As Marvel Comics continues to celebrateThe Thing’slegacy with a new variant cover series, the Fantastic Four powerhouse officially clobbersDeadpool. The variant series comes in honor offifty years ofMarvel Two-In-One, a comic series that teamed Ben Grimm with various Marvel heroes. Referencing the series’ very first cover art, Deadpool’s cover sees the blue-eyed orange rock monster deliver a brutal punch tothe Merc with a Mouth.
As announced by Marvel,Deadpool#8 – written by Cody Ziglar and Alexis Quasarano, with art by Rogê Antônio – willfeature a variant cover by Cory Smith which recreates legendary artist Gil Kane’s cover forMarvel Two-In-One#1.
The cover depictsthe anti-hero’s healing factor testedas The Thing jabs his orange fist entirely through Deadpool’s chest. The original victim of The Thing’s punch on the cover ofMarvel Two-In-One#1, Man-Thing, cowers in a mossy patch below the fight.
Thing & Deadpool Team Up For A Throwback To Marvel’s Classic “Two-In-One” Seres
Deadpool#8 – Written By Cody Ziglar & Alexis Quasarano; Art By Rogê Antônio; “Two-In-One” Variant Cover By Cory Smith
The bloody Deadpool and the Thing variant cover is an excellent homage to Gil Kane’sMarvel Two-In-One #1cover,where the Fantastic Four strongman lands the same powerful punch on the Marvel monster Man-Thing. Marvel Comics is releasing twelve variant covers throughout November to celebrate the classic team-up series starring the Thing, where he did battle alongside and against various Marvel characters. One iconic issue of the series even saw the Thing battle with another version of himself, and the series solidified the character as a major piece of Marvel lore with friendships, connections, and rivalries across the universe.
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The Thing versus Man-Thing connection is re-established on Smith’s newDeadpoolvariant cover, as the art builds on the homage with a playful callback. In the actual interior ofMarvel Two-In-One#1, the punch wasn’t so much an act of aggression but rather a tactical move against the issue’s real antagonist, the supervillain Molecule Man. The two characters connected by a “Thing” in their names createan unexpected Marvel team-up, and the tradition continues with Deadpool and the Thing, although they’ve previously gone toe-to-toe in the assassin’s comicDeadpool Team-Up#888, written by Cullen Bunn with art by Tom Fowler.
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Deadpool’s"Two-In-One" Cover Highlights Ben Grimm’s Time In The Spotlight
TheMarvel Two-In-Onevariant series featuring the Thing is just the latest of many spotlights the publisher has recently put on its iconic character. Ahead of his debut in 2025’s Marvel Studios filmThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, portrayed by Emmy-winningThe BearandGirlsactor Ebon Moss-Bachrach,there is another variant cover series and rumors of a major comics saga brewing that will center on Ben Grimm and his superhero identity.Hitting comic shops during the same month as the team-up covers, Marvel has also released variants that createMarvel mash-ups of The Thing’s designwith other legendary heroes.
With Wade and Ben on the board as MCU characters that could be paired together, it’s still possible for Smith’s variant to be recreated on-screen in all its slapstick and violent glory.
Deadpool has just made a splash in the MCU with 2024’sDeadpool & Wolverine, andMarvel’s First Familyare hotly anticipated to join the franchise soon. Though unlikely, with Wade and Ben on the board as MCU characters that could be paired together, it’s still possible for Smith’s variant to be recreated on-screen in all its slapstick and violent glory. Their brutal battle may only be made for this homage variant cover, but it hilariously showsDeadpoollearning that his healing factor and quick mercenary moves are no match forThe Thing’ssuper strength.
Source:Marvel Comics
Deadpool#8, along with Cory Smith’s “Two-In-One” variant cover, will be available July 13, 2025 from Marvel Comics.
