Ben Grimm is one of Marvel’s most beloved heroes, but the Eternals don’t trust the Creature for a pretty bad reason: in their eyes, he looks like a Deviant. In Marvel X #5 from Marvel Comics, it turns out that Ikaris and the Eternals are judging the hero of the Fantastic Four because of his appearance. This confirms Grimm’s worst fears that people will consider him a monster solely based on his transformation and how he looks.
It is known that Ben Grimm was among the Marvel heroes who transformed during the space mission that led to the creation of the Fantastic Four. While his family and teammates gained powers, like Reed Richards gained the ability to stretch, Sue Storm could become invisible, and Johnny Storm could consume his body with flames, Grimm’s transformation changed his appearance forever. Instead of his more human appearance, Grimm became a Creature, a powerful stone monster. Ben struggled with his new form before eventually learning to live with it. However, the Eternals don’t trust the Creature because they think it looks too much like a Deviant.
In Marvel X #5 by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger, Vell-Bee and Corey Petit from VC, Marvel Comics’ alternate timeline shows a world in which almost everyone on Earth has superpowers. However, Earth’s most powerful heroes also face mutants while trying to find a cure. When a group of heroes unite and finally catch up, Ikaris discovers that many of the Eternals have left Earth. However, after a condescending remark that the planet needs heroes, humans or not, Ben Grimm from the Fantastic Four asks why he looks at him when he mentions inhumans, as Ikaris tells the Creature that he looks like a “Deviant”.
The creature gets upset, telling the heroes that it doesn’t get “any respect.” But deep down, comments about his appearance, supposedly making him look like a Deviant, highlight the worst fear about his transformation — that other heroes consider him a monster. The Eternals have made it their life’s mission to eliminate excessive deviation, since Ikaris, who calls him a Deviant, must sting. The thing is much more than his rocky appearance, so the news that he is not trusted because of his appearance hurts him to the core.
Fortunately, the Creature no longer feels sorry for itself because of its rocky appearance, even if it still has to live with it every day. But when Ikaris told him that he looked like a deviant and that he didn’t trust him because of it, Ben Grimm was reminded once again that he would always be seen as a monster in the eyes of some people, including his fellow heroes. Ultimately, the Creature’s worst fears came true at that moment — even if the hero of the Fantastic Four is far from a monster, despite how he looks.
