History[]
Early Years[]
During the youngest years of his life Benjamin Jacob "Ben" Grimm (born August, 1977) found himself met with one tragedy after another. Born on Yancy Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York, he was the second child and son born to Daniel Grimm Sr. and his wife, Elsie Grimm. The former of which an alcoholic who could never hold down a steady job, who regularly physically abused Ben, his mother, and his elder brother Daniel Grimm Jr. To say nothing of the fact the family lived in poverty and struggled to survive each and every day. Though they made it most of the time thanks to the money Daniel Jr. earned. Even if they were illegal funds he obtained by being the leader of the local gang, known as the Yancy Street Gang. However Ben didn't care about this, or most fact, where his brother was concerned. Since he greatly respected and admired him. So it is why he became so embittered when his brother was killed in a battle between rival gangs when he was eight years old. Then to make matters worse Ben's aunt, Sophie Grimm, only died a few weeks after his brother, after a long and hard battle with cancer. Both events causing him to have a crisis of faith, since he was angry with God for letting both his brother and aunt die. This, along with several other facts, which included his worsening home environment after his brother and aunt died, caused Ben to take to the streets. Where within a few years he succeeded his brother as leader of the Yancy Street Gang.
However a few days after this occurred Ben was faced with yet another tragedy, which was the death of his parents. The both of them dying during a home invasion performed by a drug addict. Though Ben was out of the house at the time. Which is how he survived. But now without his parents he was placed in the care of his uncle Jacob and his aunt Alyce. A thing Ben did not like one bit. Leading to him to be hostile and argumentative with his aunt and uncle after he first began living with them. As well as suspicious of the love and kindness they showed him. Since he had never felt it before, save for his brother. However after a while Ben finally gave up his resistance and began returning his aunt and uncle's love and kindness. This led to him leaving the Yancy Street Gang, entering high school, and becoming a football star. Where he earned the nickname "Grimm Reaper". It was also football that allowed Ben to gain a full-ride scholarship to State University. Where during his first year he became best friends with his roommate, the young genius Reed Richards. Who sometimes helped him with his homework, since Ben had gone to school for an engineering degree. Which he successfully earned. Then upon graduation from college he decided to join up with the military and thus enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he became a highly skilled and highly accomplished pilot. He also went through a bit of astronaut training before he was called to the government-funded think-tank the Baxter Building by request of Reed. To help him and his colleagues in regards to making the teleportation device he had discussed with Ben in college a reality. A thing Grimm was more than happy to help his best friend with.