Fantastic Four

The Fantastic Four is a superhero team that appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They first appeared in The Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961. The team was created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, who used a special way of making stories called the "Marvel method."

The four main members of the Fantastic Four got special powers after flying into space. There is Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards, who can stretch his body into amazing shapes. Then there is the Invisible Woman, Sue Storm, who can turn herself or others invisible and create strong invisible barriers. The Human Torch, Johnny Storm, can make fire and fly. Finally, there is the Thing, Ben Grimm, who has very strong, rocky skin.

Even though they have super powers, the Fantastic Four act like a real family, sometimes arguing but always caring for each other. They are famous for their many friends and enemies, including Doctor Doom, their biggest enemy. The team has also been shown in many movies, video games, and animated shows.

Publication history

Origins

Publisher Martin Goodman asked his editor, Stan Lee, to make a superhero team comic, like the popular Justice League of America. Lee wanted characters who could make mistakes.

Lee and artist Jack Kirby made the team together. Lee wrote the stories and Kirby drew them. They used a special way called the "Marvel Method," which became common at Marvel.

1960s and 1970s

The Fantastic Four became very popular when they started in 1961. The team included Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm. Early stories had bad guys like Doctor Doom and Namor the Sub-Mariner. The series also introduced important things like the Inhumans and the Negative Zone.

Kirby left Marvel in 1970, and other writers and artists took over. The series kept telling new stories.

1980s

Writer John Byrne helped refresh the series in the 1980s. He changed some characters, like making Sue Storm stronger. The team faced many challenges, and the stories went in new directions.

1990s

Writer Walt Simonson joined in the late 1980s and changed the story style. Later, Tom DeFalco and artist Paul Ryan kept the series going, adding new twists and characters. The series stopped in 1996 but returned with new stories soon after.

2000s

The series had many writers and artists in the 2000s, like Mark Waid, J. Michael Straczynski, and Mark Millar. Big events like "Civil War" and "Secret Invasion" changed the team. The Human Torch seemed to die in 2011 but was later found alive.

2010s

The series started again in 2011 with the team calling themselves the Future Foundation. The original team came back in 2012, and the stories kept exploring space and adventures. The series ended in 2015 but returned in 2018 with writer Dan Slott.

2020s

In 2022, a new version of the Fantastic Four began, written by Ryan North and drawn by Iban Coello. The team keeps facing new challenges and adventures.

Spin-offs

The Fantastic Four inspired many other comic book stories. Some of these include Giant-Size Fantastic Four from the 1970s and Fantastic Four Unlimited and Fantastic Four Unplugged from the 1990s. There was also a story called Fantastic Force about a young adult named Franklin Richards from a different timeline. In 2001, a special series called Fantastic Four: The World's Greatest Comics Magazine honored the creators, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

In 1996, Marvel made Fantastic Four 2099, imagining the team in a future world. In 2004, Ultimate Fantastic Four showed the team as young adults. Starting in 2011, a series called FF focused on younger characters, including Franklin and Valeria Richards.

Solo series

The Human Torch solo

The Human Torch, a member of the Fantastic Four, got his own stories in Strange Tales starting in 1962. These stories showed Johnny living with his sister Susan in Glenview, Long Island, New York, where he tried to keep his superhero identity a secret while in high school. His friend Doris Evans often appeared. Later, the Human Torch had his own series and teamed up with Spider-Man.

The Thing solo

The Thing, another Fantastic Four member, had his own stories teaming up with other heroes in Marvel Two-in-One. This series had many adventures in different times and worlds. The Thing later got his own solo series.

Invisible Woman solo

In 2019, Marvel published a five-issue series focused only on the Invisible Woman, written by Mark Waid. Artist Adam Hughes made the covers for all five issues. This was the first time she had her own solo stories.

Characters

The Fantastic Four were four regular people who became astronauts. During their space flight, they were hit by special rays that gave them amazing powers. Ben Grimm, the pilot, and the crew—Susan Storm and her brother Johnny Storm—survived a crash landing and found they could do incredible things.

The team includes Mister Fantastic, who can stretch his body; Invisible Woman, who can turn herself and others invisible; Human Torch, who controls fire and can fly; and The Thing, who turned into a rocky, strong creature. Even though they often argue, they work together to protect people. They have had many bases, with the most famous being the Baxter Building in New York City.

Supporting characters

The Fantastic Four have many friends who help them but are not part of the team. Some friends include Namor the Sub-Mariner, who was once an enemy, Alicia Masters, Lyja the Lazerfist, the robot H.E.R.B.I.E., and Kristoff Vernard, who was once trained by the villain Doctor Doom. Others are Wyatt Wingfoot, the parents of Sue and Johnny, Franklin Storm, the android receptionist Roberta, the governess Agatha Harkness, and Reed and Sue's children, Franklin Richards and Valeria Richards.

Some friends have joined the team for a short time, like Crystal, Medusa, Power Man (also known as Luke Cage), Nova (Frankie Raye), She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel (Sharon Ventura), Ant-Man (Scott Lang), Namorita, Storm, and the Black Panther. There are also other characters who work with the Fantastic Four, such as Alyssa Moy, members of the Inhumans, and the Silver Surfer.

Main article: List of Fantastic Four enemies

The Fantastic Four face many difficult enemies. Some of their oldest foes are the Mole Man, the shape-shifting Skrulls, Namor the Sub-Mariner, the planet-eater Galactus, the clever villain Doctor Doom, and the tricky Puppet Master. Other notable enemies include Kang the Conqueror, Blastaar, the Frightful Four, and many more creative villains who try to cause trouble.

Cultural impact and legacy

The Fantastic Four became very important in comic book history. Many writers and critics think they are one of the best superhero teams ever. They are famous for being stylish, strong, and very popular.

The Fantastic Four were different from other superheroes because they did not hide who they were. People felt both suspicious and amazed by them. The team members often argued, which sometimes made it hard for them to work together. But in the end, they always worked as a team. Their first comic book was a big hit and changed superhero comics forever. Many readers liked the characters, especially their realistic feelings and disagreements.

In other media

There have been four The Fantastic Four animated shows and four movies. The Fantastic Four also appeared in the "Secret Wars" story of the 1990s Spider-Man animated series, and the Thing appeared in the "Fantastic Fortitude" episode of the 1996 The Incredible Hulk series. They were also in the 2010 series The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

There was a short radio show in 1975 that told early stories, with a very famous actor, Bill Murray, as the Human Torch before he became famous on Saturday Night Live. The Fantastic Four also had audio stories and plays.

Television

The Fantastic Four have had four animated TV shows. The first, made by Hanna-Barbera, aired from 1967 to 1968. A second show came in 1978. In 1994, a new series had 26 episodes. The fourth series, Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes, began in 2006.

Film

The first movie was made in 1994 but was never shown to the public. A second movie came out in 2005, and a sequel in 2007, with the same main actors. A new version in 2015 did not get good reviews. In 2025, a new movie called The Fantastic Four: First Steps was released, with a new cast. The characters will also be in a future movie titled Avengers: Doomsday.

Video games

The Fantastic Four have been in several video games, such as Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Lego Marvel Super Heroes. They also have games tied to the 2005 movie and its sequel.