Fantastic Four #27
The Search for Sub-Mariner!
Sue is surprised when she sees Reed using a device that projects his thoughts and sees that he is thinking of her. When trying it on Ben afterward, the Thing conjures up images of Doctor Doom, frightening him. When Reed asks Sue to try it on she declines, not wanting to have her thoughts revealed. When Ben starts asking Reed why he hasn't asked Sue to marry him, Reed tells both Ben and Johnny that he plans on doing just that.
Meanwhile, in his abandoned kingdom, the Sub-Mariner broods over his desire to have Sue Storm as his bride. When he orders the last of his followers to assist him in capturing her, they decline and abandon him as well. Deciding to deal with things himself, Namor disguises himself and travels to the surface world. At the Baxter Building, he incapacitates both the Thing and the Human Torch before revealing himself to Sue. Namor demands that Sue return with him into the sea and become his queen, but when she refuses to comply, he gasses her and takes her prisoner. When Reed returns from his shopping trip with an engagement ring, he is shocked to hear from Ben and Johnny that she had been kidnapped by the Sub-Mariner yet again. Suddenly becoming furious, Reed goes after Namor alone, fighting off Ben and Johnny when they try to calm him down.
Without Reed to guide them, both Ben and Johnny are unable to track down Namor. They reach out to the mystic known as Doctor Strange. Seeing Johnny's flaming message in the sky, Strange sends his ectoplasmic form to meet them at the Baxter Building. Doctor Strange agrees to help, and his form ventures out to find Namor's kingdom. Finding it, he confirms that Sue is safe before returning to tell Ben and Johnny her location. Meanwhile, Reed finds Namor's domain and attacks the Sub-Mariner. As Reed gains the upper hand, Namor's troops return to their king.
Back at the Baxter Building, Doctor Strange teleports Johnny and Ben to help Reed in battling the Atlantean soldiers. As Reed struggles with Namor, Ben holds off the soldiers while the Torch frees his sister. When the Atlanteans try to flood the chamber, the two siblings work together to stop the room from filling with water. Namor regroups with his soldiers and gets a powerful cannon, however when they fire on Ben and Reed, they discover the weapon apparently has no effect. It turns out that they were being protected by Sue's force field. She tells Namor that she does not love him and that she truly loves Reed. Observing from afar, Doctor Strange sees this as an opportune moment to step in and teleport the Fantastic Four aboard Reed's submarine. While Namor is disorientated, the quartet makes a hasty retreat. Despite Sue's claims that she loves only Reed, he is convinced that she only said so in order to protect him from Namor, leaving him in doubt about proposing to her.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, Thing), Doctor Strange, Sub-Mariner
Continuity Notes
The people of Atlantis abandoned Namor after he saved the life of the Invisible Girl in Fantastic Four Annual #1.
In this story, Reed Richards purchases an engagement ring for Sue. However, in Fantastic Four: First Family #6 Reed had already gotten a ring for Sue out of a chunk of meteorite. The events of that story took place between Fantastic Four #2 and #3. One could assume that Reed simply bought a second ring since the First Family story was published decades after this one.
The soldiers fighting alongside Namor here were some loyal followers who did not abandon him for pursuing a romance with Sue Storm in Fantastic Four Annual #1.
While Reed lost his nerve to propose to Sue here, he eventually mustered up the courage to do so in Fantastic Four #35. What he doesn't know is, Sue made up her mind about marrying him the last time Namor kidnapped her. This fact is not revealed until Fantastic Four: The Wedding Special #1.
The period of time is briefly visited by the spirit of Susan Storm's future self in Domination Factor Fantastic Four #2.3 who was on a quest to retrieve a slice of a Golden Apples of Idunn. As a result of the events in Domination Factor Fantastic Four #1.1-4.7 and Domination Factor: Avengers #1.2-4.8 a divergent reality of Earth-8921 is created.
