WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Immortal Hulk #41 by Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, Ruy José, Belardino Brabo, Paul Mounts, Matt Milla, and VC's Cory Petit on sale now.
With his hard, rocky exterior, it can be easy to assume the Thing from the Fantastic Four would be a monster. But despite his gruff appearance and abrasive attitude, Ben Grimm tends to be one of Marvel’s more endearing, deeply human characters. While that dichotomy has been a core of the Thing's character for years, Grimm seemed to be all out of kindness when he came across the Hulk in The Immortal Hulk #41.
Following his escape from Alpha Flight’s Space Station in The Immortal Hulk #40, Hulk falls back to earth and lands on the coast of Coney Island, where the Thing is waiting for him. With the area cleared, Grimm can barely contain his excitement at the clobberin' he's about to dish out.
As Immortal Hulk has progressed we have seen a physically weaker, much more emotional Hulk take precedence the wake of Banner’s absence. The Leader has slowly taken apart the Hulk's mind, wiping out personas and leaving only the childlike Hulk and the street-smart Joe Fixit persona around. As another result of the continuing machinations of the Leader and the devilish One-Below-All, the Hulk also can't transform into his usual super-strong self and is stuck in a relatively gaunt Hulk body.
Unaware of this and going off of his own personal emotions and vendettas, the Thing does not seem to give Hulk’s new appearance much thought and cuts to the chase. The two have exchanged blows on numerous occasions with their matches since 1962's Fantastic Four #12 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. More recently, their last altercation ended in Dan Slott and Sean Izaakse’s Fantastic Four #13 with the Thing shattering his arm from punching the Hulk so hard last year. Their battle ended with Grimm put into a coma, on his honeymoon nonetheless, so it makes sense he’s itching for a rematch. With none of Ben Grimm's kindness present, the Thing begins to pummel the Hulk while verbally berating him. Calling him ‘puny,’ the Hulk begins to cry, with Grimm continuing to poke fun and pick-on the emotional Jade Giant.
After a devastating blow that sends the Hulk flying, Grimm goes in for the knockout punch only for the Hulk to beg him to stop. Fueled by memories of their last encounter and the other damage the Hulk has caused recently while being manipulated by the Leader, Grimm delivers a punch to the Hulk that sends him flying. Unfortunately, right before the hit lands the Hulk changes back into Banner's human body, which takes the full impact of the Thing’s punch. As the Joe Fixit persona emerges, this snaps Grimm out of his anger and back into reality where he immediately feels guilty for hitting who he thinks is Bruce Banner. Joe explains this version of the Hulk is basically a child, making Grimm feel even more guilty about the whole fight casting Grimm as nothing more than a playground bully.
Knowing that he let his emotions get the best of him, the Thing and Joe Fixit sit down over a few hot dogs in an empty Coney Island. Joe brings Grimm up to speed with the Hulk’s latest adventures, briefs him in Banner’s departure and lets him know the Leader is back in the fold. Grimm offers Joe help but he replies this is something Grimm wouldn’t be able to help him with.
While the issue began with Grimm acting out of character, it didn’t take long for him to return to his usual self once he had a better idea of what was going on. That said, it’s safe to say this brief moment of peace between the two heavy hitters will most likely not last, and it is only a matter of time before we see the two clashing again.