football where he quickly became his high school's star. Finally, Jake would also take Ben up on flights in his single propeller plane.

After being held back a year longer than his peers due to his previous delinquent behavior, Ben graduated high school at nineteen and went to college on a full ride athletic scholarship, but choosing to major in aviation, with a minor in music theory.

### Ben Grimm: 1985 - 1989

While playing for Empire State University and attending classes, Ben lived in the campus dormitories. It was there that he met Reed Richards, the famous emancipated boy genius who would become his roommate and surrogate little brother. The two developed a symbiotic relationship, with Reed helping Ben with his academic work and Ben not only offering Reed protection from cruel classmates and the paparazzi that hounded him, but also teaching Reed how to make friends and meet girls.

During their first summer break, Reed decided he could not bear to go without Ben for the season and hired Ben to be his personal chauffeur and bodyguard using the funds he had in savings from his lucrative deals with Stark Industries and OsCorp. It was in this capacity that I first met Mr. Grimm, when I paid a visit to OsCorp to assess the progress of Weapon G research and was met with an official request to grant the football player with an SSD security clearance so Ben didn't have to wait in the lobby all the time. I agreed to authorize Richards' request, on the condition that Grimm take a crash course on SSD field training.

I was genuinely impressed. Not only did Grimm complete the training, but he scored higher than many of my agents I had on active duty in the field. I was so impressed, I tried to recruit Grimm to become a full-time Sentinel, but his loyalty to Reed was unwavering. I had to respect that... and still do.

Though Reed graduated several times over, he remained roomed with his best friend until Ben's own graduation after four years. Every summer break, to renew Grimm's SSD clearance, I had him enrolled in a new SSD specialty training program, teaching Ben the ropes of Judo and giving him combat pilot training with jet aircraft. Grimm was very appreciative of the opportunities I provided him and I enjoyed that I knew I could call upon him for a favor at any time.

### Ben Grimm: 1989 - 1992

After Grimm's graduation, Reed bought the top four floors of the historic Baxter Building and made Ben his head of security and personal pilot. The two began going on various adventures. Though their adventuring was almost always unrelated to SSD interests, they called me for a favor a time or two and, in return, I may have used them for a few off-the-books operations.

When one of Reed's favorite college professors fell ill, Reed came up with an idea for a cure. He recruited Ben and the professor's two children, Sue and Johnny, to aid him in pulling off this endeavor — not knowing how this event would change them all.

## Shield Analysis

### Special Value: 9

* **Rock-Like Physiology:** Grimm possesses a smooth, orange, rock-like hide. The process of his transformation caused his musculature, bone structure, internal organ composition, soft tissue structure, and skin to greatly increase in toughness and density.
	+ ***Agility:*** Despite his abnormal size and weight, Grimm is able to move as fast and as freely as he did when he was human.
	+ ***Durability:*** The rock-like composition of Grimm's body renders him highly resistant to physical injury. His body can resist extremely powerful impact forces, such as the force of the Hulk's punches. He can also withstand exposure to high levels of explosives, such as being struck with explosive shells or being shot point-blank with a high-caliber firearm without sustaining injury. His body can also withstand extreme temperatures. Richards postulates that adamantium, vibranium, or diamond-tipped weaponry would have a good chance of inflicting serious injury upon Grimm.
	+ ***Immortality:*** Grimm does not appear to age, nor is he affected by standard illnesses.
	+ ***Stamina:*** Grimm's advanced musculature produces considerably less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of a normal human. At his peak, he can exert himself for about 24 hours before the build up of fatigue toxins in his blood begins to affect him. Incidentally, Grimm's lungs are of greater volume and efficiency than a normal man's, enabling him to hold his breath underwater for up to 9 minutes. His heavy cigar smoking does not seem to affect the tissue of his lungs.
	+ ***Strength:*** Grimm has inhuman physical strength. The level of the strength appears to be comparable, though not equal, to the might of the Hulk. Grimm can overturn, lift, or throw full-size automobiles without much effort.

### Heuristics Value: 3

* **Brawler:** Grimm is uniquely gifted in the art of hand-to-hand combat (a skill he honed long before his transformation), though his fighting style tends to be a rather loose brawling technique of his own making. This style often incorporates collegiate wrestling techniques, Boxing, Jujitsu, and football style blocking and tackling.
* **Handicap:** Though he is familiar with firearms, he can no longer standard firearms due to the unusual size and shape of his hands and fingers. This handicap also applies to the use of appliances, computers, and most other devices that have not been customized for his unique build.

### Intellectual Value: 4

* **Strategy:** Being an experienced adventurer, Grimm has some modest tactical ability.
* **Willpower:** Grimm has remarkable willpower. He is so stubborn, that he would never surrender or retreat (unless forced to do so by the passionate request of a dear friend).

### Expertise Value: 4

* **Music:** Grimm is a master saxophone player.

### Logistics Value: 3

* **Vehicle Operation:** Grimm is an exceptionally skilled and talented pilot, proficient with many varieties of both conventional and exotic aircraft.

### Director's Value: 3

* **The Thing:** "Honestly, If I had my choice to pluck one of the Fantastic Four from their tight little clique and make them full-time Shield asset, I would choose Ben Grimm over his brainy best friend Reed. Sure, Reed Richards could invent some fancy contraption to solve some complex world-spanning problem in less than a week, but Ben is the type of guy that would never have to question where his loyalties stand. Once you earn this guy's trust, he would always be in your corner — come rain or shine. Plus, you know, Grimm's probably our best bet to bring down the Hulk if it comes to that."

### Threat Assessment

* **Special Value: 9**
* **Heuristics Value: 3**
* **Intellectual Value: 4**
* **Expertise Value: 2**
* **Logistics Value: 3**
* **Director's Value: 3**
	+ **TOTAL: 24**

## Trivia and Notes

### Trivia

* He's close friends with Sue Storm, and being friends and a rivalry with Johnny Storm.
* He's associates with Franklin Storm, Nick Fury Sr., and Shield.
* He stubbornly refused to have a sculpture of him made by sculptor Alicia Masters saying "What do I need a sculpture for me? Look at me! I'm already a walkin'-talkin' sculpture!" and coming up with other such excuses to avoid sitting for Alicia.

### Notes

* Ben Grimm resides in Subsidiary Reality M, within Murum Locus.
* The Thing is a character originating from *Marvel Comics*.
* His ex-fiancée Debbie McIlvane is a character from the 2005 *Fantastic Four* film.

## Links and References

* Appearances of Ben Grimm

1. ↑ Fury Files: Ben Grimm
2. ↑ FantastiCodex: Alicia Masters