10 Shocking Times Comic Book Heroes REFUSED To Help
4. The Thing Sat Out The Civil War To Protect Yancy Street
At the beginning of the Civil War, Ben Grimm, the Ever-Lovin' Blue-Eyed' Thing, opted to keep out of the fight, preferring to remain neutral while his friends and allies beat the crap out of one another. He remained out of the conflict, but when it came to Yancy Street, things changed.
While he was visiting his favorite locale in New York City, Cap's anti-registration forces got into a fight with Iron Man's pro-registration team. Their fight ended up harming Yancy Street's good people, and Ben wasn't too happy about it. A young man who was a member of the Yancy Street Gang was killed in the fight.
Enraged by what he saw, the Thing opted to turn his back on everyone. He refused to fight, he refused to help, and he refused to even call himself an American. He up and moved himself to France, so he could stay out of the conflict altogether.
Eventually, the Thing does return, but only to protect the civilians from the harm caused by the two warring factions. He helped, but only after taking some time to keep away from the ensuing conflict. His return coincided with the final battle between Cap and Iron Man, finally bringing the conflict to an end.