Ultimate Fantastic Four (story arcs)
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Synopses of Ultimate Fantastic Four storylines and graphic novels. The first three story lines have been republished as graphic novels, and the fourth and fifth storylines have been completed in magazine form.
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[edit] The Fantastic (#1-6)
Issues #1-6, written by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar and Adam Kubert, cover the origin of the Ultimate Fantastic Four, including how they gained their powers, and their first battle with the insane Dr. Arthur Molekevic (based on the Mole Man).
Child prodigy Reed Richards, after successfully experimenting with his own homemade teleportation device, is recruited to the Baxter Building, a government-sponsored program which helps finance the research endeavors of exceptional children for military purposes. There, Reed meets Susan Storm, her brother Johnny, and Victor Van Damme. Reed and Victor become partners, and collaborate on furthering Reed's teleportation research, which utilizes an alternate plane of existence called the N-Zone as its travel conduit. Meanwhile, Dr. Arthur Molekevic, one of the Baxter supervisors, is discovered conducting forbidden research into synthetic life forms. His notes are confiscated and he is expelled from the Baxter institute.
Years later, Reed's project culminates in a full-scale test in the middle of the Nevada desert. There is an accident: alongside Reed, Susan, Johnny, Victor and Reed's visiting friend Ben Grimm are caught in the teleport radius, scattering all of them across the globe and changing them at the genetic level. After the military finds each of them, they are discovered to possess fantastic supernatural powers. Dr. Molekevic unleashes his revenge by throwing his synthetic life form experiments upon an unsuspecting New York. The four eventually find his underground lair, and take the fight to Molekevic, but he is lost when the battle causes a cave-in.
[edit] Doom (#7-12)
Issues #7-12, by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen, introduce Ultimate Dr. Doom, who attempts to kill Reed along with the rest of the Fantastic Four by using tiny insectoid robots manufactured from cell phone parts.
In the aftermath of the battle with Molekevic's synthetic army, Reed Richards realizes something: Victor Van Damme, in characteristic arrogance, reprogrammed the teleportation controller and was responsible for the accident that changed everyone. Victor too, was caught in the accident and has been unaccounted for ever since.
Victor has been hiding in Copenhagen, leading a small micronation, where he gives people free necessities in exchange for loyalty. This loyalty is non-negotiable: a tattoo is given to new settlers, which allows Victor to implant mind-controlling microfibres in their necks. Van Damme attacks the Baxter Building with a swarm of cybernetic mosquitos, but the attack fails. Reed knows that only Victor can give the exact calculations needed to undo the accident, and thus uses one of the insects to locate Van Damme.
With Reed's Fantasti-Car, the four travel to Denmark, where Victor and Reed have a physical confrontation. Victor refuses to give up the numbers he plugged into the teleporter and attempts to gain the upper hand by inducing his "subjects" to attack the four. They are interrupted when the US Army arrives, attempting to take Van Damme into custody. The Danish army also intervenes, citing Victor's dual citizenship and claiming jurisdiction. But before the Army and the four leave, Reed destroys the device that controls the tattooed army, restoring their will and their memories of involuntary obedience to Victor. As Victor defiantly proclaims his superiority, Reed strikes him in the face, leaving a scar that will never heal.
[edit] N-Zone (#13-18)
Issues #13-18, by Warren Ellis and Adam Kubert, show the Ultimate Fantastic Four's first encounter with the bizarre and sadistic alien Nihil.
Reed continues his research with the N-Zone teleportation device, but also finds time to develop new technologies with military applications. He uses these technologies as a bargaining chip with General Ross, the military supervisor of the Baxter Building, in exchange for their support and approval of an expedition that takes the Four into the N-Zone. A few months later, a space shuttle is refitted for N-Zone travel. Johnny gives it the unfortunate name of Awesome.
The Awesome exits our universe from Nevada and enters the N-Zone, where its instruments determine that the N-Zone is a parallel universe experiencing heat death, an entropic state that signals the eventual end of that universe within the next hundred million years. Life still exists in the N-Zone and the four locate a space station allowing them the opportunity to make first contact with extradimensional life. Upon docking at the station, the group meets a creature whose name is transliterated by their translator as Nihil.
Nihil wishes to leave his universe before it collapses, and after Johnny becomes suddenly ill, refuses their leave, attempting to use them as a means of escape into the normal universe. As the four escape from Nihil and into Earth's dimension, Nihil's massive spaceship follows them as they crashland onto the Vegas Strip. Johnny recovers in time to help his teammates defend the gawking bystanders from Nihil's army of death-ray wielding hooded aliens. As Nihil proclaims his megalomaniacal agenda of conquering Earth-space, Reed stuffs a death ray into Nihil's mouth. The would-be conqueror is killed attempting to pull the gun out, setting off the trigger.
Also, as a result of the crash and the resulting fight, the government has no choice but to admit the existence of the Fantastic Four to the public, officially making them "superheroes".
[edit] Think Tank (#19-20)
In issues #19-20, by Mike Carey and Jae Lee, the Fantastic Four are attacked and kidnapped by Rhona Burchill (based on the Mad Thinker).
The military escorts the four back to the Baxter Building from Las Vegas. When they arrive, the helicopter is struck with a localized EMP; Johnny tries to create a thermal updraft, Reed stretches into a parachute, and Sue puts a huge forcefield around the craft, taxing her own fortitude in the process. Reed leads the four into the building to try and find the person responsible. That person is Rhona Burchill, who failed the Baxter Building test the day before Reed arrived, and has captured the staff and is holding them in experimental crowd control gel. A robotic creature fires the gel at the group, taking down Ben and the military personnel, while Johnny's flames use up the oxygen in the room, causing him and Sue to pass out; Reed no longer metabolizes oxygen, so he's unaffected, leaving him to face the robot and modified Van Damme drones, and he can't get into the building's systems before Rhona, deformed and psychotic, traps him. Later Reed disables the monitors and buys himself enough time to remove the rest of the team’s drips and allow them to awaken. After a brief battle Rhona and Robbie escape using a sort of holographic duplication defense. Not knowing which is the true Rhona the team has no choice other than to let her go.
After, while checking his messages, Reed Richards receives a strange contact from somebody that looks strangely like him.
[edit] Ultimate Fantastic Four Annual #1: Enter the Inhumans
In the first Ultimate Fantastic Four Annual, by Mark Millar and Jae Lee, the Four run into the rogue Inhuman Crystal, whom Johnny instantly claims he loves. They then attempt to break up Crystal's arranged marriage to Black Bolt's brother. This was the first Ultimate appearance of the Inhumans.
In the Himalayas, two unknown mountain climbers are approaching the summit of a mountain. They are stopped by two mysterious entities named Karnak and Gorgon who erase their minds and take them back down the mountain before they can discover their city, Attilan, hidden at the top.
In New York Johnny's night of clubbing is interrupted as he sees a woman being chased through the streets by two strange men. He chases after them to help her but gets beat up by the two Inhumans until Lockjaw shows up and scares them away. The woman introduces herself as Crystal, a princess of Attilan. Crystal heals Johnny with advanced technology and explains to the team that she ran away from Attilan to avoid marrying Maximus, brother of Black Bolt. The Inhumans are chasing after her to bring her back.
In mid-conversation the two hunting Inhumans use a device to suck Crystal through the window of the Baxter Building like a magnet and teleport away. The Fantastic Four, and especially Johnny, are upset until they realize that Lockjaw is still there, who has the power to teleport them to Attilan.
At Attilan Crystal argues with her family, especially her sister Medusa, until the FF show up to rescue her. They fight until Ben accidentally knocks down a huge statue. Susan and Crystal use their powers to save everyone form the falling statue while Maximus and Medusa explain that the Inhumans will now evacuate Attilan because it is tainted.
Black Bolt speaks in order to destroy the fabled city before all depart. Crystal explains to Johnny that she has caused enough trouble, but leaves him with a kiss before she vanishes with the rest of the royal family. Johnny watches them depart, and can think of only one word for their isolationism: 'Inhuman'.
[edit] Crossover (#21-23)
In issues #21-23, by Mark Millar and Greg Land, Reed receives contact from an older version of himself from an alternate dimension. After crossing over, Reed discovers he's been duped and that the entire world is infested with blood-thirsty zombies, looking for their next meal. This storyline was promoted as a crossover with the mainstream Marvel Universe (Earth-616), which turned out to be false. It led into the Marvel Zombies limited series, which started in December 2005.
The team, now calling itself the Fantastic Four, chases a group of hackers called the Chrono-Bandits back through time via a time-portal. Reed and Sue arrive 200 million years in the past, where the villains threaten to destroy the first primordial amphibian. Sue defeats them and the Bandits are handed over to the Ultimates.
Dr. Storm berates Reed for acting recklessly and endangering his children. Reed brushes Sue off to continue his work, and she leaves in a huff. A hologram of an alternate-universe Reed Richards explains that Sue will likely come back in a few hours, and introduces Reed to his son, Franklin. This Reed Richards is apparently the mainstream Marvel Universe version. Ultimate Reed finishes the teleporter that they had been working on, and transmits himself to the other Reed's reality. He finds the Baxter Building in shambles, with bodies everywhere, inside and out. The Fantastic Four find him, and they are all twisted, flesh-eating zombies.
An alternate reality Sentry, infected with a horrible disease, had crashed in New York City and infected the Avengers. Within 24 hours, they had spread throughout the world. They had lured Reed to their world because they had run out of food. Reed is rescued by Magneto, who scatters the zombies with a barrage of vehicles. Magneto tells Reed the infection started three days ago, and they are the only uninfected superhumans on this Earth, introducing him to several human survivors. The Zombie Fantastic Four enter Ultimate Marvel Earth through Reed's teleporter, right in front of Johnny, Sue, and Ben. They manage to trap the Zombie Fantastic Four in the lab. Meanwhile, Reed and Magneto devise a plan to get to the Baxter Building.
When the zombie superheroes attack, Magneto leads Reed and the survivors on, and the rest of the Fantastic Four arrive in that reality to save them. Sue turns the zombies' optic nerves invisible, blinding them all, while Ben defeats Zombie Hulk with one punch. Magneto has to use his powers to supply enough electricity to the teleporter to get the Four and the human survivors through the portal, but he has to stay behind and destroy the device. Reed is ready to leave the Baxter Building, but Professor Storm stops him. He has the zombie Fantastic Four contained, but he wants to talk to Johnny and Sue, because their mother has appeared.
[edit] Tomb of Namor (#24-26)
In issues #24-26, by Mark Millar and Greg Land, the Fantastic Four encounter the Ultimate version of Namor the Sub-Mariner.
In the aftermath of the zombies attack, Mary Storm, the mother of Sue and Johnny, shows up. This is a great surprise to Sue and Johnny, who had been told that she died in a car crash. However, she simply chose to abandon her family to look for Atlantis. Having found it, she now wants the Fantastic Four to help her explore it.
Meanwhile, Ultimate Reed decides to check on the Zombie Fantastic Four, who have been locked in a containment unit. Zombie Reed congratulates Reed on the unit, but then taunts him, calling it "temporary accommodation."
Later, in the middle of the Atlantic, Reed, Sue and Ben are in a bathyscaphe, examining the ruins of Atlantis, which look Egyptian. They break into a tomb with electric locks. However, a defense system becomes active, and the last thing they see is a label on the side of the tomb: Namor.
Suddenly, the Drs. Storm lose radio contact with Sue, Ben and Reed. Namor breaks the surface of the sea, and Johnny Storm attacks him. It looks as if Johnny will lose, but the rest of the Four turn up and Namor is subdued. Everyone goes back to the Baxter Building.
At the Baxter Building, Reed remarks that Namor's strength "is completely off the scale." Mary Storm mentions Namor's impressive abilities, and wonders how such an advanced species could have been destroyed so utterly. Namor explains that "It was Lemuria." Based on an hour of observation, Namor has already deciphered the English language. He introduces himself as the last king of Atlantis, and agrees to help the Fantastic Four, if he can have an afternoon with Sue. Reed has doubts, but everyone agrees.
Sue and Namor go for a walk in Central Park, trailed by two security robots called H.E.R.B.I.E.s. He makes advances on Sue, But Sue rejects him. He responds angrily.
Back at the Baxter Building, Mary Storm has enlisted Reed (whose brain was apparently enhanced by the accident which gave him his powers) in translating the Atlantean hieroglyphs. Using Ancient Greek as a model, they discover that A), Namor is not a king, and B), it wasn't a tomb, but a prison.
The team immediately leaves to capture Namor, but he defeats them individually. Reed then uses two inventions. The first is the Fantastic 05, which is a battlemech which mimics the powers of the Four. The second is a helmet which creates solid holograms. Battered, Namor destroys the Fantastic 05, and the helmet had to be disabled because it was consuming too much power, but Namor is brought down by Sue and Johnny. He then reveals his trump card: a sea-giant who looks like Poseidon appears over New York. Namor demands a kiss from Sue and safe passage out, or he will flood the city. He gets both and leaves smug.
Afterwards, Mrs. Storm remarks that they discovered Atlantis through the work of her company's new owner. Sue asks, "It wasn't Victor, was it?" Her mother denies this, but has a large dragon tattoo on her back. She departs.
[edit] President Thor (#27-29)
In issues #27-29, by Mark Millar and Greg Land, the Fantastic Four travel back in time and attempt to erase the accident which gave them their powers, inadvertently changing the history so that Thor is the President of the United States and almost everyone on Earth has superpowers.
Reed Richards travels back in time to witness the accident that gave him his powers, only to meet himself from 24 hours in the future, who is travelling back to prevent the accident for the sake of Ben's sanity. Johnny, in particular, seems extremely adamant. Upon returning to his home time, Reed phones Sue. Sue is on an archeological dig in Chile, examining a pyramid with a corpse which Jean Grey, who is interning with Sue, calls the "Super-Skrull."
Meanwhile, Ben Grimm has gotten into trouble with the police for attempting to help them. When the police start belittling him, he walks away. He will be late Johnny's birthday party otherwise. He had been informed that it is a costume party, and he has been persuaded to rent a Carmen Miranda costume. However, it is only a practical joke - when he sees that he has been tricked, he goes to Central Park and has a nervous breakdown. When Reed hears his oldest friend considering suicide, he knows what he has to do...
In the past, the Four set to work. However, as they prevent the accident, an armored entity suddenly appears, shouting that he is "too late." Reality suddenly reorders itself - and the world is suddenly very different. Every human being in the world has access to superhuman abilities and fantastic technologies. They owe it all to the Skrulls, an ancient race that 'elevates' younger races. Reed contacted the Skrulls using his now-proven teleportation technology. Thor has become President of the United States. Reed is his VP. The Four still have their abilities, but now they are the result of Skrull technology.
This is not a utopia, however. There are a vast number of functioning supervillains, and Victor van Damme, replete with iron mask and regal cape, rules Latveria and constantly attacks the Baxter Building with his Doombots.
Meanwhile, Ben is living free. He is the only individual on the planet who has not taken the Skrulls' superpower chemical. For this, he is the perpetual target of supervillains. But he has the constant support of the world's superhumans, a certain degree of celebrity from his anomalous status, and a girlfriend he loves.
When the Skrull Emperor, or "Super-Skrull," arrives for a state visit, all seems well, despite Ben's misgivings. The Super-Skrull wears an "anti-assassination suit," which copies every superhuman ability within one-hundred miles. However, later on, Sue overhears the Skrulls' true intentions: it is an elaborate double-cross designed to exterminate the human race. The superpower treatment is derived from picotechnology, with a built-in time limit - they will destoy the human body quite soon. Suddenly, the Super-Skrull lashes out, killing Sue. Because of his suit's power, he was able to sense her while invisible, and kill her despite her own forcefields. Reed and Johnny, though dying, fight the Super-Skrull and are killed.
Running to safety with his girlfriend, Ben sees the Skrull warships appear in the sky and begin disgorging mutant-hunting deathsquads to deal with the remaining populace. The Super-Skrull catches up to him, and calmly remarks that Ben is now the last human being alive. Enraged at the death of his friends, Ben reminds the Super-Skrull of the abilities of his suit - it derives its power from nearby superhumans, which no longer exist by that point. Ben throws himself on the now-powerless Super-Skrull, defeating him. The Super-Skrull is revealed to be a billion years old, and begs for mercy. Ben, however, has plans. Taking the suit, he goes to the Baxter Building's time machine, and tries to sabotage the teleportation test that began the timeline, he meets the Four. Angry that this armored alien (as they see it - Ben's face is hidden by the anti-assassination suit) is causing their problem, they fight. Unfortunately, the Thing steps on his counterpart. Touching another version of yourself, when you are both chronal anomalies to begin with, is hazardous to the space-time continuum, and a species of four-dimensional giant spider arrives to eat everyone. Ben Grimm activates the time machine's remote emergency circuits, and lands 500 years ago in South America. The accident, meanwhile, occurs as it should, and Ben remarks that his bleak outlook just got bleaker.
Back in New York, the Zombie Fantastic Four remark that they are becoming bored with their prison, and will break out in a week. The Thing, meanwhile, is crying on a bench in Central Park, when he is approached by Alicia Masters, sightless sculpture student, who heartily approves of men expressing their grief and begins making advances on Ben.
All of this merely amuses Victor van Damme, whose plan to destroy the Four will begin tomorrow...
[edit] Frightful (#30-32)
In issues #30-32, by Mark Millar and Greg Land, Johnny has one week to live, and only Doctor Doom can help him. Meanwhile, the Frightful Four escape.
Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm are seen at the Casa Mels on what is said to be a blind date. Grimm is with the blind woman he met at the end of issue 29, Alicia, and Storm is with an unknown woman.
After a very brief talk from Johnny about how bad his date is, he is interrupted by a very fast Cadillac which just misses Johnny's table. As it continues to go out of control, a Stark International truck can be seen blocking the way. Just as it hits the truck with a loud explosion, Johnny manages to save the woman. Then, all of a sudden, Johnny falls over clenching his stomach.
We cut to the Baxter Building and Reed Richards trying to re-build the machine he used to get to the virus world (see issues 21-23). He explains to Susan and Johnny's dad about how he can reprogrammed the machine to only teleport one way. This is his humane way of getting rid of the 'Frightful Four'. Professor Storm gets a phone call, which turns out to be from Grimm. They rush Johnny to the operating table downstairs.
After using Richards scanner, they confirm what is wrong with Johnny to be a parasite. More specifically, one caught from the N-Zone (see issues 13-18). Professor Xavier is at hand to mentally interrogate the creature, yet he explains that it is unintelligent. It chose Johnny because he was the strongest out of the four of them. We are then given the news that the parasite hatches in seven days.
We cut again to the Baxter Building and we see Johnny phoning all of the girls he has gone out with and apologising to them. We then see a faint tear drip from his eyes. Meanwhile, the Four are asking everyone who may be able to help: doctors worldwide, Namor, Thor's contacts, Crystal of the Inhumans and even the Zombie Mister Fantastic. All either cannot help or, in the case of the Zombie Mister Fantastic, refuse to. Then Ben mentions that there is one man they have not asked.
In newly prosperous Latveria, Reed and Sue have come to ask for Victor van Damme's help.
Meanwhile, at the Baxter Building, The Frightful Four are ready to make their move.
The Zombie Reed tricks his guards into believing he's created a teleportation device (in fact holding a pen while Sue turns the four invisible), which leads the guards to investigate, allowing the prisoners to escape. They begin to attack the building and Mr. Storm demands a quarantine of the Baxter Building. Meanwhile Reed, Sue and Ben go to Latveria to see Doom. Doom is revealed to be the one who put the creature into Johnny. Doom has the spell that will cure Johnny but wants something in return. Doom wants to be Reed. Doom has a spell that will switch minds with Reed. Reed agrees and Doom performs the spell. Nobody else knows about the deal. The Frightful Four are building a teleporter that will bring their zombie friends to their world.
We then see the transformation between Doom and Reed that has them switching bodies. We then go to the three about to land near the Baxter Building. The Ultimates are on the scene and Reed tells them to let them go in and save Johny because he's whats going to stop the zombies. Reed then performs the exorcism and saves Johny but he messes up and releases it into the physical world. The creature begins to hunt for the strongest being there and they tell Thor to watch out, but the being instead enters Doom. Doom (Reed) then goes to fight the zombies, first killing the Human Torch by covering him in a cement-like vomit, then ripping off both of the Thing's arms. He then proceeds to kill Susan by further necrotizing her already decaying body, and finally summoning maggots to eat away at zombie Reed. As he tosses whats left of the zombies back to their own world, he then tells them that since the being is now inside him he must sacrifice himself by going in, then he confesses that he is in fact Reed. Doom then switches places, stating that he will not let Reed die saving the world, and that he (Doom) will sacrifice himself, and he enters the zombie world. He is then faced against a whole range of zombies including Giant Man, Wolverine, the Hulk, Power Man, Iron Man and Spider-Man, feasting over the corpse of Galactus. His last line is "This should be a challenge." as the zombies now move to attack him. We then go back to the Baxter Building and learn that Mrs. Storm had known how it would go all along; she has now inherited Latveria, and they celebrate their victory.
[edit] Ultimate Fantastic Four Annual # 2
General Thunderbolt Ross is touring the relocated Think Tank in Pinhead Buttes, Oregon when it suddenly begins to sink beneath the ground, as the Fantastic Four arrive above and Reed reaches the conclusion that the Mole Man is responsible. Meanwhile, Molekevic is explaining his plans to the Think Tank and goes into a lengthy recollection of his childhood in Yugoslavia, his work with the Soviet military, his studies in western Europe, and his fondness for wearing womens clothing.
[edit] God War (#33-38)
The issue begins with Sue and Reed hanging out in a mall. Sue tells Reed that its a normal day with no powers. Suddenly, a group of aliens appear (The Ultimate Eternals). They take out the two and disappear. They then begin to make their way to a open spot so they can return home. Along the way they lose "the seed" so 3 of them return to track it down. It turns out that it is in the Baxter Building. They confront Johnny and make him explode. Johnny is then shown on fire but the Thing saves him before he goes supernova. The group then takes out Thing and Sue while Reed talks to the seed. The seed tells him that they'll need the Fantastic Four to beat Gallowglass. Gallowglass then shows up. He destroys some of New York. The Fantastic Four then make nice with the strangers and they prepare to take down Gallowglass. They get transported to an alternate dimension. Meanwhile on the planet Archon warriors have gatherd for the revival of planet leader Thanos the Destroyer while Ronan the Accuser and an unnamed warrior praise the glory and carnage he will cause when he revives. Meanwhile the Fantastic Four enter the spaceship where they confront Gallowglass and his minions and Gallowglass easily overpowers them meanwhile the servant Codwine sacfrices of the enimies of Arceon and revives Thanos who wants to wants to speak with an unknown ally.
