7 Greatest Fantastic Four Writers Who Proved They Were Marvel’s Best Super Team

The Fantastic Four debuted in 1961 as Marvel Comics’ first original superhero comic book series. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the series followed four adventurers who traveled in a rocket ship into space and returned in a cosmic storm that bestowed each of them with superpowers. Since that time, they have become one of Marvel’s most popular superhero teams, and some of the top writers in comic book history have taken turns creating their amazing stories. Among the writers who led readers through the lives of Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Susan Storm Richards, and Johnny Storm are the best of the best, although not every writer knew what made the First Family of Marvel so special.

From the two men who created the first Marvel Comics superheroes to creators who took them across dimensions and back, here are the best creators to ever work on Fantastic Four comic books.

7) Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo

Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo did something very different when they joined as the creative team for The Fantastic Four. This was in the early 2000s, and the two chose to focus more on the family than on the team’s superhero antics. This didn’t mean they ignored the heroics of the team, as there was as much sci-fi action as the book’s fans could handle. However, at the core of the stories in this run was drama and a sense of why these four people remain so close, even years after they first got their powers. Part of this was finally aging up Franklin Richards and bringing in Valeria, making the next generation of the family as important as their parents and uncles. The story of Valeria’s connection to Doctor Doom also added a layer of drama that was intensely enjoyable. Possibly the best part of this team’s run was from “Unthinkable” to “Hereafter,” the latter of which saw the team go to Heaven to resurrect Ben Grimm.

6) Matt Fraction

Matt Fraction’s work on Fantastic Four saw him do some interesting things. First up, on the main title, he had a nice run in 2012 that saw the family take a year-long vacation, which was supposed to see them leave and instantly return thanks to time travel. However, they got stuck, and it turned out that Reed Richards had ulterior motives he had hidden from his family (they were dying, but didn’t know it, and he needed to find a way to save them). While that was a great story, Fraction also did double duty and wrote a second book titled FF (Future Foundation), in which the team’s replacements on Earth were forced to defend the planet while the main team was away. With Ant-Man as the leader, and She-Hulk, Medusa, and She-Thing as the members, along with the kids from the Future Foundation, Fraction had a family drama in one title and a lot of fun escapades in the other.

5) Dan Slott

Dan Slott has been one of Marvel Comics’ most consistent writers over the last decade, and his work on Spider-Man was the best for that hero in years. While he got off to a tough start with the polarizing “Brand New Day” Marvel retcon storyline, he soon settled into a nice run on the title. However, his best work might be that on Fantastic Four, which kicked off when Marvel brought the family back after banishing them in what was reported to be a vindictive move concerning Fox and the film rights. When Marvel finally brought them back, Slott took over the title and did so many great things, from the marriage of Ben Grimm and Alicia Masters to the Forever Gate and several dimensional adventures that are always highlights for the Fantastic Four.

4) Jack Kirby and Stan Lee

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the Fantastic Four, as well as several other important Marvel Comics characters, including their archnemesis Doctor Doom. Kirby is widely considered one of the most influential artists to have ever worked in the comic book industry, and his art remains the template by which all other artists’ work is judged. They are the men who created what these four characters are really like, and while some of the writing is extremely dated (especially Sue Storm’s character), it remains brilliantly plotted and very entertaining. These two men were responsible for everything from “The Coming of Galactus” to the introduction of the Inhumans and the brilliant story, “This Man, This Monster!”

3) John Byrne

John Byrne is one of the greatest comic book creators of the 1980s, and his stories are full of colorful and fantastical tales that stand the test of time. While his best work might be on Superman in his Man of Steel reinvention after Crisis on Infinite Earths, Byrne also plotted some of the Fantastic Four’s best stories over his career. He was the writer and artist for the series and is the one who renamed Invisible Girl to Invisible Woman, while also offering great tales that display why the Fantastic Four are as much explorers as they are superheroes on Earth. Few had a better run on the title than John Byrne.

2) Ryan North

Ryan North started writing Fantastic Four in 2022 with Vol. 7 of the series. He was off to the races when it began, with his first issue opening with a mystery: something terrible had happened, the Fantastic Four were to blame, and they were all split up and keeping a low profile after the fallout. After the mystery was revealed, the team finally reunited, and North hasn’t slowed down since. His stories are full of heart, and like the best Fantastic Four writers, he focuses as much on their family and relationships with each other as he does on their battles against aliens and villains. His work on Fantastic Four was so great that North also got the chance to write One World Under Doom, the 2025 Marvel crossover series.

1) Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting

Jonathan Hickman has been one of the most accomplished Marvel Comics writers for over a decade now. His intricate and interesting plotting helped make the Krakoan Era in X-Men comics one of the best storylines in Marvel with the creation of Powers of X and House of X. However, that was nowhere near Hickman’s first start at a wide-arching reinvention of a classic team. He also wrote the Ultimate Fantastic Four series, which saw him update the team for a new generation, and in the process, create one of Marvel’s most despicable villains in Reed Richards, who became The Maker.

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