15 Years Ago Today, Marvel’s Best Superhero Team Was Disbanded in a Surprising Way

The Fantastic Four is the most iconic family of heroes in part because its members are a closely bonded group who go on incredible adventures throughout time and space. However, during one perilous mission into the Negative Zone, not everyone made it back. The storyline “Three” ends with the Human Torch, aka Johnny Storm, valiantly sacrificing his life to ensure that the evil Annihilus and his monstrous horde do not invade the positive universe. Following this traumatic event, on February 23rd, 2011, Marvel Comics released Fantastic Four #588, titled “Three Epilogue: Month of Mourning.” Grieving the loss of their brother, uncle, and friend, the remaining members of the Fantastic Four disband, and their grief is portrayed in one of the most nuanced ways ever depicted in comics.

“Three” is one of the greatest stories in Fantastic Four history because of how it depicts the grief that causes the breakup of Marvel’s First Family. Johnny’s death led to the disbanding of the Fantastic Four and the subsequent formation of the Future Foundation, an alliance of many of Marvel’s youngest and brightest heroes. While death is usually treated as meaningless in comics, Johnny’s demise as he made his last stand against Annihilus, while the rest of the Fantastic Four escaped through a portal, was nothing short of heartbreaking. What makes “Three Epilogue: Month of Mourning” stand out is not only how different members of the Fantastic Four grieved, but it is all done with no dialogue until the last page.

Johnny’s Death Destroyed the Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four #588 is a tragic exploration of grief that shows how different members of Marvel’s First Family respond to the loss of their most lighthearted and adventurous member. This story also shows the importance of Johnny and why the Fantastic Four couldn’t stay together without him.

Spanning a month, each member of the Fantastic Four grieves in their own way, which feels realistic and heartbreaking. When Susan learns that her brother is gone, she closes herself off by encasing herself in a force field so Reed can’t touch or comfort her. Reed works in his lab, trying to figure out how to solve all future potential threats to ensure that he doesn’t lose anyone else. He even considers using the Ultimate Nullifier to kill Annihilus, but he ultimately can’t bring himself to do it. Later, Valeria plots to kill her uncle’s murderer. Additionally, Franklin silently grieves alone, with only Spider-Man arriving to comfort him. All of them express realistic forms of grief, ranging from anger to isolation.

Arguably, the Fantastic Four member who suffers the most from Johnny’s death is Ben Grimm, aka the Thing. During the battle against Annihilus and his forces, Ben tried to sacrifice himself to let everyone else escape, but Johnny pushed him through the portal to take his place. Ben and Johnny may get on each other’s nerves, but at the end of the day, they’re like brothers. All of this leads to the Thing having survivor’s guilt. When Thor and the Hulk try to talk to Ben, he lashes out at them. However, the Hulk lets Ben unleash all his pent-up rage and sorrow until the rocky hero breaks down in tears. It’s a heart-breaking moment that shows the Fantastic Four’s strongest member at his most emotionally vulnerable.

This comic shows what made Johnny so special and why his death naturally leads to the Fantastic Four falling apart. While Johnny can be very hot-headed and childish, he’s still at his core a good man who will do anything for his family. He brought an unwavering sense of positivity and excitement to the team, reinforcing the Fantastic Four’s oftentimes lighthearted dynamic. Johnny also had a close bond with his niece and nephew, acting as their fun-loving uncle. And as his death shows, he had an unwavering sense of protective loyalty to his family. The Fantastic Four lost their shining beacon of optimism, who made every room brighter just by walking in, both figuratively and literally. Without Johnny, there’s nothing left but dark emptiness.

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The Importance of the Fantastic Four’s Unspoken Pain

On top of a story that perfectly conveys the pain of losing a loved one, the most striking aspect of “Three Epilogue: Month of Mourning” is that until the final page, there’s not a single line of dialogue from any of the characters. This feature isn’t just a gimmick; it’s a brilliant way to showcase the insurmountable pain tearing this family apart.

The grief over losing a loving family member is a feeling that no words can truly convey, and that’s the sad reality that this story conveys. Without dialogue to distract, the reader is forced to look with undivided attention as these beloved characters express their pain through their expressions, body language, and actions. Even worse, the characters’ pained words and internal monologues are left up to the readers’ imagination, which is far more effective than anything that could be written. Every panel is a silent cry for help as the Fantastic Four try and fail to pick up the pieces of their life. No words can alleviate their pain. They can’t even rely on each other because their pain is so overwhelming that it makes them feel isolated.

Yet with all this silent reflection that encapsulates the finality of death and the tragedy of the Fantastic Four’s break up, the last page paves the way for future stories. While sitting alone in his lab in sorrow, Reed suddenly finds himself visited by his father, the time-traveler Nathaniel Richards. While Reed is completely flabbergasted by his father’s arrival, Nathanial greets his son and says that he’s home. Encouraged by Nathanial’s brilliance and knowledge of the future events, Reed is motivated to create the Future Foundation, which will work to create a better future for humanity. Johnny may have died, but a new chapter of Marvel’s First Family was beginning, and the reappearance of dialogue showed that the future was bright.

Even though Johnny would eventually return and the Fantastic Four reassemble, Fantastic Four #588 still does a masterful job portraying how the loss of a loved one can trigger nearly incomprehensible emotions. Few Marvel Comics have managed to replicate the raw pain this one issue conveys and does so without relying on dialogue. The loss of Johnny took the Fantastic Four story in a bold new direction with the introduction of the Future Foundation. With its thought-provoking, tear-jerking depiction of familial loss and the tease of future adventures, Fantastic Four #588 is a masterpiece of visual storytelling and one of the team’s most important tales.

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