Marvel Sends the Fantastic Four Back in Time to Defeat Doctor Doom Once and for All

The next era of Fantastic Four comics finds Marvel’s First Family in a time-traveling adventure all because of Doctor Doom. Marvel is currently in the beginnings of its One World Under Doom event, which sees Doctor Doom proclaiming himself Emperor of the world. Of course, the Fantastic Four and Avengers don’t believe Doom is acting in the noblest of ways. Today’s release of One World Under Doom #2 is heavily focused on a confrontation between Doctor Doom and the Fantastic Four, and Marvel is taking the opportunity to announce a relaunch of its Fantastic Four series to coincide with the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Fantastic Four #1 launches in July from current FF writer Ryan North and artist Humberto Ramos. It takes place during One World Under Doom and sends Marvel’s First Family back to different eras in the past. Their only chance to get back home is to retrieve the Forever Stone, a piece of granite that is one of Earth’s longest-lasting rocks. It also has the distinction of being accessible in every time period, and a convenient MacGuffin for a time travel story.

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“But as much as this first story involves dinosaurs and time travel, it’s really about these four remarkable people and the depth of love they have for each other,” North told The Hollywood Reporter. “People often think of the FF in terms of family, and they’re not wrong, but I think there’s something really beautiful about friendship too, and we get to see that with these characters.  It’s high-concept science fiction with real emotion. What’s not to like?”

Humberto Ramos added, “I’ve been lucky to illustrate many of the most iconic superheroes in the universe, but this book felt different from the start. The weight of history and legacy of these characters lay upon your shoulders, no matter who you are or how you’ve worked in this industry.”

“This book comes in the middle of our One World Under Doom event, so you can be certain that he plays a role in those first few issues – and after that we’ve got science mysteries, monsters, and trips into space,” North teased. June’s Fantastic Four #33 concludes the current volume of the comic before it relaunches in July, which is also the same month The Fantastic Four: First Steps debuts in theaters.

The solicitation for Fantastic Four #33 features the team embarking on a journey to the Big Bang in order to undo what Doctor Doom has done to Ben Grimm. The cover shows the team wearing space suits, similar to the ones worn when they set off into space and gained their fantastic powers.

“FANTASTIC ZERO! It all comes down to this! Thirty-three issues of fantastic adventure culminate in a final stirring adventure, back to the beginning… of EVERYTHING,” the solicitation for Fantastic Four #33 reads. “When the solution to what Doom did to Ben can only be found in the past, the Fantastic Four must voyage back four hundred and thirty-six quadrillion seconds into the Big Bang! Of course, the tremendous energies there make it unsurvivable – unless H.E.R.B.I.E. is in control of the precise timing required. Action, adventure and big ideas collide in this monumental issue!”

What do you think about Marvel relaunching Fantastic Four in July? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!