Fantastic Four: 10 Times The Thing Redefined The Word “Fantastic”
8. Walking Out Of Heaven
Because of a mystical and physical assault on the team by Doctor Doom that saw young Franklin literally taken to Hell and back and the Thing possessed by some kind of demonic force, Reed was forced to kill his best friend. Reed defeated Doom and locked him away, seemingly forever. But Reed Richards would not let the death of his best friend stand unchallenged.
Using a modified version of Doom’s old afterlife machine, The Fantastic trio fought their way through faceless angels and reality-defying terrain to storm the Gates of Heaven to retrieve their friend.
They managed to convince Ben it wasn’t his time yet and ultimately Ben realized that his teammates needed him more than he needed peace. So, with the blessing of the Creator, who looked a lot like a certain FF-creating artist, the Four returned to the real world alive and well. Although Ben was less than thrilled that he had to return in his Thing form.