As a long-time Fantastic Four fan, I remember being totally blindsided by what happened 42 years ago. For years, we knew what to expect from Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben, but suddenly, everything shifted. One month they were the classic team we’d known since 1961, and the next… well, it was like a different team entirely! It turned out to be the start of Marvel’s first big crossover event, Secret Wars, which really shook things up in the comic book world. The event changed a lot about the characters, and honestly, it took months for fans like me to even begin to understand what had happened to the Fantastic Four.
I still remember when the Fantastic Four came back from those crazy Secret Wars 42 years ago today! For years, it had always been the Richards-Storm family and Ben Grimm – he was basically one of us. But then Fantastic Four #265 hit the stands, and suddenly, She-Hulk was joining the team! It was a big change, but honestly, I was excited to see what she’d bring to the group.
She-Hulk Joined The Fantastic Four 42 Years Ago
What really stood out about Secret Wars to me was how Marvel handled the whole thing. Instead of disrupting all their regular comic titles with the crossover event, they did something completely different. At the end of the previous month’s issues, all the characters just…vanished into a portal. Then, the next month, they were all back, but nobody said what had happened! And things were different. The biggest changes were Spider-Man showing up with this weird black costume, and the Fantastic Four now included She-Hulk while The Thing was nowhere to be seen. We didn’t get the full story until Secret Wars was completely over months later.
The latest Fantastic Four issue perfectly captured the moment when they welcomed a new member, with Reed Richards making the announcement and Susan Storm wondering if the world was prepared. Johnny Storm, however, was enthusiastic about it. After the events of Secret Wars, Ben Grimm chose to remain on Battleworld, feeling more comfortable embracing his identity as ‘the thing.’ With Ben staying behind, the Fantastic Four decided to invite She-Hulk to officially join the team, bringing a fresh perspective as their fourth member.
Over the years, the Fantastic Four have occasionally included people outside of their immediate family – usually close friends like Wyatt Wingfoot or loved ones like Crystal. But they really changed things when they invited She-Hulk to join, going beyond simply adding associates to the team. After She-Hulk, they brought in other heroes like Black Panther and Storm. At the time, She-Hulk joining was surprising because the Fantastic Four had always been seen as a family unit, not just a group of random heroes working together.
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2026-01-17 22:17