Rocky Grimm Space Ranger Part III (of XII): In All the Gathering Gloom

Ben Grimm, Tarianna and Hanrak enter the quaint village that surrounds what appears to be Doomstadt, the lair of Dr. Doom. Tarianna takes Ben to the home of their tribe's leader. She tells him that Bengrimm is the mightiest warrior she has ever seen and that he has fought and survived a battle with the wizard. The town elders invite him to feast with them and they tell him the history of their village.

After dinner, Ben goes walking with Tarianna. He is convinced that something fishy is going on with this planet, and that everything seems to point him towards Doomstadt. With no other choice, he decides to go there.

Tarianna tries to persuade him from this rash course, but Ben won't hear of it. He approaches Doom's castle and disappears. Tarianna and Hanrak follow him. As Ben searches the various caverns and tunnels, he is forced to fight back a swarm of ghosts and angry spirits. Eventually, he finds Doom. Turning into the Thing, Ben puts his fist through Doom's body. Doom disappears in a wave of smoke. He was never truly there at all. In his place is a projection device left behind by the real Dr. Doom during the Secret Wars. Ben destroys the device and everything disappears, including the castle, the village, even Hanrak. It was all fake. Tarianna still exists, but Ben believes this is because there is a portion of his own mind that won't allow her to fade.

Recurring Characters

Thing, Tarianna, Wizard, Hanrak, Llrrlllnnllyyrrl

Continuity Notes

• This story takes place after the events of Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1-12. In the second issue of that series Ben discovered that he could change back to human form. By the end of the series he believed it was something to do with Battleworld and decided to stay behind. In reality, as Mister Fantastic deduced in Fantastic Four #245, a mental block in Ben's mind associated with his relationship with Alicia Masters has prevented Ben from willingly being able to change back and forth. A fact that Reed keeps secret from Ben until Thing #23.

• Ben's believes that his surroundings were the product of the Beyonder creating Battleworld in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1. He also incorrectly believes that Leenn is some kind of trap set by Doctor Doom. However his surroundings are actually being shaped by his subconscious mind, as revealed in Thing #22.

• Also discovered in Thing #22, Tarianna is the image of Ben's ideal woman. It's later revealed in Thing #27 that Tarianna's appearance is based off of a female adventurer named Sharon Ventura.