John Carpenter's 1982 The Thing may not have been appreciated on release, but 40 years later, it's come to have a massive cult following. The movie stands out against most horrors, giving off a unique feeling of a murder mystery, but one where the victims get replaced with more murderers over time. And for most of the film, it's easy to tell who succumbs to this grim fate. However, the very first victim in The Thing is sort of unknown.
With 12 characters trapped in the bunker, only two make it out alive, and even their fates get left up to interpretation. The deaths of Clark, Copper, Bennings, Garry and Windows are all shown, while Blair, Palmer, Fuchs, Nauls and Norris all die and are assimilated off-screen. However, Blair, Fuchs and Nauls all aid in stopping the monster for a considerable amount of time, meaning it's likely they weren't the first to go. That leaves Palmer and Norris as the two most likely candidates.
Palmer Did Nothing to Stop The Thing
Palmer is introduced as the laid-back stoner of the group but quickly becomes one of the most paranoid. After MacReady leaves to investigate the Norwegian camp, The Thing (disguised as a dog) is allowed to roam the area and enters someone's room at night. That is presumably the first victim and could be Palmer.
A previous scene confirmed that Palmer was still awake while the dog was prowling around, and past this point, he never appeared alone with anyone who could kill him. On top of this, Palmer constantly creates confusion among the group, such as refusing to get paired up with Windows during a search. And finally, Palmer is absent during Blair's break-down, which was too loud for anyone to miss.
Norris Is Assumed to Be The Thing's First Victim
While there are convincing arguments that Palmer was the original, most fans subscribe to the idea that Norris was the first to die. His character is one of the least seen in the movie but is conveniently one of the first to appear every time some major event happens. He's also hesitant when taking blood samples early on for the test and stays neutral for most arguments.
However, the most damming evidence comes from a piece of bloody clothing. Midway through the movie, MacReady finds a discarded long-sleeved shirt, which has clear evidence of someone getting assaulted. Palmer wears his shirt during The Thing's first half, leading most to believe that it's his and that he got assimilated around this time. And if that's the case, Norris is the only character left as the possible first victim.
But still, it's almost impossible to know who died before all others. When the dog attacks its first victim, the character only appears via a shadow. This way, it's impossible to tell who was assaulted by the outline alone, even if it resembles Norris more than Palmer.