The Thing’s Use of His Signature Catchphrase
The Twisted Cape was given a guided tour of the Baxter Building by none other than The Human Torch himself, Johnny Storm. As the tour was going on, we asked about the history of the team and for a little inside information that no one has ever known about the Fantastic Four.
As we rode the elevator between floors, Torch told us that Reed is essentially a workaholic in the best ways. He’s brilliant and everything he does is to make the planet a better place. He explained how he loves his sister and how she keeps them all going.
It’s been noted that he and Ben Grimm, The Thing, have always had a complicated relationship, but it was always brotherly. So, when he discovered that his signature catchphrase, “Flame On!” was the way to activate his powers, naturally Ben became jealous. He started playing around with catchphrases of his own, eventually landing on the iconic, “It’s Clobberin’ Time!”.
Johnny told us that once he found one that he liked, it was overused or used inappropriately. “He would open a jar of peanuts and yell it. He opens a cold beer and yells it. Once, he even burst through the wall in my bedroom like the Kool-Aid man and yelled it as a prank.”
Johnny is clearly annoyed by this. “I can’t use my powers without ‘Flame On’ and that’s not fun. He does this just to rub it in my face.”
We asked if he could just be suffering from a little bit of envy, to which the Torch replied “No way. It’s not possible. I haven’t told you the worst of it. He goes to the bathroom and yells ‘It’s Clobberin’ Time’ at the toilet before taking the Browns to the Superbowl. Even worse, I hear him say it seductively in his bedroom to himself at night before hearing a sound like a jackhammer ripping up concrete.”
Adequately disgusted, we bid Mr. Storm adieu.
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