This is a big weekend for Marvel Rivals as they’re finally going to be completing the Fantastic Four roster with the arrival of the Human Torch and the Thing.
With Torch set to be a duelist, Ben Grimm, a.k.a. the Thing, is designed to be the team vanguard, and he has some solid abilities that should make him one of the tankiest heroes to ever tank in the game.
The Thing Ability Breakdown
Often compared with the Hulk, the Thing is a melee fighter who can do a lot of heavy lifting (literally) and is packed with a ton of health, making him tougher to kill. Check out the official reveal:
“Benjamin J. Grimm is undeniably the unwavering heart of any team. Always at the forefront of any fight, he's ready to take the lead with his unbreakable form.
“Ben Grimm originally signed up to be a pilot for his pal Reed, but he never imagined that he'd return from the mission as an indescribable monster: The Thing. Even though beaming cosmic rays transformed his flesh, a heart of gold still beats his rocky exterior.
“ As New York City plunged into eternal night, the Thing has made it his mission to selflessly protect his home and lead missions to collect Chronovium by putting his piloting skills to the test.”
Here’s the Thing’s ability breakdown
- Primary Fire – Rocky Jab – The Thing rapidly punches anything in front of him.
- Secondary Fire –Stone Haymaker – The Thing charges up for a Heavy Blow
- E – Embattled Leap – The Thing leaps toward an ally and applies damage reduction to himself and his teammate. When this is activated, there are rocks that are visibly floating around Ben.
- LShift – Yancy Street Charge – Ben charges forward and launches up enemies; his final position will leave a zone that prevents the use of mobile abilities.
- Ultimate – Clobberin’ Time – Ben pounds the floor and creates a shockwave that launches all enemies in front of him into the air.
- Team-Up Ability – Cosmic Fastball – Wolverine – Just like the Hulk, the Thing can carry Wolverine and launch him towards enemies. It’s unclear if friendly Hulks and Things can throw Wolverine at each other.
- Team-Up Ability – Cooperative Comrades – The Invisible Woman – Sue Storm channels her Psionic Might and grants damage resistance for any Fantastic Four member. Each member also generates Bonus Health when this ability is activated.
- Passive – Unyielding Will – Ben cannot be launched up or knocked back. He’s also immune to all other kinds of displacement effects.
“It’s Clobberin’ Time!”
Though Ben may not be as mobile as the Hulk, he makes up for being fast with the punches and being very hard to kill. Not only does the Thing have a massive health base of 700, but his abilities also allow him to constantly give himself and his allies bonus health, which could bring his base health up to 900.
The Fantastic Four by themselves seems like a well-balanced team with two duellists, a strategist, and a vanguard, and with the Thing and Torch arriving this weekend, players can bet they’re going to be seeing Marvel’s First Family be an optimal comp
Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm come to Marvel Rivals on Feb. 21. Marvel Rivals is now available for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5.