The Fantastic Four, a superhero team in Marvel Comics is set to undergo changes within its title.
Tom Brevoort, Vice President Executive Editor of Marvel, and writer Jonathon Hickman, who has been on the title since May 2009, has confirmed that in the title’s latest story arc Three, that there will be a death of a major character, possibly one of the four that are on the team.
According to a conference call, Hickman said that the Three story arc and a character death is a midpoint in a large story arc that he has planned for the title.
“It wasn’t a shock value thing we were doing just to make a point,” Hickman said. “This all works to a purpose.”
Who are the Fantastic Four?
Fantastic Four started in July 1962 by writer and editor Stan Lee, and artist Jack Kirby. According to various interviews with Lee, the concept came from a response from DC Comic’s Justice League of America.
The team consists of Reed Richards (Mr.Fantastic), his wife Susan Richards (Invisible Woman), her brother Johnny Storm (Human Torch), and Ben Grimm (The Thing).
In the title’s first issue, the four hijacked a space ship and rode to space, where they were hit with cosmic radiation that gave them super powers.
Fantastic Four did many things that were different at the time of superhero comics, including having the four main characters have their secret identity’s exposed to the public and being branded traitors to the country. Lee and Kirby also had the characters interact as a family, which included moments of bickering between the characters
The family atmosphere between the four characters and several of the supporting characters and villains created by Lee and Kirby were not only popular with the fans, but were an influence in the fictional Marvel Universe.
Possibility of who is dying and who will be living
With the story arc of Three, readers will be wondering which of the main characters will be dying in the next few issues of the comic. In the Fantastic Four’s 583 issues, Reed has been supposedly killed off during the run of writer Walt Simonson (find numbers for this). He also the smartest man in the Marvel world.
Since Hickman’s first story arc was mainly about Reed, there is a possibility that he may get the axe.
An alternate reality of Susan has also been killed during the run of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch. This could be seen as a foreshadow to Susan’s own death, as well as seen as a red herring.
Grimm was actually killed during writer Mark Waid’s run on the title, but the team traveled to heaven to get him back. The possibility of his death may have least chance because he is also starring in New Avengers, written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Stuart Immomen.
Storm’s death seems the most likely as he has never actually died or come really close to death. Hickman said that the death and events in Three will have an everlasting impression on various Marvel books, ranging from the Amazing Spiderman to The Avengers.
Other possible deaths could include Doctor Doom, who is currently suffering from illness, and Franklin and Valeria, Reed and Susan’s children.
Change could be good for the team
The change to the title will most likely be met with criticism by fans and critics. The deaths of major characters result anywhere between fans voicing their anger on message boards, to readers sending in letters and threats to the writers, to giving up reading the entire brand of comics.
Back in 2006, after Captain America was killed in his book, fans voiced their opinion, with many saying they would never pick up a Marvel comic again.
According to Bevoort, there are fans who love the idea of the book’s current events and love Hickman’s long form story telling.
Although the death of characters may be a bad thing, it can also bring something new to the title. With the deaths of heroes like Captain America, Superman back in 1992, and most recently Batman, there was new interest to the titles and supporting characters.
In the case of Captain America and Batman, writers were able to place their former sidekicks to take the mantle of their fallen mentor and even keep it when original heroes were brought back.
There is also the common theme in comic books, that no one truly ever dies, with the exception of Uncle Ben.
Gaps and replacements in the team's roster
The death of one of the Fantastic Four’s characters could bring a new face onto the team. While the characters do have a family nature, there have been numerous super heroes who have joined the Fantastic Four to replace a member or two. These names have included Luke Cage, leader of the New Avengers and Thunderbolts, Black Panther, his wife Storm, who is also a member of the X-Men, and She Hulk.
During his run, Simonson set up a possible death to the entire team, and brought in Super-man, Ghost Rider, Wolverine, and the Hulk to replace them. Although this move was only temporary, this team of four have been featured in various What If stories, and stories taking place in the alternate universe.
The future of the title
While a death of a major character is promised, it also sounds like the book, or just the name of the title, will be no more following this story arc.
Bervoot said that there will not be a book titled Fantastic Four this time next year.
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