Marvel Two-In-One #77
Only the Swamp Survives!
After a failed test of a new fitness device for Ben, the Fantastic Four are visited by Nick Fury and scientist Dr. Hansdor. He has come to ask Ben to help test out a new super-jet the FX-24 that would be able to travel at speeds of Mach-6, and they believe that Ben is the only one with the skill and endurance to fly the device without any ill effects, unlike the previous test pilots.
Although there is a risk of death, Ben agrees to test the jet out after he has a tearful time alone with Alicia. After rigorous training, Ben goes to Florida to test out the new jet. As the test begins, in the swamps near Citrusville, some hunters come across the shambling muck-monster known as the Man-Thing, that is drawn by their fear and burns them at its touch. While up in the sky, the FX-24 has a jet failure and crashes in the swamp. At the airfield, all assume the worse and begin trying to track Ben down, while Alicia hopes and prays the man that she loves is still alive.
The Man-Thing, meanwhile, is drawn to the sound of the crash, leaving the two hunters to flee the scene. It witnesses the Thing emerge from the jet, and even though he is practically on death's door forces himself to move through the swamp and find help. As Ben wanders through the swamps he reflects back to the days when he was a soldier during World War II and about a mission he once had with Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos.
In this memory, he was assigned to pilot the Commandos into the mountains where the Nazis were hiding out. They would get shot out of the sky and Dum Dum Dugan would be taken hostage, the young Ben Grimm would aid the Howling Commandos in smashing the Nazi base and freeing Dugan from captivity.
During his recollection, Ben would be spotted by the two hunters previously encountered by the Man-Thing, who would mistake the appearance of both monsters as an invasion of some sort and begin shooting at Ben, however, the Man-Thing would rescue the Thing. Meanwhile, the Fantastic Four and Nick Fury would begin tracking Ben through the swamp, the Torch mostly upset due to his previous chiding of Ben to accept the mission.
The Thing finally collapses in the swamp and with the fear of approaching death causes the Man-Thing to attack him. Surprisingly, the Man-Thing's burning touch startles Ben out of his fear and makes him continue his struggle to survive. With no more fear in the area and the arrival of the Fantastic Four and Fury, the Man-Thing slinks away unseen into the swamps. Ben is taken to a hospital where he is given immediate medical attention and is expected to make a full recovery.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Thing, Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch), Man-Thing, Alicia Masters, Nick Fury
Continuity Notes
The story originally intended that the Thing was having a flashback to his time with the military during World War II. There are issues with this:
It had been established since Fantastic Four #11 that Ben Grimm fought in World War II. Ben had been previously depicted participating in World War II in Captain Savage and the Leatherneck Raiders #7.
With the implementation of the Sliding Timescale, this becomes impossible and all references to Ben Grimm’s World War II military service should now be considered topical.
Since the publication of History of the Marvel Universe #2 Ben fought in the Sin Cong Conflict, a fictional war that was created by Marvel to place characters who exist in the modern age and were involved in the military prior to Fantastic Four #1. This was reinforced in The Marvels #1.
That said, if one where to take this at face value, this flashback likely would have happened prior to Sgt. Fury #8 due to the fact that the Howling Commandos do not have Junior Juniper (who died in issue #4) or Pinky Pinkerton (who joined in issue #8) on the team.
Where Does This Flashback Come From?
Marvel has yet to provide an explanation for this flashback since Ben Grimm is no longer considered a World War II veteran.
A simpler solution is that rather than recollecting an event that happened in the past, Ben was merely hallucinating and these events never actually happened. This is considerable since nobody has mentioned Ben’s previous encounter with the Howling Commandos in story before, during, or after this story.
However, if you’d rather have a more fantastical explanation, there can be gleaned from this story: Ben Grimm crash lands in the Man-Thing’s swamp which is a doorway to the Nexus of All Realities. It’s entirely possible that rather than remembering his own past, Ben was seeing visions of one of his alternate reality counterparts who served in World War II.
