Fantastic Four #397
Resurrection!
After being warned of danger posing his teammates, the Human Torch has rushed from Oklahoma back to New York City via JFK International Airport. Once on the ground, Johnny flames on and flies off towards the headquarters of the Fantastic Four, the Four Freedoms Plaza. After he has left, a suitcase on the luggage carousel suddenly shape-shifts into Lyja, Johnny's estranged wife who has been secretly following him since he last left New York. While at the Four Freedoms Plaza, Ant-Man and the Thing are fueling up the Steal-Hawk to go after Sue when Johnny arrives at the scene. As Scott explains that they have a homing beacon on Sue's Time-Sled, they are about to depart when suddenly the Watcher appears before them. He warns the three members of the Fantastic Four that the Skrulls are planning an invasion of Earth. Ben isn't buying this story, pointing out that the Watcher said that he must exile himself during their last encounter. Caught in a lie, the Watcher suddenly lashes out, firing energy beams from his eyes at the three heroes. The Watcher proves too powerful for them to fight. While Johnny and Ben try in vein, Ant-Man gets sudden inspiration from the Steal-Hawk. With the battle not going well, Ben tells Johnny to initiate plan 4-W, which Johnny reluctantly agrees to do, telling Ben not to die while he is gone.
At that moment in Tibet, the Invisible Woman awakens to find herself contained in a glass confinement. She sees that her father-in-law Nathaniel Richards is about to release two beings held in stasis. Thinking they contain her husband and Doctor Doom, Sue tries to break free in order to prevent Doom from being released. However once she breaks loose with an invisible force field, Nathaniel tells her that she is already too late and his task has been accomplished.
Back in New York, the Thing continues to battle it out with the Watcher, louring him to the reverse side of the Stealth-Hawk. From within, Ant-Man activates the engines, blasting their attacker in the face. However this does nothing to harm their foe, but it does create enough of a distraction for the Torch to return with a weapon that their late leader, Mister Fantastic, created to deal with the possibility of a Watcher turning against them. The weapon fires dekeon pulses that harm the Watcher, but before he can be defeated, he blasts the weapon out of Johnny's hands. But before their attacker can destroy his foes, the real Uatu suddenly appears before them. As it turns out the Watcher who has been leading the Fantastic Four's destiny in the recent past has been an impostor the whole time. Realizing that the jig is up, the phony Watcher teleports away. But before Ben and the others can get answers from the real Watcher he too teleports from the scene as well. However Johnny notices that the second Watcher left a device behind, realizing that it was likely left on purpose for them to use.
Meanwhile in Tibet, the stasis pods open, while Nathaniel laughs, Sue is shocked to see that the two contained inside are Kristoff Vernard, and a man who appears to be Doctor Doom's long time assistant, Boris. After Nathaniel introduces himself, Kristoff tells Richards that they must talk, as his master Doctor Doom's records on him were incomplete. While back in New York, Lyja rushes to the Four Freedoms Plaza, but arrives too late to join up with the team as the Stealth-Hawk takes off and flies past her from overhead. While back in Tibet, Sue demands to know who Kristoff's father is. Kristoff however tells her that he doesn't know who his real father is. Recounting that the only father he has ever known was Doctor Doom who took him in as his ward after his mother was killed. He recalls when Doom was considered dead his Doombots programmed him with the memories and personality of Doctor Doom for Kristoff to resume that role. When Doom eventually returned to claim the throne, Kristoff believed him an impostor until he was defeated by his master. Kristoff then states that he has been in stasis recovering ever since. Before Sue can tell Kristoff that Doom has apparently died, the monks warn that a ship is approaching, Kristoff suspects that it is Sue's teammates and tells the monks to open a hailing frequency. As they rush off, the man who they all think is Boris is amused that nobody suspects that he isn't who he appears to be.
Elsewhere the phony Watcher returns to his secret hideout, and is greeted by his companion, the Reed Richards formally known as the Dark Raider. While in Tibet, the rest of the Fantastic Four have arrived and are now in the audience of Kristoff Vernard. As they discuss the apparent demise of Doctor Doom and Reed Richards, Kristoff points out how Doom has faked his death many times in the past. Sue holds private council with Nathaniel, asking if Kristoff was the son he was speaking of the entire time, Nathaniel merely responds with the fact that she should be making assumptions. After some discussion, the Fantastic Four turn over the device that was left behind by the Watcher for Kristoff to examine. Upon closer inspection, Kristoff identifies the device as a power source for a weapon which could extinguish the sun. He fears that this weapon could be used to destroy their solar system and impresses on the heroes that it is imperative that they locate this rogue Watcher and have him reveal his plans before it is too late.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing, Ant-Man), Lyja, Nathaniel Richards, Watcher, Kristoff Vernard, “Boris”, Aron the Rogue Watcher, Dark Raider (possessed by Malice)
Continuity Notes
This issue marks the reunion of the Fantastic Four after they disbanded in Fantastic Four #392. Lyja has been secretly following her ex-husband Johnny since then.
Ben's face is scarred here after he was wounded by Wolverine in Fantastic Four #374. His face will be healed in Fantastic Four #409.
The phony Watcher is revealed as Aron the Rogue Watcher in next issue. Ben calls him out on putting himself in exile, which the fake Watcher claimed to do in Fantastic Four #392.
The real Watcher does not reveal much to the heroes because of the Watchers oath of non-interference that was established centuries ago as revealed in Tales of Suspense #53. Although the Watcher has helped the Fantastic Four many times in the past, he has been forced to maintain his oath following his trail in Captain Marvel #39.
Kristoff has been in stasis after his injuries sustained battling Mister Fantastic in Fantastic Four #352.
The man posing as Boris is later revealed to be Zarko the Tomorrow Man and an agent of Hyperstorm in Fantastic Four #409.
Mentions are made that Mister Fantastic and Doctor Doom are dead. The pair seemingly perished in Fantastic Four #381. It is later revealed in Fantastic Four #406-407 that they are actually prisoners of Hyperstorm.
Kristoff goes over his personal history but glosses over some details. Here they are:
He mentions how his mother was killed, this happened in Fantastic Four #247 when Doctor Doom was liberating Latveria from the tyranny of Zobra Fortunov who usurped the Latverian throne in Fantastic Four #200.
The scene with Doom and Kristoff in a school house is from Fantastic Four #258
Doctor Doom was seemingly slain battling Tyros the Tamer in Fantastic Four #260, this prompted the Doombots to program Kristoff with Doom's memories and personality in Fantastic Four #278. In reality, as revealed in Fantastic Four #288 Doom actually transferred his mind into the mind of Norman McArthur. He was later restored to normal by the Beyonder in that very issue.
Kristoff glosses over the conflict between himself and Doctor Doom. Kristoff was contained by the Fantastic Four for some time before he broke out in Fantastic Four Annual #20. He and Doom fought over who would rule Latveria. Doom himself was forced into exile after admitting he made an error, leading his Doombots to believe that Kristoff was the true Doctor Doom. Doom was actually incomplete after being reconstituted by the Beyonder and eventually restored his fractured mind in Fantastic Four #319. He later reclaimed the Latverian throne in Fantastic Four #350. Kristoff was actually seriously wounded when Doom forced him to fight Mister Fantastic in Fantastic Four #352.
