The Thing (1982): Origins, Biology & What Came After

What is the Thing, how does it copy living bodies, and what could survive after Outpost 31 burns? I follow the creature in story order: the buried spacecraft, the Norwegian discovery in The Thing (2011), John Carpenter's The Thing (1982), and the licensed Dark Horse comics that continue beyond the station. Along the way, I look at what Kate, Blair and MacReady actually discover, how the blood test works, and why handling the evidence can matter as much as the result. I compare the creature with real mimicry and parasites, consider what copying a person's memories would require, and return to John W. Campbell Jr.'s Who Goes There? (1938), where the idea began. The creature's origin remains unknown in the films. The comics supply their own continuations, with Questionable Research followed as a separate expedition. Their answers don't settle Carpenter's ending. Which would worry you more: an imitation that knows it has replaced someone, or one that still believes it is that person? Let me know in the comments, and subscribe for more science fiction and film analysis. CHAPTERS 00:00 The Organism 01:19 Before the Ice 05:47 The Discovery 12:03 Outpost 31 17:58 The Blood Test 23:43 After the Ice FILMS, STORY SOURCES AND ARTWORK The Thing (1982), directed by John Carpenter; screenplay by Bill Lancaster; creature effects by Rob Bottin and the effects team. https://www.universalpicturesathome.c... The Thing (2011), directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. https://www.universalpicturesathome.c... The Thing from Another World (1951), directed by Christian Nyby and produced by Howard Hawks, is discussed as a separate adaptation. https://catalog.afi.com/Film/50336-TH... Who Goes There? (1938), John W. Campbell Jr. Dark Horse comic stories: The Thing from Another World #1–2, Chuck Pfarrer and John Higgins. Climate of Fear #1–4, John Arcudi and Jim Somerville. Eternal Vows #1–4, David de Vries and Paul Gulacy. Questionable Research, Edward Martin III and Ted Naifeh, serialized in Dark Horse Comics #13–16. 1982 production storyboard: Outpost #31 archive. https://www.outpost31.com/storyboards Unused 2011 Pilot concepts: Paul Komoda and the ADI design team, via the Studio Gillis concept gallery. https://www.studiogillis.com/concept-... Paul Komoda artwork attribution: https://artistproofstudio.blogspot.co... SCIENCE REFERENCES Mimic octopus: Norman, Finn and Tregenza (2001), Dynamic mimicry in an Indo-Malayan octopus. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles... Fungal networks in manipulated ants: Fredericksen et al. (2017). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles... Synapses and acquired changes in the brain: MIT Picower Institute. https://news.mit.edu/2016/day-life-sy... Immune response: MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/... Cell energy and raw materials: Alberts et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NB... Antarctic science and station support: NSF / U.S. Antarctic Program. https://www.nsf.gov/focus-areas/arcti... https://www.usap.gov/jobsandopportuni... MUSIC Deep Space by Audionautix (Jason Shaw) https://audionautix.com/ Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Music looped and faded for this video. #thething #johncarpenter #scifi