John Carpenter’s The Thing has two notable continuations beyond the movies: Dark Horse’s The Thing from Another World comics and a 2002 video game. Neither is a later film. The comics pick up MacReady’s story, while the game offers an interactive, sequel-like extension of the 1982 film. “Excellent” is a matter of taste, and the game’s sequel status is best understood as a scholarly description rather than a current official canon ruling.
What are the two continuations of Carpenter’s The Thing?
They are a comic-book continuation and a video game: Dark Horse’s The Thing from Another World stories, and the 2002 The Thing game. Both follow the 1982 film in some form, but they do so in different media and should not be mistaken for two theatrical sequels.
| Continuation | What it offers | How its connection is described |
|---|---|---|
| Dark Horse comics | Serialized stories that continue MacReady’s story, including events on Stewart Island. | Dark Horse’s issue synopsis and a scholarly overview frame the comics as continuations of the film story. |
| The Thing video game (2002) | An interactive narrative with a third-person perspective and cut scenes. | A 2011 Bowling Green State University dissertation describes it as a sequel-like extension of Carpenter’s film, not as an official canon ruling. |
Why the 1951 and 2011 movies are not those sequels
The title can be confusing because the franchise has multiple films. Carpenter directed the 1982 The Thing, a 1-hour-49-minute, R-rated horror and science-fiction film about an Antarctic research team confronting a shape-changing alien. Universal lists the film in 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD editions (Universal Pictures At Home: The Thing (1982)).
The 2011 The Thing is a prequel, not a post-film sequel: Universal calls it a “chilling prelude” to Carpenter’s movie and describes paleontologist Kate Lloyd’s Antarctic expedition. The studio lists the film as a 2011 release directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. (Universal Pictures At Home: The Thing (2011)).
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The Thing from Another World is earlier still. Universal’s three-film collection groups the 1951 film with the 1982 and 2011 movies; the 1951 film predates Carpenter’s version and is not its sequel. The collection is listed on Blu-ray and DVD (Universal Pictures At Home: The Thing 3-Movie Collection).
The Dark Horse comics continue MacReady’s story
Dark Horse’s The Thing from Another World comics offer a direct way to follow the story beyond the 1982 film. A 2011 Bowling Green State University dissertation identifies three continuation miniseries: The Thing from Another World (1991–92), Climate of Fear (1992), and Eternal Vows (1993–94). That is a scholarly account of the comics’ relationship to the film, not confirmation of a definitive studio canon.
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A concrete entry point: Eternal Vows #2
Dark Horse’s catalog lists The Thing from Another World: Eternal Vows #2 (of 4), written by David de Vries, with a publication date of January 1, 1994. Its synopsis follows Sgt. Rowan seeking answers from MacReady as deaths on Stewart Island and aboard the American ship Gettysburg widen the threat (Dark Horse Comics: Eternal Vows #2).
The setup makes the comics appealing to readers who want more of MacReady and the aftermath of the film’s isolated Antarctic horror. The catalog confirms this issue, but does not establish whether a collected edition is currently available.
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The 2002 game turns the premise into interactive horror
The second continuation is the 2002 The Thing video game, released by Black Label Games under license from Universal Interactive, according to the Bowling Green State University dissertation. The study calls it a “sequel” that extends Carpenter’s film through interactive narrative, while also noting that it draws on both John W. Campbell’s story and Carpenter’s film. Because this is an academic interpretation rather than a current studio canon designation, “interactive sequel” or “sequel-like continuation” is the more careful description.
Unlike the comics, the game makes the player part of the story. The dissertation describes a third-person perspective and cut scenes; those features provide a different route into the Thing’s world than reading a serialized story. Current platform availability and physical stock are not established by that historical account.
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For a straightforward sequence, watch Carpenter’s 1982 film first, then choose the comics for a continuation centered on MacReady or the game for an interactive extension. The 2011 film belongs before the 1982 story in the fictional chronology, while the 1951 film is an earlier adaptation rather than a sequel.
A new direct film sequel was not confirmed in the latest report covered here. On November 13, 2025, SYFY WIRE reported Carpenter’s brief October remark, “We’re working on it now,” but cautioned that it was not certain a sequel was moving forward (SYFY WIRE, November 13, 2025). A separate SYFY WIRE interview reported that 2011 director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. had once discussed an unrealized follow-up in which Kate Lloyd reaches an oil platform near the South Pole; he described the idea by saying, “We fantasized about a sequel” (SYFY WIRE interview).
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