Fantastic Four #172
Cry, the Bedeviled Planet!
Following their battle against a golden gorilla that grew to gigantic size, the Fantastic Four are surprised that once restored to its original height and taken into their custody it can talk. Introducing itself as Gorr, it explains to the Fantastic Four that it has come from a distant world to seek out the Fantastic Four's help in stopping Galactus. When the Fantastic Four deliberating the situation, Gorr finds that time is running out and breaks free from his bonds. This incites another battle with the Fantastic Four, but this time with his full intelligence and his natural size restore the golden ape known as Gorr easily batters the Fantastic Four and escapes in their Fantasticar.
Chasing after the intelligent ape in their original Fantasticar, the Fantastic Four find that Gorr has return to his ship. Entering it, they soon realize that the whole battle was an attempt to trick the Four into entering his ship so that he could bring them to his world. While travelling through space, Gorr reveals that he comes from Counter-Earth, a world created by the High Evolutionary, a world that was tainted by the evil Man-Beast until he was defeated by the combined efforts of Adam Warlock and the Hulk. He explains that recently Counter-Earth had been discovered by the new Herald of Galactus, the Asgardian Destroyer amour. With Galactus posing a threat to his world, the High Evolutionary sped up Gorr's evolution turning him into a New-Man and sending him to Earth to recruit the Fantastic Four, the only beings that the Evolutionary knew to have defeated Galactus on more than one occasion.
Arriving just out of Counter-Earth's orbit, Gorr and the Fantastic Four arrive to see that the Destroyer is attempting to approach the High Evolutionary's artificial asteroid base. Despite the High Evolutionary's mental powers trying to keep the Herald at bay, he fails to stop the sentient armour from landing on his base. With no time to lose the FF begin putting on space suits, but they send out Ben first since his exo-suit maintains a temporary atmosphere and send him out to battle the Destroyer. Ben clashes with the Destroyer and at first it seems as though the Destroy is actually going to defeat him in combat when Ben is suddenly able to seemingly defeat the creature. Before he can celebrate however, he is telepathically by Galactus that in order to continue his existence he must feed and as such Counter-Earth must die.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, Thing), High Evolutionary, Gorr, Galactus, Destroyer
Continuity Notes
When Gorr steals the Fantasti-Car, Ben makes mention how it was previously stolen by Power Man. Power Man was briefly hired to be a member of the Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four #168-170 when Ben lost his powers in Fantastic Four #167. In Fantastic Four #169, Cage was possessed by the Puppet Master who forced him to steal the Fantasti-Car. The Thing rejoined the team after getting an exosuit that imitated his lost powers and Cage subsequently left the group in Fantastic Four #170.
Gorr glosses over the creation of Counter-Earth. It was created by the High Evolutionary in Marvel Premiere #1. His creation was perverted thanks to the machinations of the Man-Beast, prompting the Evolutionary to send Adam Warlock to Counter-Earth as a messiah of sorts. Warlock and the Hulk defeated the Man-Beast in Incredible Hulk #176.
The Thing compares the Destroyer to the Punisher construct. The Fantastic Four first clashed with that creature in Fantastic Four #49 It last clashed with the Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four #74.
