Money Changes Everything

As the Thing and his friend Goliath battle a new villain named Cauldron, he thinks back to the course his life has taken... From the poor kid on Yancy Street to gridiron star, to astronaut, to super-hero. When they defeat the villain, Ben is swarmed by the media who ask him questions about his recently inherited wealth and the fact that he is dating actress Carlotta Larosa. When a couple try to claim that the fight gave them whiplash, Ben scares them off by threatening to really injure them. In the aftermath of the battle, Cauldron is taken away by SHIELD. Goliath thanks the Thing for preventing the theft of a new prototype. When his friend starts hinting that he wants Ben to invest in the project, Ben decides to leave and gets into his Hummer limo.

At her apartment, Alicia Masters read a braille magazine, reading about the Thing's recent relationship with Carlotta LaRosa. She thinks Ben is making a bad decision, but her thoughts are interrupted by her new boyfriend, Arlo North, who brings her breakfast. While at Avengers Tower, Peter Parker reads about the same story. He expresses concerns about Ben's newfound money to his wife Mary Jane. While outside Wonder Man and Ms. Marvel are flying across the city. The both decide not to attend Ben's regular poker game since he has been making ridiculous bets ever since he won his money. While at the Baxter Building, Johnny decides to give Ben's new sky-cycle a test drive. However, the vehicle has too much thrust and he almost gets into an accident if it's not for the quick intervention of Mister Fantastic. Reed explains that the device is expensive, but tells Johnny that he has always made sure that all of Ben's needs were met, no matter how expensive. When Johnny mentions Ben's poor money management, Reed explains that he has come up with a plan to try and resolve the issue.

The next morning at his penthouse condo off Central Park West, Ben wakes up to find his new girlfriend Carlotta on the phone arranging to attend a party up in the Hamptons. While Ben consents to this and goes about his day, Carlotta is actually bragging about these plans to a rival actress named Milan Ramada, sending her into a frenzy. Ramada decides to get back at Carlotta and makes a trip to an abandoned amusement park. She falls through a trap door and narrowly avoids a number of death traps. She is then confronted with Arcade who she wants to hire to put on a "killer party".

That evening, the Thing and Carlotta arrive at the party in the Hamptons. They arrive at home and Ben learns that it belongs to Irma Roberts, a home decor celebrity with a white-collar criminal record. She is delighted to see the Thing is there and shows off a number of sculptures of him that are all originals done by Alicia Masters. As the party begins to pick up, a new statue is being delivered by two shady looking individuals. As the party continues, Frank Payne, also known as the Constrictor bumps into both Tony Stark and Kyle Richman, who operate as the heroes Iron Man and Nighthawk. When Stark confronts Payne for his criminal past, Richmond calls him on all the years keeping his secret identity. Richmond tells Payne that second chances are what made him a hero.

Later that evening when the Thing is giving a speech to the party-goers, Arcade springs his trap. With the robot named Brynocki, a sonic device hidden in the new Thing statue is used to knock out the guests. Ben is able to ward off the effects but he's eventually stunned by the cute little robot. When Ben wakes up he finds himself along with Nighthawk and the Constrictor on an island with the other party guests. They are welcomed by Arcade who introduces his new death trap, Murderland.

Recurring Characters

Thing, Goliath, Alicia Masters, Arlo North, Mister Fantastic, Human Torch, Carlotta LaRosa, Constrictor, Tony Stark, Nighthawk, Cauldron, Arcade, Bryndocki, Miss Locke, Mister Chambers, SHIELD, Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, Edwin Jarvis, Wonder Man, Ms. Marvel

Continuity Notes

• The Thing discovered that he was sitting on a massive amount of money in Fantastic Four #527.

• There are multiple mentions of Ben's past relationship with Alicia Masters. The couple dated from Fantastic Four #9-265.

• Reference is made to Ben's regular poker games. He started these games in Marvel Two-In-One #51.

• The statues of the Thing are based on various forms and costumes he has worn over the years.

  • The first statue is based on his dinosaur-like hide form that he maintained when he was first transformed into the Thing back in Fantastic Four #1. Ben eventually morphed into his brick-like appearance circa Fantastic Four #10.

  • The second is of Ben wearing a face mask that he first wore in Fantastic Four #3. However, the costume he is wearing is based on the one post-Fantastic Four #374 when Wolverine slashed his face, necessitating that Ben wear the mask to protect his injury.

  • The third is in Ben's further mutated rocky form which he maintained from Fantastic Four #309-326.

• The woman who appears to be Miss Locke is actually a robot, as the real Miss Locke was accidentally killed by Arcade, as seen in Wolverine / Gambit: Victims #4. Her replacement with a robot was explained in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #1.

• Mention is made about Tony Stark revealing his identity he did so in Iron Man Vol 3 #55

• Kyle Richmond mentions that he had a "second chance", he is referring to the fact that he was originally a super-villain, as first seen in Avengers #69. He eventually reformed in Defenders #13.