The Fantastic Four’s Shocking Time-Travel Fail Just Erased Their Own Origins

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A World Under Domination – The Fantastic Four‘s Greatest Challenge

The story unfolds in a world subjugated by the formidable Doctor Doom, who has successfully persuaded global leaders to collaborate with him. Despite valiant efforts from both the Fantastic Four and the Avengers to dethrone him, Doom consistently outwits them, buying enough time to thwart their plans. An intriguing twist occurs when Doctor Doom cures the Thing of his powers, a move that leaves the Thing in shock and presents the Fantastic Four with an insurmountable problem to overcome. The 31st issue of Fantastic Four is a captivating comic, marking the beginning of a plot element that many fans may have overlooked. Interestingly, this plot element harks back to 2017’s Marvel Two-In-One, where it was disclosed that if the Fantastic Four’s powers are apart for an extended period, their abilities begin to diminish. The Thing and Human Torch experienced this predicament when Reed and Sue were away rebuilding the multiverse, and Doom seized this knowledge, having worked with them under the alias of Infamous Iron Man.

If Ben’s powers can’t be restored, the team stands to lose their own powers, a process that has already begun. The only method available is to reenact the accident that gave them their abilities all those years ago, but the cosmic rays necessary for this are exceptionally scarce. The team can only rely on finding them once more – and that’s possible in the past. This predicament forces the team to make a critical decision, one with potentially disastrous consequences.

Space and Time

Instead of journeying back in time to reproduce the cosmic ray exposure that gave the Fantastic Four their powers, which carries a significant risk of altering or erasing their present existence, they contemplate an alternate solution: exploring the multiverse. The concept is to traverse the multiverse and expose the Thing to the necessary cosmic rays. To avoid interfering with the creation of other versions of themselves, Sue uses her remaining powers to keep them invisible during this journey. The team then modifies their spacecraft, the Fantasticar, to navigate both time and space, embarking on this mission to restore the Thing’s powers.

In a different sequence of events, they travel through multiple universes in search of cosmic rays to restore Ben’s powers. However, each attempt proves fruitless. As despair sets in for Ben, he alters the coordinates of the Fantasticar, not to another universe but to the past of the 616 universe instead. This alteration results in Ben regaining his powers, yet the cosmic ray storm misses the Marvel-1 spaceship, preventing the birth of the Fantastic Four.

The Fantastic Four Have One Hope of Survival

In issue #31 of the Fantastic Four, the team mysteriously vanishes, but luckily for us, Valeria Richards was there to remember everything that transpired. This has me thinking that Valeria might hold the solution to the conundrum we’re facing. Could it be that Franklin, with his immense power, devised a rescue plan for both of them or maybe just her? Or could it be that Doom, as Sorcerer Supreme, cast a protective enchantment on her? Whatever the case may be, it seems that Valeria is the crucial factor in ensuring the Fantastic Four’s survival in the future.

In issue #31 of the Fantastic Four, all the elements that make for a great comic are present: an exhilarating action sequence, heartwarming family banter, and the team resorting to science when faced with issues. However, there were flaws in their initial plan from the get-go. The most significant issue was entrusting the Thing to pilot the vehicle, given his emotional turmoil since losing his powers. Tragically, the Fantastic Four couldn’t succeed, and it remains uncertain if anything will ever be the same again.

Fantastic Four #31 is on sale now.

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2025-05-01 06:40