This Fantastic Four Headquarters is the Most Underrated of All Time, and it’s Not Even Close

by

The Fantastic Four, also known as Marvel’s First Family, have lived in several advanced homes during their history in Marvel Comics, but one location doesn’t get the attention it deserves. While the Baxter Building is definitely the team’s most famous and well-known headquarters, and it’s a great base, it often makes other equally compelling locations seem less important.

, even though it has been the home of numerous other Marvel heroes since first appearing in Fantastic Four #3 back in 1961. The Fantastic Four moved to a new location when another team started using the Baxter Building’s replacement, and this new base is surprisingly often forgotten, despite being one of the most memorable places they’ve operated from.

The Fantastic Four’s Pier Four Base Is Their Most Underrated

The Pier Four base is simple, yet surprisingly effective. After the original Baxter Building was destroyed, the Fantastic Four moved into the Four Freedoms Plaza. However, the Thunderbolts moved in, forcing Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben to find a new home. They ended up in a group of old warehouses by the river, which Reed quickly updated with some of his famous Fantastic Four technology. They used Pier Four as their headquarters for only a short time – a few dozen issues – before returning to a brand new Baxter Building, following the teleportation of the Four Freedoms Plaza to the moon.

Though equipped with Reed Richards’ inventions, Pier Four was much different than the impressive Baxter Building and Four Freedoms Plaza. Situated on the Hudson River, the warehouses were at street level and blended seamlessly into the city that the Fantastic Four constantly defend. The team moved here after being away for a while, and many believed they had died during a battle with the powerful enemy, Onslaught.

First appearing in Fantastic Four Vol. 3, Pier Four was a base of operations for only 36 issues (and also appeared in comics featuring other Marvel heroes) before being destroyed by Diablo. After the team returned to the rebuilt Baxter Building, Pier Four was largely forgotten, leaving little lasting impact as one of the Fantastic Four’s main headquarters. This is a shame, because it was probably the best place for the team to work from.

Pier Four Helped To Ground The Fantastic Four, Literally

The Fantastic Four, much like the Avengers, called a New York City skyscraper their base of operations for many years. The Baxter Building is a truly memorable landmark with a rich history, but it also subtly and physically separates the Fantastic Four from the people of New York. Because they typically live in the higher floors of a building that also contains offices for ordinary people, the team has always been symbolically and actually above the citizens they protect.

Although the Fantastic Four certainly deserve recognition – they’re known as some of the most dedicated and ethical heroes in New York City – it seems like a less ideal headquarters than, say, the Avengers’. Captain America truly represents high principles, and Iron Man’s enormous ego demands a grand, showy location. The Fantastic Four, however, are humble as well as heroic, and their former base at Pier Four seemed to reflect that. It’s also noteworthy that their old space was later taken over by what Ben Grimm jokingly refers to as Avengers-wannabes.

Pier Four served as a remarkably down-to-earth headquarters for the Fantastic Four, making the team seem more relatable than other heroes like Tony Stark and truly connecting them to New York City and its way of life. Being located at ground level also gave them many more transportation choices compared to a base in a skyscraper. Ultimately, Pier Four – even though it represented a bit of a fresh start for the team – perfectly captured who the Fantastic Four were as a group.

Pier Four Helped The Fantastic Four To Protect People

Pier Four’s riverside headquarters, being located at ground level, is a better choice for the Fantastic Four because their main goal is to protect people. The fact that Diablo quickly destroyed it shows why: ground-level buildings are prime targets for powerful, destructive supervillains. Because the Baxter Building was in the middle of Manhattan, attacks on it always put innocent civilians at risk of being caught in the fighting.

Since Pier Four is also located in Manhattan, the new headquarters aren’t cut off from everything. However, because of its lower elevation and location along the Hudson River, it’s a much safer spot than the skyscraper. While Diablo does put civilians at risk when he destroys Pier Four in Fantastic Four vol. 3 #36-which leads New York heroes like Spider-Man and Daredevil to intervene and rescue people-it’s not as vulnerable, or as much of a target, as the Baxter Building.

Located in the bustling streets of Manhattan, the Baxter Building has frequently been the site of major, damaging conflicts. While the Fantastic Four are usually the main focus of these attacks, ordinary New Yorkers are also often put at risk by the resulting explosions and strange events – things the Fantastic Four often deal with. Fortunately, even though the Baxter Building has been destroyed several times, it rarely collapses and endangers people nearby, as seen when it was sent into space in 1985’s Fantastic Four #278.

Pier Four Captured The Heart Of The Fantastic Four

Although closely linked to the Baxter Building, Pier Four truly embodied the essence of the Fantastic Four. While the Baxter Building felt like a corporate office, Pier Four felt much more like a home. Given that the Fantastic Four are, above all, a family, the cozier Pier Four was arguably a better fit for Marvel’s First Family. That’s not to suggest the warehouse lacks impressive technology created by Mister Fantastic, though.

Despite its simple exterior, Pier Four hides incredible things inside, much like the Fantastic Four themselves – they have a knack for making amazing discoveries seem ordinary. Like other Fantastic Four bases, Pier Four includes doorways to different dimensions and a smart, voice-controlled AI system. However, while these features are similar to those in the much larger Baxter Building, it’s hard to imagine them fitting inside Pier Four’s warehouse. The easy access to vehicles, combined with the ability to travel between dimensions, really emphasizes the Fantastic Four’s spirit of exploration.

The building’s subtle design also contributes to its overall impression. The Baxter Building is a skyscraper much like Stark Tower, and as a result, it competes with it for visual prominence in the New York City skyline. Though both structures can symbolize hope and safety, it would be more unique and appropriate for the Fantastic Four to have a base on the ground floor – a visually striking building that offers them easier access to different types of transportation.

Keeping that in mind, Marvel might want to think about re-establishing a central headquarters for the team. Even though it’s currently in ruins, that didn’t stop the Baxter Building from eventually being rebuilt. Also, given that Reed Richards has technology capable of expanding space, it feels a bit wasteful for the Fantastic Four to need such a huge building in the first place.

Read More

2025-10-05 06:41