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DANIEL GRIMM JR.

Real Name: Daniel Jacob Grimm Junior

Identity/Class: Human, civilian

Occupation: Leader of the Yancy Street Gang

Group Membership: Yancy Street Gang

Affiliations: God, Fantastic Four (Human Torch/Johnny Storm, Invisible Woman/Susan Richards, Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards, Thing/Ben Grimm), Hiram Sheckerberg (Yancy Street pawnshop owner)

Enemies: Thompson Avenue Gang

Known Relatives: Daniel Grimm Sr. (father, deceased), Elsi Grimm (mother, deceased), Benjamin J. Grimm (brother), Jacob Grimm (uncle), Alyce Grimm (aunt, deceased), Petunia "Penny" Grimm (aunt), Sophie Grimm (aunt, deceased), Benjamin Grimm Sr. (grandfather), Mary Grimm (grandmother)

Aliases: Dan, Danny (nicknames given by the Thing), the original Yancy Streeter (nickname given by the Yancy Street Gang)

Base of Operations: Heaven;
formerly 7135 Yancy Street, New York City

First Appearance: The Thing I#1 (July, 1983)

Powers/Abilities: Daniel Grimm possessed no superhuman powers, but he was a tough, street-smart teenager who knew how to handle himself in a fight. In Heaven, he seemingly possessed the power to create personalized alternate realities in which people alternately experienced the best or the worst moments of their lives.

Height: 5'8" (by approximation)
Weight: 140 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown

History:
(Thing I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Daniel Jacob Grimm Jr. was born the elder son of Daniel and Elsi Grimm. At a young age, he realized that his alcoholic father was unable to properly support the family. Feeling responsible for his mother and his baby brother Ben, Daniel joined the Yancy Street Gang, eventually rising up through the ranks to become its leader.

(Fantastic Four I#355 (fb) ) - Unbeknownst to Daniel, his younger brother Ben once watched him make out with a girl in the hallway outside their apartment.

   On several occasions, their parents let Dan babysit his brother when they went out. He used these times to have the Yancy Street Gang over to discuss their plans and strategies.

(Fantastic Four III#56 (fb) ) - When Ben was caught throwing rocks through the windows of Sheckerberg Pawn Shop, the owner caught the boy and planned to take him to his mother. Daniel intervened, offering Sheckerberg money out of his own pocket to keep his younger brother out of trouble. Sheckerberg flat out refused to take what he called "hoodlum money", angering Daniel who was ready to hit the old man. Ben managed to diffuse the situation by offering to work in Sheckerberg's shop on the weekends to pay off the damage he'd caused.

(Fantastic Four III#56 - BTS) - Daniel got into a fight with a member from an unrevealed rival gang. Despite being banged up, he won the scrap and limped home.

(Fantastic Four III#56) - Ben spotted his injured brother coming down the street and supported him as they made their way home. Daniel told the idealistic young boy about the harsh realities of street-life and how they would always have to fight to protect what they have from those who would want to take it away.

(Thing I#1 (fb) ) - Daniel got more and more money through unrevealed means, even giving his brother some extra cash which earned him Ben's ever-growing admiration even more. Daniel also started to bring money home for his mother to support the family --this earned him the further admiration of his brother Ben and the growing frustration of his father, who feared it might be stolen. The financial situation led to a series of heated arguments in which Daniel blamed his deadbeat dad that at least he was bringing in money.

(Thing II#5 (fb) ) - Daniel showed Ben what it meant to be a member of the Yancy Street Gang by having his little brother join in a turf war with a gang from a different neighborhood. This particular "rumble" left Ben with a slightly bloody nose and a minor gash on his face. Proud of the way his sibling handled himself, Daniel exclaimed that nobody messes with the Yancy Street Gang or the Brothers Grimm. He then went on to assure Ben that they had to fight to protect what was theirs, even if it just seemed to be a few lousy streets. If you leave enough blood on them, they become a part of yourself to be proud of.

(Thing I#1 (fb) - BTS) - The Yancy Street Gang planned to meet the Thompson Avenue Gang at midnight for a "rumble".

(Thing I#1 (fb) ) - The night of the rumble, Daniel and his father had another argument about money. Pretending to go to bed, he sneaked out around midnight, to join his gang for the fight. He wasn't aware his younger brother Ben had followed him.

   During the confrontation with the members of the Thompson Avenue Gang, Daniel was momentarily caught off guard and stabbed in the chest by a rival gang member. As he lay dying, his baby brother ran up to him and cradled his form until the life had drained from him completely. Ben then joined the fight in a warped sense of honor, until the police arrived to break up the conflict, taking the despondent, grieving Grimm into custody. (see comments)











(Fantastic Four: First Family#3 - BTS) - Upon his first visit back to Yancy Street after being transformed into the Thing, Ben Grimm was confronted by members of the Yancy Street Gang. The gang brought up their former leader, Ben's brother Daniel, before turning against Ben.

(Fantastic Four I#355) - Revisiting his old Yancy street apartment, the Thing was overcome by childhood memories. He recalled how he never told his parents about Daniel holding Yancy Street Gang meetings in the home, wondering what might have happened if he had informed them.

(Fantastic Four I#510 - BTS) - After dying, Daniel went to an aspect of the afterlife generally considered to be Heaven. Upon entering the realm, he let go of all his anger, frustration and negative emotions.

(Fantastic Four I#510) - When the Thing died during a conflict against Doctor Doom, it was Daniel who welcomed his baby brother (in his human form) when he appeared on the outskirts of Heaven. Daniel acted like Ben's guide as they approached the gates of Heaven. However, not ready to let Ben go, Mr. Fantastic had kept the Thing's body alive, which prevented Ben from entering the afterlife.

   After building his own version of the "Necrophone," Mr. Fantastic traveled with the Invisible Woman and the Human Torch to Ben's location in the hereafter, hoping to bring back their teammate. Daniel used his powers to subject them to incredibly lifelike illusions of their fondest wishes in an attempt to deter them. When that failed, Daniel was forced to relinquish ousting the FF to a higher force, who tried to wash them out with, among other things, a river of blood. When that failed, a plague of locust-sized angels were sent after them, until Ben Grimm finally decided to come to his old friends' rescue.

   After saving the FF, Ben introduced them to Daniel, who was immediately accused by Mr. Fantastic of trying to claim Ben before his time. Daniel then calmly revealed it was Reed's repeated resuscitation attempts that locked his best friend out of Heaven.

(Fantastic Four I#511) - Hearing Ben claim he was ready to die enraged the Human Torch, who lashed out and called him a quitter. Daniel, Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman tried to pull Johnny off Ben, but the FF's emotions started to disrupt the fabric of the afterlife.

   During the consternation, Ben realized he wanted to live after all, and this moment of enlightenment calmed both people and surroundings long enough for Daniel to make an offer: he had been empowered by "the man in charge" to allow them access to Heaven before their time, even offering to bring their children Franklin and Valeria along. Reed refused on behalf of the others, claiming they simply weren't ready yet to quit exploring.

   Impressed by the answer, Daniel opened the doors to Heaven so they could have a brief visit. Before the FF went in to meet God (who turned out to look a lot like Jack Kirby) the brothers Grimm hugged and were finally allowed to say goodbye to one another.

(Thing II#5 - BTS) - After the thrill of becoming an overnight billionaire wore off, Ben decided he wanted to use his money to facilitate positive changes in his old neighborhood. He hired architect Arlo North to design the Grimm Youth Center to be constructed on Yancy Street. When pawnshop owner Mr. Sheckerberg learned of the name, he figured it was little more than a cheap PR stunt and was left disgusted.

(Thing II#6 - BTS) - Deciding to dedicate the center to his brother Danny, architect Arlo North was approached by Ben to make a sculpture of his deceased brother.

(Thing II#6 - BTS) - Ben revealed the statue of his brother during the opening festivities of the Grimm Youth Center, pleasantly surprising the attending Mr. Sheckerberg, who had to admit he'd been wrong about Ben's intentions. When a rebellious member of the Yancy Street Gang wanted to vandalize the building, another member pointed out Daniel Grimm's dedication plaque. Seeing as the building was in honor of what they considered the original Yancy Streeter, the gang decided to make sure no one dared mess with the center. 

Comments: Created by John Byrne (writer), Ron Wilson (penciller), Joe Sinnott (inker).

The tragic story of Daniel, in all its predictability, sadly enough still manages to strike a cord. Inner-city gangs, violence, hopelessness...it's as relevant now as it was back in the early 1980s when John Byrne wrote Danny's story based on the street gangs of the 1920s and 30s on. Se plus se change... 

When it comes to the events after Daniel's death, there's a bit of a continuity error between Thing I#1 and Fantastic Four III#56. In the Thing's solo book, Ben was present when Daniel died and taken into custody by the police. However, the other story has Ben by his mother Elsi's side when a policeman tells her the news. Now, it could be that the police decided to take Ben when they went to inform his parents. While that would explain the apparent error somewhat, it still doesn't cover the fact Ben got slapped by his father when he came to collect him at the police station. Then again, Daniel Grimm Sr. drank, so that might explain his inconsistent behavior.

Profile by Norvo.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Daniel Grimm Jr. should not be confused with:

images: (without ads)
Fantastic Four I#511, p22, pan3 (main image)
Fantastic Four III#56, p6, pan4 (as children)
Thing I#1, p10, pan3 (gives Ben money)
Thing I#1, p13, pan2 (gets stabbed)
Fantastic Four I#355, p10, pan5 (Yancy Street gang)
Thing II#6, p18, pan1 (statue)

Appearances:
Thing I#1 (July, 1983) - John Byrne (writer), Ron Wilson (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Fantastic Four I#355 (August, 1991) - Danny Fingeroth (writer), Al Milgrom (pencils), Nella Morglim (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Fantastic Four I#510 (April, 2004) - Mark Waid (writer), Mike Wieringo (pencils), Karl Kesel (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Fantastic Four I#511 (May, 2004) - Mark Waid (writer), Mike Wieringo (pencils), Karl Kesel (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thing II#5 (May, 2006) - Dan Slott (writer), Andrea Devito (pencils & inks)
Thing II#6 (July, 2006) - Dan Slott (writer), Kieron Dwyer (pencils & inks)
Fantastic Four: First Family#3 (July, 2006) - Joe Casey (writer), Chris Weston (pencils), Gary Erskine (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)

First Posted: 11/30/2013
Last updated: 07/18/2023

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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