Marvel Rivals Just Dropped The Coolest Skin For The Thing (Rooted In The Comics)

One of the best things about Marvel Rivals continues is its dedication to honoring the original Marvel lore from the comics. While there are plenty of Rivals skins inspired by the MCU or created by developers as brand-new designs, some of the best cosmetics in the game pull directly from some of Marvel's most iconic storylines.

That’s exactly what the latest Rivals update has done for one of Marvel’s most beloved heroes. For Ben Grimm's The Thing, the popular Vanguard hero has just received one of the most epic and most monstrous skins Marvel Rivals has released so far.

Marvel Rivals Just Dropped The Coolest (And Darkest) Skin For The Thing

The latest cosmetic addition in Marvel Rivals introduces a brand-new "Fear Itself" Legendary skin for The Thing, and it’s easily one of the coolest designs the character has ever received in the game thus far.

Rather than the traditional orange rock look fans are used to, this new Marvel Rivals skin gives Ben Grimm's Thing a far darker and more intimidating appearance. Instead, the classic rocks are a deep black. Featuring ancient Asgardian armor and large steel gauntlets, Grimm also has two pink, multi-fanged monsters wrapped over his shoulders.

Priced at 2200 units in Marvel Rivals' in-game store, the new "Fear Itself" bundle comes with several unique extras, including a brand-new MVP animation that shows The Thing blocking a lightning strike from Thor with a massive long-handled hammer of his own. There's also a unique special emote where The Thing brings that same hammer down, giving the new costume an even more impressive aura.

Overall, the best thing about this new skin is that all of these cool features prove it truly is the perfect homage to the original comics that inspired it in the first place: 2011's Fear Itself by writer Matt Fraction and artist Stuart Immonen.

Marvel's Angrir: Breaker of Souls Explained (The Thing's Fear Itself Arc Explained)

To fully appreciate the new "Fear Itself" skin for The Thing, here's a brief breakdown of the storyline that inspired it.

In Marvel's Fear Itself, a powerful ancient enemy known as Cul Borson aka The Serpent (and Odin's brother), unleashes a wave of fear across the world. As part of his assault on Earth, Cul dispatches enchanted hammers holding the spirits of his former generals, transforming them into terrifying beings known as The Worthy.

Sure enough, one of those hammers ultimately finds its way to Ben Grimm, transforming The Thing into Angrir: Breaker of Souls the moment the beloved member of The Fantastic Four picks up the fallen hammer after being discovered on Yancy St. by the Future Foundation.

At the time, Grimm is already under immense emotional pressure following the recent death of Johnny Storm's Human Torch. As seen in the tie-in issue Fear Itself: FF #1, the hammer exploits that vulnerability, especially with the aforementioned creatures on his shoulders whispering in his ear, stoking both his fear and rage.

Ultimately, the Thing joins with the similarly corrupted Hulk (Nul: Breaker of Worlds) to take on Thor. However, the God of Thunder manages to incapacitate The Thing with Mjolnir, allowing Franklin Richards to use his cosmic powers to remove the corruption.

Overall, the storyline is one of the darkest moments in The Thing’s comic history, showing just how vulnerable even the strongest heroes can be when fear is used against them. It's definitely what makes this brand-new Marvel Rivals skin for Ben Grimm so special and cool, perfectly nodding back to a 15-year-old storyline that's still so iconic.

Marvel Rivals is free-to-play on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.