Gabriel Larkins back again after a short delay between editorials. I was doing research on the Fantastic Four to plot this out, as my knowledge of this team isn't quite as thorough as Spider-man or the X-Men. You can read about my plans for them
here and
here.
In approaching Marvel's First Family, I wanted to try to invoke the sense of adventure that used to by synonymous with the older Fantastic Four comics back in the day. Consequently, you'll find a lot of these adventures are more about the spirit of adventure and exploring new places than over-hyped action (although there will still be plenty of that). I also see the Fantastic Four being a large part of Phases 4-6, and so this will almost be a blueprint for that (as well as the X-Men plans laid out in my earlier editorial).
Another thing I wanted to focus on was the relationship between Reed and Doom, to the point where I almost see this as a Doom series as much as a Fantastic Four series. I want Reed and Doom to be on the same level as Thor and Loki when it comes to rivalries in the MCU.
So, without further ado, let's start with:
Fantastic Four
Much like The Incredible Hulk, we will receive the origin story of the Fantastic Four in the form of a quick flashback. The opening of the actual film will instead show us the origin of Doom. We will begin on a view of Dr. Doom, from behind, as Tibetan Monks hand him his mask, still red hot. They warn him that he should not put it on yet, that the damage to his face is very minor and putting it on now would only make it worse. He insists that he is hideous, and slams the red hot metal to his face. This scene is interspersed with flashbacks showing the "sabotage" of his experiment, and his feud against Reed Richards.
Meanwhile, the Fantastic Four are about to perform a landmark journey in the name of science. Reed has developed a portal into the Negative Zone, and seeks to explore it in order to discover the scientific possibilities presented by the anti-matter particles that exist within it. Still convinced that Reed Richards sabotaged the experiment that got him expelled, Doom seeks to do the same, sabotaging Reed's Negative Zone experiment.
Inside the Negative Zone, the team runs afoul of Annihilus, the ruler of the Negative Zone who seeks to escape and conquer the material world. It becomes clear that this exploration mission has turned into a superhero mission, and they have to make sure they prevent Annihilus from escaping.
Doom, newly equipped with his power suit and arcane abilities, follows the Fantastic Four into the Negative Zone, hoping to destabilize the experiment.
Once inside, his ambitions grow: by seizing control of Annihilus' Cosmic Control Rod, Doom could rule the Negative Zone, controlling it to his whims and using that as a foothold to assert his supremacy over the world. Their incursion on the Negative Zone ends with Doom and Annihilus engaged in one on one battle with the Cosmic Control Rod hanging in the balance.
Doom defeats Annihilus and gains control of the rod, but soon finds himself overrun by Annihilus' army, with them refusing to acknowledge him as their leader. He falls into the core of the Negative Zone, refusing to accept the outstretched hand that Reed offers to catch him. The F4 fight their way out of the Negative Zone and back to the Baxter Building. Although their experiment was only a moderate success, Reed is glad that they were able to prevent the armies of Annihilus from making their way to Earth. In the post-credits scene, we see that Doom has emerged in another universe, one where Doom is Emperor.
Avengers: Emperor Doom - Doom Prime uses the Cosmic Control Rod to oblierate and take the place of the Emperor Doom of the new universe he has inhabited. Surprisingly, a world run by Doom is actually a pretty okay place, and while people's personal liberties aren't the greatest, the fact of the matter is that the trains run on time and so long as people fulfill their role and do not speak ill of their lord and master, they will live a happy life. Obviously, this will no longer be the case once the main universe's Doom takes power. Meanwhile, in the Prime Earth, Avengers Tower receives a visit from the Darkest Timeline's version of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. Johnny Storm is dead, killed during Doom's first rise to power. In his place on the team is Spider-man. Many of the Avengers have also been killed or have their mantles taken over by different people. (Rhodey as Iron Man, Carol Danvers as Captain America, Abomination, Ant-Man, Hawkeye with an Iron Man arm, Lady Sif?) When there was a dimensional disturbance, Alternate Reed was able to pinpoint its origin and create a device that cut a path through the Negative Zone to this dimension. He explains that although there are many universes, there is only one Negative Zone, and therefore it can be used as a go-between to get from one universe to another. They have come to warn the Avengers of this Earth that their Doom is seeking to invade this reality and claim it as his own. Their only hope to save this alternate world is to stop Emperor Doom.
Emperor Doom opens his portal into the Negative Zone in Latveria, the seat of his power. With his army of Doombots and loyal soldiers, he claims the Prime version of Latveria in a single night, establishing his foothold in his native dimension. The Avengers quickly realize the depth of the problem and call in their Fantastic Four to help.
The two Reeds formulate a plan. Through a combination of science, technology, and magic, they are able to create a disruption system that should be able to counter the effects of the Cosmic Control Rod, giving them an opening to attack Doom. Castle Doomstadt in Latveria is nearly impenetrable, but with the combined force of both Fantastic Four and Avengers teams, they should be able to break through his defensive line enough to get a core team in. A series of coordinated Quinjet assaults results in the huge second act setpiece of the Avengers storming Castle Doom. When both Reeds and a handful of Avengers reach Doom' Throne Room, they do battle with him and are eventually able to bring him down and seize the Cosmic Control Rod. However, they quickly realize that the Doom they have defeated was actually a Doombot, and the Control Rod is now completely inert. A hologram of Doom taunts the team, claiming that he still sits in his throne room in the alternate universe, having extracted the cosmic energy from the Control Rod and infused it into his new warsuit. This is also when the Avengers realize that this is in fact their Doom, and that the alternate Doom is dead. Suddenly, portals from the Negative Zone open all over the globe. The heroes of Earth have to quickly formulate a new plan. Most of the team stays behind to help contain the destruction caused by the incursion teams around the world, while a small team warps into the alternate Castle Doom and fights Emperor Doom for real this time.
Once Doom detects intruders, he utilizes his new Cosmic Power to open portals to other dimensions all throughout the castle. They find themselves fighting all manner of fantastical feral beasts, evil versions of various Marvel Universe characters, and of course his standing guard of Doombots. Finally they face Doom, significantly empowered by his Cosmic Energy, now large and imposing. In a last ditch effort to stop Doom before he crushes the team, the two Reeds are able to tear open a portal into a dimension of pure Cosmic Energy. They recharge the Cosmic Control Rod and use it to overload Doom's warsuit until it explodes. The Susans are able to throw up a barrier to save the team from the shockwave, which wipes out the entire castle. All that is left is a crater, with a weakened and whithered Doom standing within it. Now without the Cosmic Control Rod or any power to speak of, The Prime Avengers capture Doom and take him back to their universe. The alternate Avengers return to their world, confident that they can now rebuild since the threat of Doom has been extinguished.
In a post-credits scene, we see the Alternate Earth Avengers standing tall against a towering opponent. The camera pans up to show that it is their version of Galactus.
Fantastic Four: Secret Invasion
With Doom locked up, the Fantastic Four find themselves defending the Earth as it is considered an important battleground between the Kree and Skrull armies. It is discovered that Sue has been replaced by a Skrull, and who knows what other important figures around Earth have been swapped out for Skrull sleeper agents.
Skrull Sue has been collecting DNA samples from all of the F4, and sending them back to her master, Queen Veranke. After a tense duel in which they defeat Skrull Sue, the remaining members of the F4 have to formulate a plan: the Skrull and Kree armadas are both headed for Earth, and are about to have a tense standoff. The Kree have promised that they will avoid damage to Earth at all costs, but if the Skrull open fire there will be no choice but to break the cease-fire, and Kree strike teams will have to land on Earth in order to seek out and eradicate the Skrull agents who have established a base of operations there. The widespread panic that government response this would elicit would throw the entire planet into an intergalactic war that nobody is properly prepared for.
The three of them have little hope of bringing down the Skrull armada, and they don't know who in the Avengers they can trust. They choose instead to go to the last person they think would help: Doom.
From his cell deep in the Negative Zone, Doom agrees that this threat supercedes their feud. Earth is for Doom to rule, and no other man. They forge a temporary truce, despite Johnny and Ben's trepidation, and Doom accompanies them on their small vessel to infiltrate the Skrull mothership and free the captured heroes.
Despite their best attempts to reach the brig stealthily, they are found out, and a tense battle through the corridors of the ship eventually leads to the team being cornered just as they are rescuing Sue and the other captured individuals. At the last moment, Doom betrays them, encasing them in a bubble of arcane force and attempting to cut a deal with Queen Veranke: he will aid them in toppling Earth and defeating the Kree, so long as once their conflict is over, they hand over the planet to Doom. The Queen agrees, and Doom is brought aboard the bridge of the Kree mothership as the F4 are thrown back in the brig.
The first of the Kree scout ships breaks Earth atmosphere, attempting to locate and eradicate any Skrull sleeper agents that may be on the surface, a U.S. General, revealed to be a Skrull, orders his men to prepare to open fire on the Kree ship, labeling it an alien invader just like those from the Battle of New York.
The moment before the Skrull mothership is about to sweep it's guns across the Kree fleet, Doom blasts the Skrull Queen, quickly dispatching the entire crew on the bridge and setting the mothership on a collision course with another Skrull dreadnought. The F4 find that their cells open miraculously, and Doom tells them over the loudspeaker that they'd best escape if they don't wish to die out in space. The team is able to take advantage of the chaos to fight their way to the cargo bay where they can steal a Skrull troop transport and get back to Earth, but they suddenly find themselves face to face with the Super-Skrull, an empowered Skrull soldier who possesses all four of their abilities. They attempt to fight him while also ushering the hostages onto the transport, but find themselves struggling. Doom appears to help them at the last moment, and the five together are able to hold the Super-Skrull at bay until all of the hostages are safe aboard the transport.
Doom, in true Doom fashion, insists he can handle the Super-Skrull one on one, as even the might of the entire Fantastic Four is nothing before Doom. The team escapes in their transport as Doom battle the super soldier, surprisingly handling him quite well. The F4 escape just before the collision, quickly returning to Earth. The general who has been impersonated quickly contacts his men and orders them to stand down and execute the imposter immediately. The Skrull general is killed, and the tension is quickly diffused. Skrull sleeper agents, knowing their cover will soon be blown, begin attacking all over the world, but they are all quickly put down by military and law enforcement around them.
After a rough landing, the Fantastic Four wonder if Doom truly was willing to sacrifice himself to save the planet. Reed insists that Doom would never do something so sacrifical without having a backup plan in place. He has little doubt that the good Doctor is very much alive. Lo and behold, we see the Prime Minister of Latveria, a smoking hole in his chest, having reverted to his Skrull form. Doom stands over him, then walks out onto a balcony to his adoring crowd.
In between here, the "Avengers vs. X-Men" movie detailed in my X-Men editorial takes place.
Fantastic Four: Dark Council
A portal through the Negative Zone opens. Out steps a mask man, dressed in all black. He looks out across the skyline and sees the Baxter Building. He infiltrates the building while the Four sleep, and hovers over Reed and Sue in bed. Johnny stirs and wakes up, following the intruder. Just before the intruder is going to strike, he attacks, waking the rest of the Fantastic Four and chasing the intruder out of the building. He escapes.
It is clear that Reed was his target. They aren't sure what to do, as they don't know if the Baxter Building is secure enough to protect them if their unknown assailant should return (he got past the security measures somehow). Reed decides that they should move to what would likely be the safest place for him on the planet.
Cut to Latveria. Doom has taken over the small nation and turned it into one of the most fortified locations in the world. On top of that, Doom's sense of pride means that he will gladly protect Reed from an unknown assailant: the pleasure of killing Reed Richards shall only belong to Doom.
In his lab at Latveria, Doom and Reed work together to analyze evidence gathered from the attack on the Baxter Building. During this time, Reed attempts to talk Doom down from his feud with Reed, reasserting that he did nothing to sabotage the experiment all that time ago. Doom is still insistent that he is infallible.
Meanwhile, the Human Torch encounters the Dark Raider while he's going out for a pin in Latveria, and engages him in battle. He strikes the enemy and knocks off his mask just as the DNA analysis comes through on Doom's supercomputer. They realize at the same time: the attacker is Reed Richards. That is how he was able to get into the Baxter Building so easily: his biometrics got him past all of the security measures.
Johnny reports back just in time for the entire team to realize what is happening. They can only deduce that this must be a Reed Richards from a different dimension, and for some reason he has come to this reality in order to attempt to take his place.
Through shenanigans, the Fantastic Four trap Evil Reed, and while he is imprisoned he explains. Where he came from, his Earth has been reduced to a barren ball of waste. He and his Fantastic Four were able to harness Cosmic Energy and create a constant, renewable energy source. However, this spike in Cosmic Power drew the attention of a being who has the greatest Cosmic Power of any other in the universe. Although it is never shown outright and only his silhouette is shown, it is clear that this force is Galactus. Seeing a world of life forms who have managed to master control over the Power Cosmic, he immediately targeted Earth for elimination, and devoured all of their energy to sustain his own twisted hunger. He has emerged with a new goal: to travel to as many universes as possible and kill himself before he can make that discovery and doom their Earth to destruction.
Reed breaks the news to his evil counterpart that it may already be too late: a spike of Cosmic Energy like he described already took place when the Phoenix Force destroyed itself to revive the mutant race. Evil Reed panics, knowing that there is no hope and this Earth is already doomed.
Just then, another portal opens and several alternate versions of Reed all step out. They are the Council of Reeds. All of them are from Earths that have been ravaged by Galactus, and this is one of their less stable agents in their mission of saving the world from being devoured by eliminating any possible source of Cosmic Power. The Emperor Doom Reed is also among them. They show no desire to hurt this Reed, as his world is already doomed, but they invite him to join them. He refuses, stating that he will not give up on his own planet and that murder is not the answer to saving other worlds from the threat of destruction. So be it. The alternate Reeds attack the Fantastic Four, subdue them, and make off with their prisoner.
At this point, Doom refuses to help Reed any longer. He cannot endorse a mission that involves saving the life of a Richards, even if it isn't the one that specifically wronged him. He bids them leave his country before he has them imprisoned.
Back at the Baxter Building, the team decides that they can't simply let the Council of Reeds continue their rampage. They decide to head to the next dimension they plan on assaulting and stop them from assassinating that Reed. Meanwhile, Doom is back at his lab, working on his own Negative Zone portal generator.
The Fantastic Four appear just in time to confront the Reeds in a new universe. However, just as their battle reaches its climax, a new portal opens. Doom steps out of it, which his own Council of Dooms in tow. This results in a giant Reed v Doom showdown, with the Prime Reed and Doom staring each other down as the armies clash. Doom could not pass up this golden opportunity to not only take his own vengeance, but to guarantee vengeance for several other Dooms from several other timelines. His conquest over Richards shall be supreme indeed.
As the battle rages, Sue, Johnny, and Ben mobilize on their plan. Reed figured something like this would happen, so he concocted this trap ahead of time. Eventually, a stasis field is thrown up over the entire battle, imprisoning all of the Reeds and Dooms except for the Prime ones. Prime Doom asks why he was spared from Reed's clever scheme. Reed attempts to reason with him one last time to bury the hatchet, giving him a chance to reform and do the good for science that he is so capable of doing with his intellect. If Reed and Doom work together, they could do great things for the world. Doom politely declines.
The grand showdown between Reed and Doom commences. Their battle is brutal and dragged out, with Reed finally giving up on the idea of reasoning with Doom and resolving to put him down. Eventually, the battle ends with Reed standing triumphant over Dr. Doom.
Reed delivers a speech to the Fantastic Four of this world, who have built their Cosmic Engine and therefore already called upon Galactus. He urges them to remember that science can solve any problem, and that they should work just as hard to find a way to save their world as he plans to do to save his. They once again travel through the Negative Zone, sending the Reeds and Dooms back to their respective home dimensions. Upon their return to Prime Earth, Doom asks if Reed is going to lock him up in the Negative Zone Prison again. Reed says no, and tells him that he is going to put Doom away exactly where he left him: in his Throne Room in Latveria. He does not need to imprison Doom, simply the fact that they both know that in a battle of both wits and strength, Reed bested him will haunt Doom forever. Not only did Reed best Doom, he defeated an entire army of Dooms, from different timelines and circumstances, therefore permanently asserting his supremacy. So Doom will rule on his sad little hill of Latveria, stewing with the knowledge that he was so completely beaten. And although he may once again try to seize control of the world, he will know that Reed and his family will always be there to stop him, and they will always succeed, because Doom is indisputably inferior.
Doom does not react to this, but simply returns to his castle and tells Richards that their feud is far from over.
The post-credits stinger at the end of the film shows the Silver Surfer plummeting towards Earth.
Avengers: Cataclysm
Galactus is near. His targets are firmly set on Earth. His heralds have been sent, preparing the planet for its demise. Such a source of Cosmic Power shall feed his hunger for decades, not to mention removing a possible threat.
The Silver Surfer appears in a heavily populated city, and the Avengers appear to respond. They are overwhelmed by the incredible power the Surfer seems to wield, and his general unwillingness to give any information as to why he is there puzzles them. Even the might of Thor is only barely able to keep up with the Surfer's abilities, and the Avengers' reading show the energy he projects as decidedly Cosmic.
In order to better understand the cosmic energy at work, they bring in the two leading authorities on the energy source and where it could have come from: Reed Richards and Scott Summers. Cyclops is still in prison at this point, so Tony Stark speaks to him in his cell. He insists that it's unlikely that much Cosmic Energy would manifest in a single mutant, regardless of the fact that they've been awakened by the Phoenix Force. Richards, on the other hand, hasn't been seen in months. The Avengers go to visit him in the Baxter Buildling, where he is obsessively experimenting and testing different devices. It's putting a strain on his relationship with Sue. He insists that he needs to run more tests and needs to find an answer.
The Avengers speak to him about the Surfer. Genuine fear shows on his face when he learns of this. He tells them of the threat of Galactus, and how he is the keeper of Cosmic Power in the universe. If he is sending an advance guard of Cosmic powered soldiers, that means he's almost to Earth and he needs to find the answer on how to defeat him soon. He insists that there are multiple universes where he failed to stop Galactus, but he needs to find a way to see it from a new angle that can help him stop this force of nature.
The Avengers call a high alert: all of the heroes of the world convene to discuss this impending threat. They split into task forces to cover different parts of the globe where the Surfer and his compatriots are likely to strike next. Meanwhile, Tony Stark, Hank McCoy, and Black Panther all help Reed Richards in developing a device to disrupt Galactus' cosmic force. Stark was able to develop a system that could disrupt Cosmic Particles back when they were fighting the Phoenix Force, and while it didn't exactly work as planned they might be able to find a way to upgrade it to make it work.
Eventually, Thor gets a rematch with the Silver Surfer. With the support of other Avengers, he strikes the cosmic being from his board, separating him from his source of energy and beating him into submission. The Avengers take him in, while they return the board to the science team to have it examined.
As the Surfer awakens in interrogation, Galactus' Worldship looms ever closer to Earth. Now separated from his power source, Galactus' hold over the Surfer is broken, and he wishes to help. He reveals that Galactus was in a rush to get there, and therefore hasn't feasted on a planet in quite some time. He is in a slightly weakened state, although his base form is still more powerful than any of them can possibly imagine. He shares Galactus' past, being the only surviving being from the previous universe, having joined forces with an immortal source of Cosmic Energy to be born as one at the dawn of the new universe.
Surfer helps the science team harness his incredible wealth of Cosmic Energy in order to craft the Ultimate Nullifier. This upgraded version of the weapon used against the Phoenix Force can disrupt and destroy the matter of any organism, even one with the godlike powers of Galactus. However, its own unstable form means they will only get one shot, and anything less than a direct, fatal hit will result in a strike that Galactus may be able to dodge or recover from.
The other Heralds of Galactus appear, leaving behind conversion apparati around the globe. The Avengers mobilize to stop them. As the energy of Earth is being siphoned into the machines for Galactus to consume it, he disembarks from his Worldship and lands on Earth, towering over skyscrapers. The most powerful of the Avengers do their best to keep him busy with their incredible power, but they are like flies to him. The Surfer eventually appears on his board, still empowered by it despite being free from Galactus' control. He must be weakened further before it is safe to use the Ultimate Nullifier on him.
The Avengers work on keeping Galactus busy and mitigating the damage of his heralds, who have all been drawn to defend their master. The Surfer absorbs as much Cosmic Energy as he can as the heralds are defeated, soon carrying a wealth of power that can have a hope of damaging his former master. The Avengers, Defenders, X-Men, and Fantastic Four all give Galactus the full force of their power on the Surfer's cue, providing just enough power to wind Galactus. Reed Richards then uses that opening to take aim at the Cosmic God's head and open fire with the Ultimate Nullifier. The resulting wave of energy ripples through Galactus' body, disrupting every one of his molecules as he screams in defeat. Soon there is a burst of light, and the threat to the world is over. The Surfer pushes the Worldship into orbit before destroying it and absorbing all of its stored energy. He is now keeper of the Power Cosmic, a being with the power of a God.
The Avengers ask him to stay and become one of them, but he declines. Now that he possesses this great power, he will also succumb to the Hunger that drove Galactus to do what he did. Before long, he will begin to absorb planets as well, and may go mad and turn his sights on Earth. He uses his wealth of power to create another Ultimate Nullifier, and bestows it on Reed Richards, ordering him to use it if the Surfer ever attacks Earth. He then asks the heroes of Earth to open a portal to the Negative Zone. He will reside there, where there are no planets to feed on, and hopefully allow the Power Cosmic to die with him. Should he return, the Nullifier is theirs to use against him.
Surfer leaves to the Negative Zone, landing on one of its barren planets. He looks out over the stars as he waits for his life to fade away.
What do you all think of this? I'm more open to criticism on this than some of my other editorials through virtue of the fact that I don't know the F4 as well as some of Marvel's other properties, so if there's a vital element to a great F4 story I'm missing speak up! This is, of course, an overview, and there would be plenty of Reed and Sue's interesting relationship, Ben grappling with his condition, and Johnny being a playboy going on within the pages of the script. Either way, if you liked this hit the thumb and leave a comment. This brings my trilogy of What If articles to a close, but I may or may not have some other editorials up my sleeve for later.