I'm going to be a nerd about this. Del Toro did direct the first Hellboy (which I personally enjoyed, but I'm not going to make that law).

Also, to assuage fears regarding The Hobbit (to be fair, I should cop to nearly hating Jackson's adaptations), Del Toro has also directed much more subtle films than Hellboy—which he seems to have taken as an opportunity to be pulpy as all get out—such as his early feature Cronos (also featuring Perlman, one of my favorite under-recognized actors), and The Devil's Backbone. He handled both with heart, a firm sense of folklore, and minimal special effects.

Regarding the Thing, sure Stan Lee created the archetype (along with the legendary Jack Kirby), but replication and emulation is bound to happen with any common trope—though if I see one more Max Fischer, I may also reach for the leftover cabbage in my crisper drawer. I don't really mind that Hellboy the character is written to fit a type, especially considering how much better Perlman plays it than Chiklis or Jackman (since we are dealing with film, here). He plays the monster/average joe dichotomy with such hammy glee that it won me over.