File:Marvel Two-In-One Vol 1 50 001.JPG

Description
When Reed Richards conducts another experiment on the Thing's mutations over the years, he comes to the conclusion that Ben's preferred state is that of the rocky hided thing. He shows Ben another serum he had hoped would change Ben back into human form, but deduces that it would have only worked on Ben back during the earlier days of his mutation where his "Thing" form was more reptilian in nature as opposed to a rock-like material. Thinking that he'd be better off if he wasn't the Thing, Ben takes the serum and uses Dr. Doom's time machine to travel back in time to the early days of the Fantastic Four. There, before the Fantastic Four setup shop in the Baxter Building, Ben finds his earlier self. The embittered past incarnation attacks the Ben, not believing that he is his counterpart from the future. After a lengthy battle between the two Things, Ben manages to knock out his past self. He administers the serum that Reed had created for him, and the past-Ben changes back into human form. When Ben himself doesn't change to human form as well, he figures he just needs to return to the present. Traveling through Dr. Doom's time machine once more, Ben arrives back in the present where he finds that he still in his mutated form. When he tells Reed of his adventure, Reed explains to him that Ben's past is immutable, and instead of changing his own history, Ben only succeeded in creating an alternate reality.