Marvel Reveals Where the Fantastic Four Have Been

The Fantastic Four have been missing from the Marvel Universe for years. Now Marvel has revealed what exactly the Marvel's "First Family" have been up to.

SPOILERS for Fantastic Four #2 by Dan Slott, Sara Pichelli, and Marte Gracia follow.

The Fantastic Four came apart during the events of Secret Wars, Marvel's multiverse-destroying 2015 event series. While Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, their children, and the other members of the Future Foundation were believed to have died sacrificing themselves to save the universe, the Human Torch and the Thing survived.

Eight months after the near end of everything, Human Torch had joined the Avengers as a liaison between "Earth's mightiest heroes" and the Inhumans. The Thing had left Earth to explore the universe with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Later, he returned to Earth and became an agent of SHIELD. More recently, the two reunited to try to find out what really happened to Reed and Sue, but were unsuccessful.

Fantastic Four #2 reveals that the Richards family and Future Foundation students are doing just fine. In fact, they're on something of a vacation, a dimensional road trip as they repopulate the multiverse following its almost complete destruction. The process sees Franklin Richards construct a new universe, and Molecule Man uses his powers to turn that image into a reality.

The issue also reveals that vacation time is over. Just as Powerhouse runs out of juice, a being called the Griever at the End of all Things, a cosmic manifestation of entropy, breaks through the walls of one of these new realities and kills Molecule Man, guaranteeing the multiverse expansion is at an end.

The Richards family and the Future Foundation retreat as the Griever destroys several universes while giving chase. This continues until Valeria Richards, aka Brainstorm, forces her family to make a stand. Though they are many, the Future Foundation are still just children. They pose little threat to the cosmic might of the Griever. But Reed Richards is one of the smartest people alive. He goads the Griever into allowing him to invite the other members of his family into the battle.

That is where the giant "4" that appeared over Earth in the previous issue comes in. Ben and Johnny took it as a sign that Reed and Sue were alive. It is that, but much more. The symbol summons the Thing and Human Torch to Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman's side. But they're not the only ones. The summon also calls on every other Fantastic Four member ever.

What do you think of what the Fantastic Four have been up to? Let us know in the comments!

Fantastic Four #2 is on sale now.