Created by Stan Lee (father of Spider-man) and Jack Kirby, the Thing made his comic-book debut in 1961. But it was not until the recent June issue of "Fantastic Four" (number 56, "Remembrance of Things Past") that the rockman's Jewish bonafides were firmly established for the first time.
The recent issue explores the Thing's rough-and-tumble childhood on New York's Lower East Side. Born Benjamin Jacob Grimm, he navigated the tough corners of Yancy Street. The Thing's father was an alcoholic, and his brother and idol Daniel was a member of the local Yancy Street Gang. After his brother and his parents died when Grimm was still a teenager, he escaped the Lower East Side to the comforts of his Uncle Jake's house. He wound up heading off to college, and eventually became a pilot. On a mission to outer space, Grimm and his three fellow crewmen were drenched with cosmic radiation that mutated them, giving them each superpowers. The four became Mr. Fantastic, the Human Torch, Invisible Woman and the Thing — a.k.a. the Fantastic Four.
"Kirby always thought of the Thing as being Jewish," said Marvel senior editor Tom Brevoort. According to Brevoort, Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzburg) kept in his house, but never published, an early drawing of the Thing in full rabbinical regalia.
But while Kirby might have intended from day one for the Thing to be Jewish, and fans familiar with Kirby's career might have suspected as much, the superhero's Judaism had never been revealed in the pages of Marvel.
"It had never shown up in a Fantastic Four [issue], so was not what we considered canon," Brevoort said. The decision to reveal the Thing's Jewish roots came almost whimsically, he added, when Carl Kesel, the co-author of the recent issue, said that he would like to write a story about the Thing's past.
Brevoort noted that a high percentage of the early comic book artists were Jewish (Stan Lee, for example was born Stan Lieber). "Quite a few of them disguised themselves — that's what you did to get your foot in the door," Brevoort said, adding that the creations of these closeted Jews were, quite often, disguised personal stories.
In "Remembrance of Things Past," the Thing provides his own explanation for why it took so long for his Judaism to come out.
Mr. Sheckerberg, a pawnbroker from the old neighborhood, says to the Thing: "All these years in the news, they never mention you're Jewish. I thought maybe you were ashamed of it a little."
"Nah, that ain't it," replies the Thing. "Anyone on the internet can find out, if they want. It's just... I don't talk it up, is all. Figure there's enough trouble in this world without people thinkin' Jews are all monsters like me."
But, in fact, it seems fans are taking the news quite well, Brevoort said. "We had no idea that the response would be like this," Brevoort told the Forward.
He said that since the issue came out, Marvel has been inundated with hundreds of positive letters and e-mails, with responses ranging from "Wow! I never knew that — cool, like me!" to "I always suspected."
"The closest thing we got to a negative response was [a reader who said], 'It was a good story — but wasn't there a 1974 issue in which the Fantastic Four were all celebrating Christmas together?'"
But the new issue makes it clear that the Thing is no mere token Jew; he's not some Jew who's never seen the inside of a synagogue. Although the Thing no longer attends services, he still remembers his prayers. Kneeling over Mr. Sheckerberg, who appears to be dead, the Thing recites the Sh'ma.
Of course, let's face it, the Thing doesn't look Jewish. Nor does he exhibit qualities — studiousness, passivity, intelligence — that many readers probably associate with Jews.
"He certainly doesn't fit that stereotype," Brevoort said.
Michael Derosa, who has read the "Fantastic Four" since the 1960s, described the Thing as one of his favorite characters. "I was wondering about him," he said. "He's not good-looking, and more people fear him than love him."
But, Derosa added, deep inside the Thing is a good man. "What people look like on the outside [isn't important]," he said. "The inside's important. Isn't that a Jewish ethic?"
(GIF courtesy of R. Schwachöfer)
UPDATE: Jonathan Adler, of NRO's Corner, added this:
I'm hardly an expert on Jewish law, so it seemed obvious to me that The Thing couldn't have observed the Sabbath as a member of the Fantastic Four. A more informed reader, however, notes that it is permissible to violate the Sabbath in order to save someone's life. While this might not excuse Senator Lieberman's decision to campaign for veep seven days a week, it would seem to allow The Thing to devote the occasional Saturday to fighting the evil machinations of Dr. Doom, Mole Man, Super-Skrull, and other assorted bad guys.
Actually, the Corner was taken up with extensive discussion of superheroes and which ones might have been Jewish. Check out most any post from Monday July 29th.
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