Ben Grimm a.k.a. The Thing has remained one of Marvel Comics' most respected and beloved heroes since the 1960s but the gentle giant actually shares a relationship with one of the darkest men of the past... feared pirate captain of the seven seas Edward Teach a.k.a. the infamous Blackbeard. Even the most righteous individuals are going to have a fair share of skeletons in their closet.
The Fantastic Four series was always a comic known for pushing the envelope when it came to weirdness and adventure among its countless story-lines. There perhaps does not remain a better of example of this than 1962's Fantastic Four #5, subtitled Prisoners of Doctor Doom. Not only does the landmark issue introduce comic readers to a frightening new villain, but Ben Grimm's frightening early career as Blackbeard. But, Blackbeard is a murderous unpredictable pirate feared throughout the land while Ben Grimm is a lovable gentle giant with a temper but an even bigger heart. What is the connection?
With Fantastic Four #5, which heralds the introduction of mainstay villain Doctor Doom to the Marvel Universe, Doom sends his archenemies the Fantastic Four sans Sue Storm (Invisible Woman) back centuries in time, via his own time travel platform, to retrieve Blackbeard's fabled treasure chest. In line with Doctor Doom's general arc and motivations, the retrieval of the chest would ultimately see Doom as ruler of Earth. But, as nearly most time travel narratives tend to go, not everything in the Fantastic Four's mission goes as planned.
In order to refrain from drawing attention in the past, the trio of Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Johnny Storm (Human Torch), and The Thing must dress as pirates, with the latter taking on the role of Blackbeard. What ultimately begins as a simple distraction for the trio to blend in with the time period turns out to be history in the making itself. Near the latter half of the issue when Ben leads the Fantastic Trio and their newfound pirate companions against a rival pirate crew, Mr. Fantastic theorizes that Ben is in actuality now the true Blackbeard from the history books as well as pop culture, having returned to the past in order to help find himself. Once the treasure chest is found, the generally lovable Thing quickly sheds his likeable demeanor and embraces the roots of the feared pirate captain.
While Doctor Doom's introduction would be the most significant story thread which fans would end up taking away from the issue, The Thing's historical relationship with Blackbeard seems to have been forgotten. Fantastic Four #5 would not be the only instance the titular team of adventurers would travel through time, but it would remain one of the most unusual adventures. While many Marvel comics released in recent decades have seemed to avoid touching any further on the subject, The Thing's connection to Blackbeard brought in many potential avenues for future story lines (Marvel Pirates anyone?). Only time will tell if any upcoming writers choose to tackle the potential of the strange story thread.