Fantastic Four

Lore & Background

The Fantastic Four's first adventure depicts a team of four adventurers (three men and a woman) led by a scientist on a rocket flight into space, where they are exposed to cosmic rays that grant them superpowers. Issue #4 (May 1962) reintroduced Namor the Sub-Mariner, an aquatic antihero who was a star character of Marvel's earliest iteration, Timely Comics, during the late 1930s and 1940s. Issue #5 (July 1962) introduced the team's most frequent nemesis, Doctor Doom. Breaking convention with other comic archetypes, the members squabbled, held grudges both deep and petty, and eschewed anonymity or secret identities in favor of celebrity status.

Reader's Guide

The four regular members of the Fantastic Four are Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards), a scientific genius and the leader of the group, who can stretch his body into incredible lengths and shapes; the Invisible Woman (Susan "Sue" Storm-Richards; originally the Invisible Girl), Reed's girlfriend and later wife, who can render herself or others invisible and later became able to project powerful invisible force fields and blasts; the Human Torch (Johnny Storm), Sue's younger brother, who can generate flames, surround himself with them and fly; and the monstrous Thing (Ben Grimm), their grumpy but benevolent friend, a former college football star, Reed's college roommate and a skilled pilot, who possesses tremendous superhuman strength, durability and endurance due to his stone-like flesh.

Since their 1961 introduction, the Fantastic Four has been portrayed as a somewhat dysfunctional, yet loving, family. They are also well known for their roster of supporting characters, including allies H.E.R.B.I.E. and Alicia Masters; reformed adversaries the Silver Surfer and Namor; and villains such as Galactus, the Mole Man, Ronan the Accuser, Super-Skrull, Annihilus, and their archenemy, Doctor Doom.

Did You Know?

• Issue #4 (May 1962) reintroduced Namor the Sub-Mariner, a star character from Marvel's Golden Age of Comics.
• The slogan 'The World's Greatest Comic Magazine!' first appeared on issue #3 and was used consistently through the 1960s, appearing sporadically thereafter.