Fantastic Four #46
Those Who Would Destroy Us
The Thing begins fighting with Black Bolt. He is amazed at the Inhuman leader's speed and strength. Reed discovers that Black Bolt acquires his power by absorbing electrons from the air into the antennae atop his brow. The Thing decides that all he needs to do is disable Black Bolt's "nutty tunin' fork" and the fight will be over.
Meanwhile, Triton attacks the Human Torch and manages to douse Johnny's flame. Triton states that the Inhumans have managed to avoid the attention of the Seeker for many years, but this impromptu fight may expose them all. Reed wraps his arms around him, until he realizes that Triton's tunic is actually a sealed moisture bag. The bag rips open, and the water spills out. With only seconds left, Triton makes a mad dash for the pier and dives into the water. Gorgon and Karnak take the opportunity to mount an attack against Reed and Sue.
Meanwhile, the Inhuman known as the Seeker arrives with his entourage at the Baxter Building. They have captured Triton and are in the process of tracking down the remaining Inhumans. The Seeker enters a laboratory where he finds the sedated Dragon Man. Mistakenly believing the Dragon Man to be an Inhuman, he prepares to bring him back to his hidden lair.
In the city, the Thing continues his fight against Black Bolt. Black Bolt proves to fast for the Thing's punches, but Ben manages to land an occasional blow. Karnak encourages his leader to use his strongest attack against Ben – a powerful punch that nearly cripples the Thing. The tactic proves too much for Black Bolt however and he nearly exhausts all of his energy.
Crystal informs Gorgon and the others that Triton has disappeared and may have been captured. They agree that a strategic withdrawal would be in their best interests and Lockjaw teleports all of the Inhumans to safety. Johnny flies after them hoping to find a trace of Crystal. Sue is startled to see how enamoured her brother has become with the Inhuman.
The Fantastic Four return to the Baxter Building only to find a hole in the laboratory wall. The Dragon Man is gone. Reed uses a special probe to trace the energy signature of the people who made off with the creature. They follow the trail to the Seeker’s hideout in the city and go inside. There, they find the Seeker and the captured Dragon Man. The Seeker has since discovered that the Dragon Man is merely an artificial life form and not an Inhuman at all, so he offers to return him to the FF. Reed asks him about the Inhumans, and the Seeker explains that the Inhumans are a race of highly evolved humanoids, who have perfected the arts of genetic engineering. Through their advanced science, they can bestow super powers unto any individual they see fit.
While the Seeker continues to speak, in another room, the Dragon Man awakens. Flying into a rage, he bursts free of his shackles and begins to run amok throughout the laboratory. The Seeker’s guards open fire on him, but their weapons prove useless. During the struggle, the Dragon Man inadvertently knocks over the water tank containing Triton’s captured form. Triton spills out of the tank, but without water to revitalize him, he will soon die.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, Thing), Inhumans (Black Bolt, Medusa, Crystal, Karnak, Triton, Gorgon, Lockjaw, Seeker), Dragon Man
Continuity Notes
The Seeker only provides a partial origin of the Inhumans here, merely stating that they were a genetically enhanced offshoot of humanity that surfaced millions of years ago. He omits the fact that they were experimented on by the Kree race as revealed in Thor #147, nor that they get their powers by being exposed to the Terrigen Mist as revealed in Thor #146. These omissions may derive from the secretive nature of Inhuman society that is referenced in this story. Other facts, that the Kree created the Inhumans as soldiers might be a fact that the Seeker was not made privy. That facts were revealed in Inhumans #3.
As revealed next issue, the Inhuman royal family was forced into exile by their cousin Maximus when he usurped the Inhuman throne from his brother Black Bolt. This event was depicted in Inhumans Special #1, and explains that Maximus sent the Seeker to reign in the royal family, primarily for the purpose of Maximus forcing Medusa to be his queen.
Although not specified here, the official name of the Inhuman Royal Family is actually the House of Agon. This title was first coined in Marvel Two-In-One #71.
The reason why Black Bolt does not speak is revealed in Fantastic Four #59, which explained that a side-effect of his super-human powers has made Black Bolt's voice powerfully destructive and that a single whisper could shatter a mountain. Black Bolt has no control over this and thus, does not speak. This handicap is expanded further when Black Bolt's origins were revealed in Thor #148. It was later expanded upon in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #2 and seen in Secret Invasion: Inhumans #3 that his destructive power was due to the fact that he was exposed to the Terrigen Mist while in utero.
Triton's inability to breath on dry land is a limitation that he has had since being exposed to the Terrigen Mist as explained in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #11
Karnak is the only member of the royal family who has not been exposed to the Terrigen Mist. His abilities are the result as his training as a monk as explained in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #4.
Lockjaw's origins are somewhat ambiguous, in Thing #3 it was suggested that Lockjaw was originally a humanoid that was mutated into dog form when exposed to the Terrigen Mist. However, X-Factor #71 states that this suggestion was a prank.
