Fantastic Four #550

Should Eternity Perish

While investigating the threat of the Contrasepsis the Fantastic Four are attacked by a horde of the aliens at a tear in time and space. Soon the aliens breach the ship, forcing the team on the defensive. While the Thing holds off their attackers, Reed and the Black Panther finish putting together an Oditopian weapon, even though Reed suspects that this was the root cause of the crisis at hand. Still needed to test this theory out, Storm uses her powers to blast the Contrasepsis off the ships. With the ship clear of the attackers, Reed charges the rest of the team with defending the ship while he and the Black Panther finish the device. When they activate the device, it banishes the Contrasepsis it also rips an even larger hole in space-time. Johnny turns all of their attention toward a Watcher who suddenly falls into the void and is upset when none of the other Watchers act on it.

In order to resolve the crisis at hand, Reed points out that they need to find out where the Contrasepsi is. In order to track them, the Black Panther uses a device to summon the Silver Surfer. The Surfer is unhappy at being called by the Black Panther since their last encounter. However, Reed convinces the Surfer to help them out. The Silver Surfer then helps the Fantastic Four navigate through the tear in time and space. Through his cosmic tracking skills, the Silver Surfer leads them to the Contresepsis and discover that they are locked in a battle with Doctor Strange. Strange explains that he has been fighting for days to try and find the source of this disturbance that threatens to destroy the entire universe. While the Fantastic Four enter the frey, Doctor Strange explains that these creatures are actually used to protect the physical universe but something has caused them to lash out in hordes. He then uses the Eye of Agamotto to reveal to them that Eternity, the embodiment of the universe, is dying.

Reed eventually deduces that the Contrasepsi is like resistant strands of Staphylococci that are created by the excessive use of anti-bacterial soap. This metaphor applies to what the Oditopians engaged in to cause this crisis. As the battle rages on, Reed tells Doctor Strange that he will need to perform a form of cosmic surgery to remove the infected piece of space-time in order to save Eternity. As they struggle to figure out how to do this, they are suddenly greeted by Uatu the Watcher who offers his aid. Uatu then teleports to Wisconsin where he appears before Greg Willis and tells him that the power of Gravity is needed. Teleporting Gravity to the hole in time and space, he and Doctor Strange combine their powers to remove the diseased part of the universe.

With the surgery, a success, the Fantastic Four and their allies return home to the Baxter Building. There the Black Panther and Storm decide that their time with the Fantastic Four is done as Reed and Sue have patched up the troubles in their marriage. As they pay their leave, they tell the Fantastic Four that they are just a phone call away. With their allies done, Reed and Sue agree that they are returning to the Fantastic Four, and the team celebrates.

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing, Black Panther, Storm), Franklin Richards, Valeria Richards, Silver Surfer, Doctor Strange, Gravity, Eternity, The Watcher