The Thing [2025] #5 - Marvel Comics

THE THING No. 5, November 2025

For those fans looking forward to the much-anticipated “Ben Grimm verses Wilson Fisk” fist-fight promised by this comic’s New York City-based publisher’s solicitation, Issue Five of “The Thing” was probably a major disappointment. In fact, the notorious Kingpin doesn’t even make an appearance in this twenty page periodical until its very end, when an enraged founding member of the Fantastic Four unceremoniously deposits a trussed up Marty Flynn inside the super-villain’s personal office; “Heard you wuz lookin’ fer me. Do I get the $10 million bounty fer bringin’ myself in?”

Instead, Tony Fleecs attempts to pen a pulse-pounding finale between this mini-series’ titular character and a somewhat suped-up Hammerhead – which largely falls flat on its face when its revealed that throughout the adventure Aunt Petunia's favourite nephew has been holding back his super-strength, but won’t be during this particular confrontation. To make matters even worse though, the so-called punch-up doesn’t even last half a dozen panels, and unsurprisingly concludes with the Maggia crime boss flat out on the street.

Debatably this book’s best moment therefore comes when it is revealed that the man who “used to beat up a little kid twenty years ago” was actually behind poor Sara’s abduction in the first place, and only contacted Grimm for help when it became clear he realised he wasn’t going to be an important player in Fisk’s scheme to “scrape people’s powers and use it to make other guys stronger.” This revelation makes Flynn all the more loathsome, and assists the Thing later on in showing his fiery ward just how utterly pathetic bullies are compared to those who genuinely know when it’s “Clobberin’ Time!!!”

Lastly, Justin Mason’s layouts do a fairly sound job of supporting Fleecs with his storytelling – albeit the artist’s somewhat cartoony, ofttimes irregularly angled figures can be a little too jarring for so serious a theme as child kidnapping. In addition, whether intentional or not, the illustrator appears to pencil Ben as being as wide-eyed and circular as possible. Such a style may well suit someone smooth-skinned like the Blob or Volstagg the Voluminous. However, this technique debatably doesn’t work when applied to a meta-human who is supposed to be covered in rock-like armour plates as the lead protagonist is.

The regular cover art of "THE THING" #5 by Nick Bradshaw & Rachelel Rosenberg