"The Thing" Animated Series - Would it work?

[cartoonscartoons]

Do you think an animated Thing series would work? The show could focus more on The Thing alone with more character developement. The Fantastic 4 would most likely only cameo.


Here are season premises ideas

Season 1-Season 1 would focus on the Things adventures around Manhattan fighting various villains. This season would also focus on his and Alicia's romance as a sideplot-26 episodes


Before season 2 there would have to be a Secret Wars movie in order to connect with the season's plot

Season 2-(Staying true to the comics) After the the Secret War the Thing decides to stay on the planet because he is able to convert from human to Thing form at will and would focus on him and the girl he meets exploring the planet-26 episodes

Season 3-The Thing would return to earth for some reason and learn that Alicia is now dating Johnny Storm and She-Hulk has took his place in the Fantastic Four. After learning this The Thing quits the Fantastic Four and begins on a cross country trio to find himself and a cure for being the thing. Along the way the Thing fights a various monsters and aliens.-26 episodes (possible final season)



Do you think this woul work out maybe ending the series with the Thing still not part of the FF again or have it keep going for another season if so then this would be the plot:


Season 4-The Thing returns to New York and has to battle a team of Super Thing Aliens and learns that the reason he had to fight all those aliens was that they were trying to get some of his DNA to create super clones to take over new york. After defeating them (5 parter?) the FF attempts to make ammends and he finally rejoins and meets She-Thing who he develops a relationship with. (series would most likely end at this season)


Thoughts??

[Rick Jones]

I prefer him as part of the team so I wouldn't mind a few solo moments but not really a full series. An FF show with an occasional replacement member might be something I'm interested in.

[Blackstar]

No. Just reading that brings back memories of that Hanna-Barbera abomination from 1979, where Ben Grimm was changed into a wimpy teenager and forced to hang out with a group of Archie/Scooby Doo/Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm hybrid teens, and also forced to spout out lame phrases like "Thing Ring, do your Thing!" Ugh! That cartoon was more grotesque than any form Ben has ever has ever taken. I prefer to think that show just dropped in from an alternate dimension and just forget about it.

I think that The Thing works best as part of a team, so I'd rather see a new Fantastic Four series than a new Thing series, but that's just me.

[creativerealms]

"thing ring do your thing"

No thank you.

[Silverstar]

I like The Thing, he's one of my favorite members of the Fantastic Four, but I think he works much better as a member of the team than he ever would alone. Part of Ben Grimm's appeal is his contrast to the more "conventional" FF team members. Besides, by himself Thing is a one-trick pony: he's big, he's strong, he's made of orange brick and he likes to brawl. That's not enough to carry an entire show. Thing wouldn't be nearly as fun if he weren't bouncing lines of of Reed and Sue or getting annoyed by Johnny. I'd rather get a new Fantastic Four series (mind you, I'm one of the few people who actually enjoyed World's Greatest Heroes).

I just have to think about those goshawful Thing cartoons on Fred and Barney Meet the Thing to immediately say no to a Thing solo series.

[cartoonscartoons]

The Thing woul still interact with the FF in every episodes (except when in space).


The series would have nothing to do with the cartoon series where he was a teen.

[Blackstar]

Originally Posted by cartoonscartoons

The Thing would still interact with the FF in every episode (except when in space).


The series would have nothing to do with the cartoon series where he was a teen.

Eh, no offense to you, but I'd still rather have a new Fantastic Four series than a series centering solely on the Thing. Ben works best as part of a team, and I'd rather he just stay a member of the 4. Ben's not really deep or compelling enough a character to carry an entire series by himself.

Also, I think that all these strorylines would better suited as story arcs rather than devoting entire seasons to them. Devoting a 26 episode season to each would risk boring the audience and just seems unnecessarily padded out to me.

I get that you want a TV series that stays 100% true to the comics, but no TV adaptation is going to follow the comics to the letter. That never happens. When you have to cram 23+ years of comics continuity into 4 TV seasons, and then have to deal with legalities (such as certain characters having outside projects such as movie deals that may prevent certain characters from appearing, for example), you have to make some compromises.

[SpideyFan914]

Yeah, I agree with everyone else. Thing probably wouldn't be able to carry his own series....

[Manhunter]

If they did a Marvel Two-In-One animated series...maybe.

[Silverstar]

It all goes back to the original fly in the ointment--The Thing simply isn't deep, complex or compelling enough to front a series on his own.

His power is one-note. He's really strong. That's it. He's not even the strongest character in the Marvel Universe. Yes, he's got the grotesque appearance and the expected self-consciousness about that, but that alone isn't enough to carry an entire series. Nobody would want to see Ben going through a lot of angst every week; give him the occasional bought of self-pity every few episodes at most.

His character isn't that deep. Don't get wrong, I love Ben as a character, but he's just not a leading man. He's a loose cannon, funny guy, human mascot at best. Thing doesn't even have the Jekyll/Hyde aspect to his character that Hulk does. Thing works best as a member of the Fantastic Four. He was created to be a team player, all of Fantastic Four members need and compliment one another.

Not every character has breakout star potential, and not every character is meant to headline their own series. Notice how there's never been an Iceman, Shadowcat, Beast, Falcon, Scarlet Witch or Vision animated series. That doesn't make them any less appealing or enduring as characters; they're just not fit to be stars in their own right.

Not everybody in the Marvel Universe can be Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Man or Hulk.

Originally Posted by cartoonscartoons

Before season 2 there would have to be a Secret Wars movie in order to connect with the season's plot

Would/could never happen. Secret Wars is far too long and convoluted a story to ever be made into a cohesive movie that wouldn't bore and/or totally confuse its' audience. Not to mention how the broadcasting rights to Marvel's various characters' are under the ownership of different people and companies. Such a project would be destined to go straight to development hell.

[TMC1982]

I would rather have an anthology type series that chronicals the solo adventures of the Fantastic Four. Meaning one week, the Thing would get his own episode, the next week Mr. Fantastic would get his own episode, and so forth (in an rotating manner).

[Hypestyle]

a Marvel Two-in-One series could be interesting..

[Captain Travis]

I dont think anyone would really get into a thing series other than comic fans

[Trevor]

Hanna-Barberra produced a Thing series back in the 1970's. That might give you an idea of how good a Thing series might work.

[sdp]

I used to watch The Thing cartoon and it wasn't that bad, I mean its on par with shows from that time, you obviously don't get anything more.

Anyways I love the Thing but he is clearly not big enough to carry his own series IMO. Hell even the FF can't carry their own cartoon as we've seen...Anyways The Thing is easily the best character in the FF and because of it he gets a lot of screen time in FF cartoons. I'd love to see an episode or two with The Thing but I'm not sure if he'd be able to carry a whole show by himself.

[JD08]

I really don't think Thing can pull off his own series. He'll usually run around yelling it's clobbering time while sulking around the other 10 minutes until someone ask where's the FF4. It'd be strange to break out one FF4 member while shunning the rest just look at the human torch.

[veemonjosh]

Originally Posted by Trevor

Hanna-Barberra produced a Thing series back in the 1970's. That might give you an idea of how good a Thing series might work.

"Thing Ring, do your thing" indeed...