7 Most Powerful Versions of the Fantastic Four, Ranked

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The Fantastic Four is one of the most important teams in the history of comics. While they haven’t been as massively popular as they once were for a long time, there would basically be no Marvel Universe without them. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the perfect group of heroes for the 1960s, changing the way superheroes were written forever and opening the door for Marvel to become the force they are. They are the First Family of the Marvel Universe, always playing a key role in major events, and creators have introduced numerous versions of the team, both on Earth-616 and throughout the multiverse.

On their own, the base Fantastic Four is pretty potent, powers-wise. However, some of these other versions of the team are actually much more powerful. These are the seven most powerful versions of the Fantastic Four, introducing readers to the most powerful groups in comics.

7) ’80s Fantastic Four

Marvel in the ’80s was awesome, with Fantastic Four under the aegis of writer/artist John Byrne. Byrne’s run on the group is generally considered one of the best of all-time, the writer taking the team through numerous changes. One of those was the Thing leaving them, replacing him with She-Hulk. Shulkie’s base strength is about the same as Mama Grimm’s ever-lovin’, blue-eyed boy, but much like her cousin, she has infinite potential strength and an amazing healing factor. This bumps up the strength of the team immensely, making them more powerful than the base version.

6) The Fantastic Five

Marvel’s MC2 universe offers a glimpse into the future of the Marvel heroes, showcasing their children and grown-up counterparts. The Fantastic Five was the future version of the classic team, notably including Psi-Lord – the older version of Franklin Richards. Over time, the team expanded with powerful additions like Lyja the Laserfist (who was married to Johnny Storm – she’s a character I really enjoy and want to explore further!), their son Super-Storm, and Kristoff, Doom’s protégé. With Franklin Richards on the roster, the team was already incredibly strong, and the other new members only amplified their combined power.

5) The New Fantastic Four

The New Fantastic Four was a short-lived version of the team from the ’90s, where Marvel decided to pack the most popular Marvel characters of the day into the group for a quick sales bump. While this version of the group didn’t have Franklin, it did have the Hulk and Ghost Rider. The Hulk is, well, the Hulk, even if the Joe Fixit version had lower base strength; he still has the “angrier he gets, the stronger he gets power” and the healing factor. Ghost Rider is one of the most slept on heroes when it comes to power level, pumping this team’s power level to insane proportions.

4) Fantastic Four of Earth-71166

There are some amazing alternate universe Fantastic Fours, with the team hailing from Earth-71166 being one of the best. Fantastic Four: The End is an outstanding story (it’s hard to find, but I was able to pick up the original issues for a song last summer; I already owned the hardcover, though), with the team coming back together after the loss of Franklin and Valeria tore them apart. The base team is at their most powerful levels, years of extra experience and enhancements stemming from Reed’s scientific breakthroughs for humanity making all the difference. The book ended with the Richards family reunited, with older versions of Valeria and Franklin joining up, adding their intelligence and power to the group respectively.

3) Fantastic Thors

Secret Wars (2015) introduced readers to numerous versions of classic Marvel heroes. God Emperor Doom’s Battleworld was protected by the Thor Corps and the final siege on the Shield Wall saw a group of them banding together as the Fantastic Thors. This team is made up of various multiversal versions of the God of Thunder, making it superlatively potent in battle. The only thing better than one Thor is a bunch of Thors and this team proves it.

2) The Future Foundation

After the death of Johnny Storm, the Fantastic Four lost their heart and soul and would rebrand as the Future Foundation, with Spider-Man taking his best friend’s place. However, he wasn’t the only addition, nor why the team is ranked so high. This group brought together some of the most powerful young heroes in the Marvel Universe, like Franklin, Valeria, Alex Power, Lightspeed, Artie, and Leech. On top of that, Dragon Man, Doctor Doom, She-Hulk, Ant-Man, and others also joined the group. That’s an amazingly powerful team and would wipe the floor with some of the most formidable groups in comics.

1) Secret Wars (2015) Fantastic Four

The 2015 Secret Wars event is widely considered the best Marvel has ever done, and a key part of what makes it so good is the unique version of the Fantastic Four featured within it. During the creation of Battleworld, Doctor Doom encountered a reality where Reed Richards had passed away. He then manipulated the remaining members: Sue, Franklin, and Valeria became his adopted family with little memory of their past, Johnny Storm was turned into a living sun, and Ben Grimm, the Thing, became a massive defensive wall for Battleworld. To make things even more extreme, Franklin possessed the power of Galactus! Whether you include Sheriff Stephen Strange or not, this iteration of the Fantastic Four is undeniably one of the most powerful teams ever assembled in comic books.

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2026-06-11 20:21