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As announced by Marvel, Fantastic Four #27 – written by Ryan North with art by Iban Coello – will feature Vecchio’s She-Hulk/Thing amalgamation cover. It comes as part of the wider series of Thing variant covers Marvel will release over the next several months.

Hulk-smashing through the Thing’s orange rocks, the double-transformed version of Jennifer Walters in the variant sports a similar textured form in her traditional shade of green. Vecchio’s design of the fascinating combination makes a strong case for it officially appearing in the universe.

She-Hulk Gets Thing-ified In A Marvel Mash-Up, Spotlighting Her Fantastic Four History

Fantastic Four #27 – Variant Cover By Luchiano Vecchio

Though many Marvel characters are featured as part of the variant series celebrating the Thing, She-Hulk holds a special connection with Grimm and his team. When Ben left the Fantastic Four after Secret Wars in 1984, She-Hulk filled in as his alternate. Vecchio’s Thing/She-Hulk variant is a brilliant combination of the two, showcasing the parallels between the two heroes, as they both have taken the role of the main muscle over the years. Though She-Hulk left the Four when Ben returned from his superhero sabbatical, she’s been a close friend and ally of the team since.

Vecchio’s Thing/She-Hulk variant is a brilliant combination of the two, showcasing the parallels between the two heroes

She-Hulk’s tenure on the super-team lasted years, spanning from Fantastic Four #265-#300 before she reed the Avengers and Ben took his place back with Marvel’s First Family. Her iconic stint with the Fantastic Four has been a memorable aspect of the Jennifer Walters character, with her appearing in various future stories with the group and its individual in comics and beyond. As one of the Four’s strongest of all time, She-Hulk built lasting friendships and is thought to be a lifelong honorable member, also being part of Matt Fraction and Mike Allred’s Fantastic Four as late as 2012-2014.

Marvel's Thing/She-Hulk Mash-Up Celebrates One Of Marvel’s Strongest Friendships

Marvel Two-In-One #88 – Written By David Kraft; Art By Alan Kupperberg, Chic Stone, & George Roussos

Combining She-Hulk and the Thing highlights the two characters as one of Marvel’s most underrated duos. Even before Jennifer Walters Alicia Masters was in the picture at this point, She-Hulk and the Thing even shared some attraction and flirtation in their first team-up comic together.

The two muscle-bound heroes have been solidified as just remaining good friends and peers over the years, and have maintained this friendship for over four decades since meeting in 1982. Twenty years later, they reunited for another adventure, taking on the Roxxon Corporation in a one-shot titled Thing & She-Hulk: The Long Night by Todd DeZago, Bryan Hitch, and Ivan Reis. Flash forward another two decades to the recent She-Hulk (2022) #4 by Rainbow Rowell and Luca Maresca, which saw Ben and Jen get together for coffee and a fight club, with a stunning cover featuring the two by Jen Bartel.

It’s About Clobberin’ Time For The Thing To Take Over Marvel Comics

Spotlight On Ben Grimm

The Thing will take over twelve covers in total for the variant series celebrating the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed hero running from November until the last She-Hulk variant for Fantastic Four is released in December. Ben Grimm’s unlucky rough rock-form has been transferred to various unexpected Marvel heroes, including a Gwen Stacy variant by Todd Nauck for Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider #7. With the character’s status rising over the next year with a major new movie and Thing-based comic saga, he deserves his place in the sun as one of the Fantastic Four’s best and one of Marvel’s most lovable heroes.

The She-Hulk/Thing is a stunning and bold invention that could really be introduced in Marvel lore, as other variant series have previously led to real change in the Universe.

Jen Walters and Ben Grimm’s mighty friendship makes them one of the publisher’s most colorful and powerful duos, and the new variant cover highlights what would be the perfect amalgamated character. Though sort of similar to Sharon Ventura’s She-Thing, the She-Hulk/Thing is a stunning and bold invention that could really be introduced in Marvel lore, as other variant series have previously led to real change in the Universe. Vecchio’s super combination between The Thing and She-Hulk as some of Marvel’s strongest heroes created for the variant officially highlights the ideal powerhouse for the Fantastic Four.

Source: Marvel

Luciano Vecchio’s Fantastic Four #27 The Thing! Variant Cover will be available December 18, 2024 from Marvel Comics.