Fantastic Four #414
Family Business!
Franklin has been restored to a young child again much to the joy of his mother the Invisible Woman, who hugs her baby after getting him out of the psi-armor he arrived in. Seeing Nathaniel Richards smirking over the whole ordeal angers Ben who threatens to punch out Nathaniel for putting the Fantastic Four through an emotional roller coaster by replacing young Franklin with his teenaged self. Nathaniel tries to explain that Hyperstorm must have altered the past so that he never took the child into the future to help raise him. After Reed calms Ben down, he demands his father provide answers immediately. Nathaniel decides to finally come clean. He reminds them how when he first returned to the present he told them of a dark future where mutant hunting Sentinels ruled North America and wiped out most of Earth's mutants including Franklin when he was an adult. He then tells them that future is but one many possibilities. In yet another reality, Franklin survived and pursued a relationship with Rachel Summers. Their union produced a child, Jonathan, who grew up to become Hyperstorm. Nathaniel then explains that through his study of time he has learned in every reality the Fantastic Four and their companions all vanish from the dimensional plane, and has long suspected that Hyperstorm was responsible. This infuriates Reed because his father knew of this the whole time and said nothing. Reed chastises the old man for not trusting them, but is certain that his plan to employ the power of Galactus will help them win the coming battle. Nathaniel tries to explain his son the futility of it all, pointing out that he trained Franklin in the future and taught Sue how to access hyperspace to try and stop Hyperstorm but none of these things have succeeded in changing their fate. When Nathaniel asks how Reed's plan can be any different, he tells his father that as long as he doesn't speak his plan out loud, Hyperstorm will never know and can't plan against it. When Reed insists on going alone he gets a protests from the rest of the Fantastic Four who insist on coming along. Reed concedes, but before they head out Johnny wants to go and say goodbye to his new girlfriend Laura Green.
With Kristoff off hanging out with Scott Lang's daughter Cassie while Scott is away, Ben goes to tell Lyja to tell Scott this. However he walks in on her just as she is answering a phone call from Johnny in her Laura Green identity. Caught red handed, Lyja explains her entire ruse, explaining she had no idea that her ex-husband would notice and become attracted to the woman she was pretending to be. In the hanger, Reed is preparing a ship to take them on their mission. When Sue comes to tell him that Franklin has been put down for a nap, he tells her that she needs to say behind and look after the boy. This angers Sue who tells Reed that her place is at his side battling Hyperstorm. Despite Reed's protests, Sue refuses to listen to any of his excuses. Shortly thereafter, Johnny is out on a walk with "Laura Green". Lyja struggles to tell Johnny the truth and when she finally speaks up, Johnny tells her it can wait until he comes back from his latest mission. However when he kisses Laura goodbye he is shocked by it and dismisses that there is anything wrong before flaming on and taking off. Back at the Four Freedoms Plaza, Reed leaves Franklin the care of Scott Lang, quietly telling him that in the event they don't return home that Franklin is to be enrolled in Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. As the Fantastic Four prepare to leave, Kristoff offers to come along, but Reed tells the youth that he is needed at the Four Freedoms. Soon the Fantastic Four and Nathaniel are aboard the ship which then drops into the Negative Zone. From there they head to the Cross-Roads of Infinity so they can jump across the positive universe to where Morgue seemingly slew Galactus not too long ago. When Nathaniel asks how they can use Galactus when he is dead, Reed points out that Galactus wasn't destroyed only nullified but cannot say anymore.
Soon, the Fantastic Four are landed on an asteroid where he and Sue are setting up a machine that is integral to their plans. While they are working away Nathaniel continues to press on the futility of the situation. While they are waiting, Ben notices that Johnny has been quiet and asks what's wrong. Johnny explains that since he broke up with Lyja he has been looking for the right girl for his life, and thought that he found it in Laura Green, but thinks that he isn't so sure anymore. Even though telling Johnny the truth would give him a shot at Lyja for himself, Ben cannot bring himself to say anything, and suggests to Johnny that perhaps the right girl has been under his nose all along. Soon Reed is completed his machine and activates it, the readings from the device confirm his theory all along: When Morgue used the Ultimate Nullifier it may have erased the Worldship of Galactus from existence, but Galactus himself managed to escape to a parallel dimension. As Reed explains how he just needs to knock down the barrier between realities, his device is blasted by Hyperstorm who has now arrived on the scene to destroy his foes once and for all. Now that his identity has been revealed, Hyperstorm explains that he has come to get revenge for his family being hunted down by animals by taking over every reality in the multiverse and forcibly bring peace and balance to everything.
This angers Nathaniel who attacks with his armors on board weapons, and right on cue the rest of the Fantastic Four begin battling it out with Hyperstorm, however their foe proves too powerful. Back on Earth, Franklin senses that his parents are in trouble but doesn't know what to do to help them. Suddenly a portal opens before him and a young boy emerges offering to show Franklin how to use his powers. When Franklin asks the new comer who he is, the other child introduces himself as Charlie and he has come to be Franklin's friend. Back in space, Hyperstorm has had enough and is charging up to kill his foes once and for all. While this is happening, Reed is finishing his repairs to his transdimensionalizer and succeeds in activating it. It causes the barriers between dimensions to break down revealing Galactus who is none too pleased to have been disturbed. Reed gives Hyperstorm one chance to surrender or face the consequences. Hyperstorm refuses to give up though, and soon his energy source attracts the attention of Galactus who has grown quite hungry while trapped in another dimension. Galactus then begins to feed upon the energies that Hyperstorm pulls from hyperspace. Reed then orders his teammates and father to retreat from the asteroid. As they leave, Hyperstorm resists against Galactus, but eventually the transdimensionalizer shuts down, trapping both behind the dimensional void, seemingly forever. With the threat of Hyperstorm now over, Nathaniel apologizes for ever doubting the Fantastic Four, whom he calls the world's greatest fighting team.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Franklin Richards, Nathaniel Richards, Lyja, Ant-Man, Kristoff Vernard, Hyperstorm, Galactus, Onslaught
Continuity Notes
Up until last issue, Franklin was replaced with a teenage version of himself that delivered to the modern age by Nathaniel Richards from Earth-6311. This occurred in Fantastic Four #376. Although everyone reacts as though this is Earth-616's. However Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #14 confirms that they are separate entities.
Nathaniel first explained the Days of Future Past reality to the Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four #376 which was a recounting of events first seen in X-Men #141. However as revealed in this issue, the reality that Hyperstorm hails from is not Earth-811, but Earth-967, an alternate version of Earth-811 where Franklin and Rachel Summers have a child.
Nathaniel mentions that the Fantastic Four and their allies go missing from the dimensional plane. He incorrectly attributes this to Hyperstorm, but he turns out to be wrong. In reality, it's actually Onslaught and Franklin who are jointly responsible as seen in Onslaught Marvel Universe #1. In that story the Fantastic Four, Avengers and Doctor Doom sacrifice their lives to stop Onslaught. Instead of dying they are all shunted to a pocket dimension by Franklin.
It is stated that Morgue killed Galactus in Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #109, however this is not entirely accurate, Galactus is trapped in another dimension until he is eventually freed in Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #144.
The forming love triangle between Lyja, Johnny and Ben is due to the following:
Lyja used to pose as Ben's now ex-girlfriend Alicia Masters. As revealed in Fantastic Four #358 she did so during the events of Fantastic Four #265.
She pursued a romance with Johnny and they were eventually married in Fantastic Four #300 but Ben eventually exposed her as a Skrull in Fantastic Four #357
Although the real Alicia was rescued in Fantastic Four #358, Ben could not rekindle the relationship due to the fact he was currently in a relationship with Sharon Ventura (which had been on going since Fantastic Four #317). Although Sharon was mutated further in Fantastic Four #379 and went missing after Fantastic Four Unlimited #5, Ben could not bring himself to renew his romance with Alicia, even when the Puppet Master tried to force it in Fantastic Four #393.
Meanwhile, as revealed in Fantastic Four #390, Lyja sought revenge against Johnny for abandoning her during the rescue mission that she allowed her fellow Skrull Paibok implant a Sha'Barri egg in her body. Since Fantastic Four #371 she led Johnny to believe she was pregnant with their child.
Lyja realized that she still had feelings for Johnny betrayed Paibok to be by his side in Fantastic Four #374. She eventually gave birth to the Sha'Barri egg in Fantastic Four #385. However she was forced to admit that it wasn't their child in Fantastic Four #390. Horrified by this deception, Johnny rejected her in Fantastic Four #392.
What Ben is not aware of is the fact that Lyja still cares for her ex-husband and has been posing as a woman named Laura Green since Fantastic Four #393 just to be near him.
Ben had secretly realized that he is attracted to Lyja in Fantastic Four #407.
"Charlie" is actually Onslaught who is gaining Franklin's trust until he can kidnap the boy and manipulate his reality altering powers, and succeeds in doing so next issue.
