Thing (The Thing)

The Thing, also known as The Thing From Another World is a shape-changing creature who attacked Antarctic Magnetic research station 31 (Big Magnet) in 1982.

Biology
The creature usually takes the form of a recently absorbed planetary native.

It can infect other organisms with bits of itself, a single cell being good enough to assimilate an entire organism, although the less of itself used to infect an individual, the more time it will take to fully take over the host body. It is very tolerant of cold, allowing it to place itself in cryogenic stasis, much like yeast. When changing form, it bursts open and allows a variety of strange and terrifying forms and bits of previously assimilated anatomy to form, eventually re-arranging its cellular structure to mimic its desired shape. If it is killed by fire (which is the only way to destroy the creature available to the attacked station- as it will only play possum if shot until somebody tries to revive it, or discard the "corpse"), it loses control of its metamorphic ability, and mutates uncontrollably. Explosives can also destroy the creature, as it is made of flesh and blood.

Each part of the creature is able to detect hazards and move on its own. After the body of an assimilated individual was burned, the surviving head developed arthropod-esque legs and eyes on stalks in order to escape. When a sample of blood from one individual was touched with a hot needle, it leapt from the dish it was held in and attempted to escape. Both of these acts were performed because every cell of a Thing is selfish, and wishes only self-preservation; an individual who had become infected by the Thing in Antarctica pointed out the fleeing head to be destroyed, presumably to avert attention and suspicious of itself. Presumably, each cell acts as a module for transformation and as a neuron for data processing and memory, as the creature can develop parts of anatomy from any creature previously assimilated, for example a large tooth-filled maw or eyes on stalks. The creature cannot generate mass from nothing, so can only become forms allowed by the amount of material absorbed. The 'Kennel Thing', an individual produced as a dog imitation absorbed the other sled dogs, was able to project green goo at its target. This may also carry the creature's cells.

It is not known whether the Thing is a technological species, or whether the ship that it first reached Earth in was its own. It could be that the reason it crashed was because the original pilot was killed, and the creature was unable to manage the controls. However, the assimilated Blair was able to create a smaller version of the saucer, and recognised the threat posed by a detonator.

When the Thing is left alone with a suitable target, it will begin to split open and fire out tendrils, which grab the target and begin to assimilate it. This also allows the Thing to absorb the prey's genetic material, though this is not the only factor at play, as an individual was able to develop the same facial hair as the target, along with memories and habits, even disorders of the assimilated, including Norris' weak heart.

History
The only known survivors of encounters were by Captain Blake of the United States Military and helicopter pilot R.J. MacReady in Antarctica. In the winter of 1982, an American Antarctic research station detected gunfire and explosions. Through the use of an incendiary grenade, the helicopter was destroyed and its pilot killed shortly after landing. The surviving passenger fires at the assembled onlookers and a loose Alaskan Malamute with a rifle, grazing Bennings, one of the American researchers. The passenger is subsequently shot and killed by Garry, the station commander. Not knowing what to make of the incident thanks to not being able to understand the Norwegian when he attempted to warn the Americans of the situation, the station crew adopts the dog.

Unable to contact the outside world via radio, helicopter pilot R.J. MacReady and Dr. Copper risk a flight to the Norwegian camp to find it destroyed, its personnel missing or dead. Finding evidence that the Norwegians had dug something out of the ice, the pair return to the station with the partially-burned remains of a hideous creature which bears some human features. An autopsy of the cadaver by Dr. Blair is inconclusive, save to find that the creature had what appeared to be a normal set of internal organs. At Bennings' request, the station's wrangler, Clark, kennels the stray with the rest of the station's sled dogs. Noises from the kennel cause Clark to return, finding almost the entire sled team in the process of being messily assimilated by the stray 'dog', which has transformed into a monster. MacReady summons the rest of the crew to the kennel with the fire alarm. It was reported that MacReady fired several shotgun shells into the creature to no avail. He then ordered Childs to incinerate the creature with a flamethrower.

A subsequent autopsy by Blair reveals that the 'stray dog' was an alien organism capable of absorbing and perfectly imitating other life-forms. Realizing that any of the researchers could have been assimilated, Blair quickly becomes withdrawn and suspicious of the rest of the crew. A second helicopter expedition discovers an alien spacecraft unearthed by the Norwegian research team, revealing that the creature had awakened after being buried within the ice for many thousands of years- a flying saucer-like ship is buried under a hundred thousand years' worth of ice, where it crashed. Bennings and "Windows" quarantine the burnt remains of both the dog-creature and the Norwegian cadaver in the storage room, but in the process Bennings is left alone. Moments later, Windows discovers Bennings in the process of being assimilated. The crew burns the Bennings replica before its transformation is complete.

Determining that all life on Earth would be assimilated in just over three years if the creature were to reach another continent, Blair goes berserk, destroying the helicopter and radio equipment and killing the remaining sled dogs, thus containing further contamination. The team overpowers him and confines him in the tool shed. With all contact to the outside world cut off, the crew wonders how to determine who is still human. Paranoia quickly sets in after the first attempt to develop a test, comparing the blood of the researchers to uncontaminated blood samples stored in a refrigerator. However, when the crew goes to the refrigerator, they find the blood samples have been destroyed by an unknown saboteur.

Fuchs, attempting to continue Blair's research, goes missing shortly afterwards during a power failure. While searching for Fuchs' body, MacReady comes under suspicion and is locked outside in a severe blizzard. Somehow finding his way back to camp without a guide line, MacReady breaks into a storage room and threatens the rest of the crew with dynamite. In the course of the standoff, Norris suffers a 'heart attack'. When Dr. Copper attempts to revive him by defibrillation, Norris' body transforms and kills Copper. Norris' head detaches from his body, sprouts legs and attempts to escape as the others burn the body; however it is quickly noticed by one of the apparent-surviving humans who points it out, leading to its quick destruction. This self-serving act of the head leads MacReady to theorize that every piece of the alien is an individual animal - or in more correct terms, fauna - with its own survival instinct.

In an interval that precedes a test proposed by MacReady, Clark tries to stab MacReady with a scalpel, who shoots and kills him in self-defense. The rest of the crew complies with the test; blood samples are drawn from each member of the team and jabbed with a hot wire to see whose blood will react defensively. Palmer, the backup pilot, is soon unmasked as an imitation, and manages to kill Windows before being set alight and blown up with dynamite by MacReady. MacReady then torches Windows' body with a flamethrower as it begins to transform. Confirming that MacReady, Childs, Garry, and Nauls are still human, the surviving crew set out to administer the test to Blair, only to find that he has escaped. After they discover that Blair had been constructing a small flying craft of alien design underneath the tool shed and witness Childs inexplicably abandoning his post at the main gate, the facility loses power. Realizing that the creature now wants to freeze again so a future rescue team will find it, the remaining crew acknowledge that they will not survive and set about destroying the facility with dynamite and Molotov cocktails in hopes of killing the creature.

While setting explosives in the underground generator room, Garry is killed by the infected Blair. Nauls follows the sounds of the creature and is not seen again until the after the experience. Alone, MacReady prepares to detonate the charges when the creature, larger then ever, emerges from beneath the floor. It destroys the detonator, grabbing it with massive tentacles. MacReady kills it with a stick of dynamite, which sets off the rest of the charges and destroys the entire facility.

After some time, MacReady is shown wandering alone in the flaming rubble. He encounters Childs, who claims to have seen Blair and gotten lost while chasing him in the snow. With the polar climate closing in around them, they acknowledge the futility of their distrust, sharing a drink as the camp burns.

Video Game
The Thing (Video Game) is set after the film's ending, when two United States military rescue teams, Alpha and Bravo, are dispatched to investigate the loss of contact with U.S. Outpost 31. Alpha Team, headed by the unit's second-in-command, Captain Pierce, is dropped at the nearby Norwegian Outpost. Bravo Team, led by the unit's Commanding Officer, Captain Blake, is then dropped at the American research station.

The player assumes the role of Captain Blake, and must learn how to coordinate and command his Bravo Team colleagues while investigating the ruins of Outpost 31 and locating clues and messages detailing the incident for players who are unfamiliar with the film. The mission supervisor, Colonel Whitely, will offer sporadic assistance and relay objectives via radio. This section serves as an in-game tutorial and training level and offers some insight into the events which transpired following the end of the movie. Upon securing the facility, Blake is airlifted to the Norwegian research station to locate and reinforce Alpha Team after Whitely informs him that they have lost contact with the team. During the player's investigation of the ruins of the Outpost, they will find the UFO from the film. They will also find the body of Childs, one of the survivors from the movie.

The character Blake ultimately uncovers a government conspiracy, and after fighting his way through numerous black ops and creatures, fights the transformed Colonel Whitely. The player has the assistance of a helicopter pilot, revealed to be R.J. MacReady.

Trivia

 * It has been stated that not even the director himself knows precisely when each character was assimilated by The Thing.

Appearances

 * Who Goes There?
 * The Thing from Another World
 * The Thing (1982)
 * The Thing (2002)
 * The Thing (2011)