With the movie Fantastic Four: First Steps, set in a retro-futuristic Earth with a 1960s aesthetic, it’s time to look at some of the more bizarre Fantastic Four variants from across the Multiverse. The Fantastic Four are one of the most iconic superhero teams in comic book history. In the primary universe of Earth-616, the team’s members are Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic; Susan Storm, aka Invisible Woman; Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch; and Ben Grimm, aka the Thing. However, across the infinite worlds in the Multiverse, the Fantastic Four take on many different shapes and sizes. Some versions of Marvel’s first family possess more fathomable superhero abilities, while others defy all sense of logic.
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From dinosaurs to amalgamations, these are some of the most outlandish versions of the Fantastic Four the Marvel Multiverse has explored.
7) Challengers of the Fantastic (Earth-9602)
When DC and Marvel did a crossover series called Amalgam Comics, characters from the two companies were merged to create all-new heroes and villains. In this new Amalgam Universe, the Fantastic Four merged with the DC Comics team of non-powered adventurers known as the Challengers of the Unknown. This new team, the Challengers of the Fantastic, was a group of four scientists who narrowly avoided a deadly accident in space. Unlike with the main Fantastic Four, the team didn’t gain powers from this event. They became heroes because they realized that they lived on borrowed time and wanted to make the world a better place with the second chance that they have been given. The members include Reed “Prof” Richards, Red Storm, Ace Storm, and Ben “Rocky” Grimm. They use gadgets to fight crime. Rocky was turned into the rock-like monster called the Four-Armed-Thing by the villain Galactiac.
6) Ultimate Federalist Freedom Fighters (Earth-717)
The comic series What If explores what would happen if minor changes were made to familiar characters’ stories. “What if the Fantastic Four were Cosmonauts” imagines a world where the Fantastic Four were Russian Cosmonauts during the Cold War. Not only was the team’s nationality different, but their membership and powers were also drastically altered. The team’s leader, Rudion Richards, can create small portals to project body parts over great distances. The other members are Natalia Romanova, aka the Widow Maker, who can fire energy blasts; Piotr Rasputin, aka Colossus, who can turn his skin into metal; and Illiana Rasputin, who can turn invisible. Named the Ultimate Federalist Freedom Fighters, the team worked for the Soviet Union until the death of Illiana during a mission. Her death motivated the team to overthrow their government and become the new leaders of the Soviet Union.
5) Differently Powered Fantastic Four (Earth-7712)
On Earth-7712, cosmic rays gave the Fantastic Four their abilities just like their Earth-616 counterparts. However, the rays gave them a completely different set of powers. Susan became the elastic-bodied heroine Ultra-Woman, Johnny became the metallic Mandroid, and Ben grew reptilian wings and became the hero Dragonfly. Reed, aka Big Brain, had the strangest transformation of them all, as he was reduced to a brain with telepathic and telekinetic powers. With these abilities, the group became the Fantastic Four and fought evil. When Doctor Doom tried to kill the Fantastic Four, Reed permanently transferred his mind into the villain’s body. Now with an actual body, Reed took on the name Mr. Fantastic and uses Doctor Doom’s body for good.
4) Dinosaur Fantastic Four (Earth-TRN1101)
Across the infinite universes in the Multiverse, there are some worlds where evolution took a different path from our own. On Earth-TRN1101, dinosaurs have not become extinct, and, in fact, the world is ruled by intelligent dinosaurs. In this universe, Mr. Fantastic is a T. Rex, Invisible Woman is a Triceratops, Dino Torch is a Raptor, and the Thing is a Pachycephalosaurus. The Fantastic Four of Earth-616 teamed up with their dinosaur counterparts to investigate a portal that connected the two universes. The source of the portal was Doctor Doom, who was working alongside his T. Rex counterpart to merge the universes. The villainous duo planned to rule the human/dino Earth together as joint dictators. However, their plan failed because they betrayed each other due to their equally massive egos. The portal was then closed, and the Fantastic Four saved their prehistoric Earth.
3) Fantastic Thors (Earth-15143)
What’s more powerful than one Thor? Four of them! Hailing from Earth-15143, this version of the Fantastic Four is unique because every single member has the power of Thor in addition to their original power sets. During the “Secret Wars” event, Doctor Doom created a new Earth called Battleworld stitched together from the fragments of different universes. Doctor Doom ruled this new universe as the God Emperor, and his primary enforcers were the Thor Corps. The Thor Corps was a collection of Thor variants from across the Multiverse, with the Fantastic Thors joining their ranks. Not much else is known about the Fantastic Thors. Still, they are easily one of the strongest variants of Marvel’s first family because of their godlike abilities.
2) Terrific Two (Warp World)
In the Infinity Warps mini-series, the alien hero Gamora got her hands on the Infinity Gauntlet. However, the immense power of the Infinity Stones caused Gamora to go crazy and combine different heroes and villains. Among the many fusions, Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman combined, while the Human Torch and the Thing merged. The Terrific Two were the result. The members of this heroic duo are the brothers Reed and Ben Storm. Reed, aka Mr. Invisible, can stretch his body to great lengths, create force fields, and turn invisible. Ben, aka Hot Rocks, is a rock-like monster with superhuman strength and the ability to engulf himself in flames. While there may only be two of them, they are still some of the Earth’s greatest defenders.
1) Marvel Bullpen Fantastic Four (Earth-1228)
Everyone dreams of becoming a superhero, apparently even Stan Lee and his cohorts. The creators at Marvel decided to write a story where they got to be the Fantastic Four. Chief editor Stan Lee was Mr. Fantastic, Flo Steinberg, Stan Lee’s personal secretary, was Invisible Girl, Marvel Comics’ vice-president Sol Brodsky was the Human Torch, and artist Jack Kirby was none other than the Thing. The Marvel creative team got their powers when a mysterious package was delivered to their doorstep. They were bathed in cosmic radiation when they opened the box. The Marvel bullpen became the Fantastic Four and fought villains like Namor and the Skrulls. This is easily one of the strangest worlds in the Marvel Multiverse. Nuff said!
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