When one thinks of the Fantastic Four member known as Ben Grimm a.k.a. The Thing, the first word that generally comes to mind is hero... but that hasn't always been the case and in the Thing: Freakshow #1, fans discover that his past may be the cause of his current physical misfortune.
After being struck by cosmic rays in space, Ben's body had become covered from head to toe in orange rocks and he was given super-strength - allowing him to fight against superheroes such as the Hulk. One may consider Ben's physical transformation to be a gift because his immense strength allows him to take on powerful foes as well as save lives, but it's also a curse as people generally see him as a freak or nothing more than the muscle of the Fantastic Four. And even though Ben wishes he could change back... Reed Richards can't cure him. But besides from being struck with cosmic rays, one may be wondering if there is any other possible reason for his transformation and comic book creators Geoff Johns, Scott Kolins, Andy Lanning, David Self, as well as Randy Gentile deliver an answer in their comic Thing: Freakshow #1.
In the beginning of the comic, there's a flashback of Ben as a little boy - running beside his friend Tommy and smashing through fences until they find what they are looking for... a local freak show. When they happen upon the local freak show, Ben finds a small bag of popcorn on the ground. But just before Ben has a bite of the popcorn, a boy who has deformities named Istvan happens to bump into him and he does what a fan of the character least expect... he bullies the boy until he cries. While Ben continues to bully the boy by calling him names such as, "doughboy," and pushes him into a nearby cart, the boy's mother arrives and tells Ben, "You will know tears one day." As the mother pulls Istvan close to her chest to calm him down, Ben runs away telling the woman and her son they are just a couple of freaks - which is interesting considering Ben's current predicament.
As the flashback comes to a close, the next page shows him staring at his own reflection in a bathroom mirror - wishing he could change history. After seeing his younger self in the picture, Sue Storm a.k.a Invisible Woman walks in, sees him in his Fantastic Four towel, and wonders why he's not dressed yet for a parade that's celebrating the team's newest victory. Ben looks at her and tells her that he's not coming and even though he doesn't give her a reason, it's obvious he's tired of being treated like some freak at a freak show.
Although The Thing doesn't say it outright, it's possible that the cause of his current predicament may be the result of karma. Then again, if Ben opens up about his discontent with being treated as a freak, maybe people will treat him with more respect and understanding.