Fantastic Four Annual #3
Bedlam at the Baxter Building!
Reading a newspaper announcement of Reed Richards and Susan Storm's wedding day, Doctor Doom plots to ruin it by using his emotion changing device to incite the entire super-villain community (whether or not foes of the Fantastic Four) to attack the ceremony. A crowd has gathered outside the Baxter Building, where the wedding is to take place, to watch the celebrity guests arrive. The onlookers include both Millie the Model and Patsy Walker.
Nick Fury and SHIELD are providing security for the wedding, and prevent a guest whom the Puppet Master is controlling from poisoning the Thing. While the Thing is considering whether to tell Reed about the incident, Mole Man and his subterranean Moloids attack from beneath the building. Professor X summons the X-Men to aid the Thing in warding them off. Meanwhile Reed, Sue and Johnny are attacked by the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes, until the latter are banished to another dimension by the newly arrived Doctor Strange.
With the initial attacks defeated, Dr Doom increases the power inciting villains including the Mandarin, the Black Knight, Kang the Conquerer, the Awesome Android, and the Grey Gargoyle to attack. Whilst on his way to the wedding, Thor is attacked by the Super-Skrull. Daredevil spots Hydra agents attempting to collide a missile with the Baxter Building and succeeds in driving it off, dumping it into New York harbor: the missile's detonation destroys an attacking undersea force led by Attuma the Barbarian. The arriving Avengers, Captain America and Hawkeye battle the Cobra, the Executioner, the Enchantress, Mr Hyde, and the Mad Thinker, with the help of Spider-Man.
While Daredevil is being chased by the Black Knight, assistance from the X-Men is interrupted by the arrival of the Mandarin, Electro, the Unicorn, the Melter, and the Beetle; whilst Quicksilver simultaneously battles the Human Top.
These events rapidly culminate in an all-out battle between the heroes and villains, until Reed Richards is summoned to the Watcher's citadel, where he is given a device that will allow him to transport all the attackers away, with no memory of what has transpired. With the villains defeated, Reed and Sue are married. Outside, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby are turned away from the ceremony as they do not have invitations, and leave muttering dire threats of retribution.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, Thing), Alicia Masters, The Watcher SHIELD (Nick Fury, Gabriel Jones, Dum-Dum Dugan), Daredevil, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, X-Men (Professor X, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Beast, Angel), Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Quicksilver), Patsy Walker, Hedy Wolfe, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Foggy Nelson, Karen Page, Doctor Doom, Puppet Master, Red Ghost, Super-Apes (Miklho, Peotor, Igor), Mole Man, Moloids, Mandarin, Black Knight, Hydra, Cobra, Mister Hyde, Enchantress, Executioner, Kang, Super-Skrull, Grey Gargoyle, Electro, Unicorn, Melter, Beetle, Mad Thinker, Awesome Android, Human Top, Attuma, Diablo, Eel, Porcupine, Hellhorse
Continuity Notes
This story is told from another perspective in Marvel: Heroes & Legends #1 as well as in Marvels #2. Both of these tales confirm that the Time Displacer device not only wiped out the memories of the villains who attacked the wedding, but everyone on Earth. It also wiped out any photographic evidence of the villains' attack so that the record of Reed and Sue's wedding was not marred with reports of the battle.
In addition to the cast of characters listed above, Marvel: Heroes & Legends #1 reveals that Phil Sheldon, Plantman, Batroc the Leaper, Grogoom, and the Trapster were all also present at the wedding.
Doctor Doom was seeking revenge against the Fantastic Four after the Thing crushed his hands at the end of Fantastic Four #40. Doom had been hatching this scheme since Fantastic Four #43.
Notably absent from the festivities were the Hulk and the Sub-Mariner. During this period of time, Namor was trying to reclaim his throne from Warlord Krang as depicted in Tales to Astonish #70-76. While the Hulk was being manipulated by the Leader into stealing the Ultimate Machine from Tales to Astonish #70-74.
Following their wedding Reed and Sue were briefly brought to the future of Earth-60166 where they met numerous versions of their future selves who were gathered by their Earth-60166 counterparts to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary as seen in Fantastic Four: The Wedding Special #1. When Reed and Sue are returned to the exact moment that they were taken from, they retained no memory of the festivities. It was revealed in that same story that Reed and Sue spent their honeymoon at the Watcher's citadel on the moon.
