| "This Man... This Monster!" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Publication date | June 1966 |
| Genre | Superhero |
| Title(s) | Fantastic Four #51 |
| Main character(s) | Fantastic Four |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Stan Lee |
| Artist(s) | Jack Kirby |
| Inker(s) | Joe Sinnott |
| Letterer(s) | Artie Simek |
| Editor(s) | Stan Lee |
"This Man... This Monster!" is a Fantastic Four story co-plotted by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, written by Lee, drawn by Kirby and published by Marvel Comics. The story debuted in Fantastic Four #51.
Roaming the streets, Benjamin Grimm, the Thing, is offered a place to stay by a man who has become very interested in him. After giving him coffee laced with a powerful sedative, Ben falls asleep on the man's sofa. While Ben sleeps, the man uses a device to transfer the Thing's powers to himself and goes to the Baxter Building, posing as the Thing, in hopes of eliminating Reed Richards, based on the misconception that Reed makes his discoveries out of a desire for profit and self-aggrandizement.
When Ben wakes up to realizes that his powers are gone, he tries to warn Reed Richards that the "Thing" who is with him is an impostor named Ricardo Jones, who hates Reed. However, they believe that Ben himself is the impostor, and dismiss him from the Baxter Building. Meanwhile, at Metro University, Johnny Storm and Wyatt Wingfoot get involved in a squabble with football star Whitey Mullins, but it is broken up by Coach Thorne, who, when realizing that Wyatt's father used to play on the Metro U. football team, offers him a position, which Wyatt refuses.
While back at the Baxter Building, Reed tests out his newest invention: A portal to the Negative Zone. Traveling in this anti-matter universe, he has the "Thing" hold the tether so that he is not lost in the realm. When the tether breaks, the Thing impostor, having realized how selfless Richards is, changes his opinion of him, and jumps into the Negative Zone portal to save him. He then throws Reed back through the portal into the positive matter universe, leaving himself to perish at the energy barrier that separates the positive and negative matter universes.
Meanwhile, the human Ben Grimm is about to visit Alicia to show her that he is back to normal and propose to her. However, he knocks on the door just at the exact moment when his impostor dies. Suddenly transformed back into the Thing, he flees the scene and returns to the Baxter Building. There, Reed and Sue realize that the friend they were just mourning is actually still alive and well, and that the impostor who was posing as him—whoever he was—had died a man.
Writer Peter David uses "This Man... This Monster!" to exemplify plot structure in a comic book in his book Writing for Comics with Peter David. [1]
Comics Should Be Good ranked Fantastic Four #51 as the most iconic Thing cover. [2]
The graphic novel Fantastic Four: Full Circle by Alex Ross reintroduces Ricardo Jones as a memory, after his corpse is transported back into the Baxter Building. [3]
The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in The Fantastic Four #1, helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first superhero team created by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and editor/co-scripter Stan Lee, and through this title that the "Marvel method" style of production came into prominence.
Doctor Doom is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Fantastic Four #5. In his comic book appearances, Doctor Doom is depicted as the monarch of Latveria whose goal is to bring order to humanity through world conquest. He serves as the archenemy of Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four, though he has also come into conflict with other superheroes in the Marvel Universe, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, the Black Panther, the X-Men, and the Avengers. While usually portrayed as a villain, Doom has also been an antihero at times, working with heroes if their goals align and only if it benefits him.
Benjamin Jacob "Ben" Grimm, also known as the Thing, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. The Thing was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and he first appeared in The Fantastic Four #1.
Mister Fantastic is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The character is a founding member and the leader of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mastery of mechanical, aerospace and electrical engineering, chemistry, all levels of physics, and human and alien biology. BusinessWeek listed Mister Fantastic as one of the top ten most intelligent fictional characters in American comics. He is the inventor of the spacecraft that was bombarded by cosmic radiation on its maiden voyage, granting the Fantastic Four their powers. Richards gained the ability to stretch his body into any shape he desires.
The Human Torch is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. He is writer Stan Lee's and artist Jack Kirby's reinvention of a similar, previous character, the android Human Torch of the same name and powers who was created in 1939 by writer-artist Carl Burgos for Marvel Comics' predecessor company, Timely Comics.
Invisible Woman is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Fantastic Four #1. Susan Storm is a founding member of the Fantastic Four and was the first female superhero created by Marvel during the Silver Age of Comic Books.
Franklin Benjamin Richards is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as a supporting character in Fantastic Four. He has been portrayed as a child and as a novice superhero.
The Frightful Four are a group of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They serve as the antithesis to the Fantastic Four.
Fantastic Five is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books which were published by Marvel Comics. The team exists in the MC2 Universe, an alternate future to the Marvel Universe. A continuation of the Fantastic Four, the team was initially composed of the Human Torch, his wife Ms. Fantastic/Lyja, the Thing, Big Brain, and Psi-Lord.
Ultimate Fantastic Four is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Fantastic Four comic book franchise as part of the Ultimate Marvel imprint. The Ultimate Fantastic Four team exists alongside other revamped Marvel characters in Ultimate Marvel titles including Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men, and The Ultimates.
Alicia Reiss Masters is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is usually depicted as a supporting character to the superheroes the Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, she first appeared in The Fantastic Four #8.
Annihilus is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, primarily as an adversary to the Fantastic Four. The character debuted in Fantastic Four Annual #6, which was published in November 1968. Annihilus was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and was notably featured in the "Annihilation" event.
Nathaniel Richards is a fictional time-traveling scientist appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the father of superhero Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. He is the namesake of his descendant, the futuristic villain known as Kang the Conqueror; unlike his descendant, the original Nathaniel is more of an adventurer who has a genuine love for his son.
H.E.R.B.I.E. is a fictional robot appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was initially conceived for The New Fantastic Four and integrated into the comics continuity shortly afterwards. The character is usually depicted as an ally of the Fantastic Four.
Ultimate Power is a nine-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics.
Franklin Storm is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the father of Susan Storm and Johnny Storm better known as Invisible Woman and Human Torch of the Fantastic Four respectively.
The Future Foundation is a fictional organization appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jonathan Hickman, the team first appeared in Fantastic Four #579 and stars in the series FF, written by Hickman and illustrated by Steve Epting. The Future Foundation is a philanthropic organization created by Mister Fantastic to better serve humanity's future.
Maker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
"Reckoning War" is an American comic book storyline written by Dan Slott with art by Rachael Stott, Carlos Pacheco and Andrea De Vito published from February to June 2022 by Marvel Comics. This story deals with the Fantastic Four clashing with the Reckoning, a group of aliens derived from a mysterious race called the Prosilicans, who orchestrate multiple alien invasions causing a catastrophic cosmic war, which also features Uatu, Nick Fury, Doctor Doom, the Silver Surfer, the She-Hulk, and the Jack of Hearts.
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