Fantastic Four #559 — Nick Peron

Mar 5

Mar 5 Fantastic Four #559

The Hooded Man

The Thing is taking Debora Green to a taping of a late-night television show that has booked Johnny's band to perform. When they land the Fantasti-Car near the Ed Sullivan Theater they are swarmed by press. Debbie is bashful at first, but Ben carries her over his head and tells her to get used to this sort of attention while they are dating. When they enter the theater they learn from the band's agent that Johnny hasn't arrived yet. Miguel calls Johnny and tells him to get to the theater pronto. However, Johnny is reluctant to leave his expensive car parked on the streets of New York, but one of his bandmates threatens to replace him if he doesn't get there. Before Johnny can park and fly there, he is suddenly attacked by Lightwave, who wrecks Johnny's ride.

Elsewhere, the Invisible Woman has agreed to meet with Alyssa Moy for dinner. Alyssa engages in small talk about Sue's charity work and the kidnapping of Doctor Doom until Sue tells her to get to the point. Alyssa explains that her husband, Ted Castle, has been lying to her about the true nature of Nu-Earth. She agreed to the project on the basis that everyone on Earth would be evacuated, but just recently learned that Nu-Earth is going only being built for politicians and the super-rich, a total of a million people to restart the human race while everyone else is left to rot on a dying Earth. Alyssa tells Sue that she had come to her because she is ashamed for being so easily fooled by her husband and because she and Reed are not on speaking terms. When Sue suggests that they blow the whistle, Alyssa points out that the people involved are world leaders, and heads of media and business, faced with people like that -- who do they have left to call?

Meanwhile, Johnny recovers from the crash following Lightwave's attack and discovers that he is the father of Psionics. Although Psionics tells her father not to harm Johnny, Lightwave isn't interested in treating the Torch gingerly after the way he made his daughter cry. The battle between the Torch and his foes takes them across the city. However, Johnny remains one step ahead until the mysterious Hooded Man leaps into the fray and easily incapacitates the Torch so the New Defenders can take him prisoner as well.

At the Baxter Building, Henry Pym contacts Reed to check on the Doom situation and learns that he is going over Alyssa Moy's environmental data and finds it impossible that the world will be dead in thirty years. He is interrupted by Mrs. Denevue, the children's nanny, who tells him that something has happened to Johnny.

At that moment at the New Defenders’ secret headquarters, Johnny is restrained on a device with Doctor Doom. Johnny demands to know what's going on. The Hulk tells them that Natalie X just probed Doctor Doom's mind so they can move forward with their plans. He then turns Johnny's attention directly below him where his captors have incapacitated Galactus himself!

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Valeria Richards, Debbie Green, Alyssa Moy, New Defenders (Invisible Woman-807128, Hulk Jr, Hooded Man, Alex Ultron, Natalie X, Lightwave, Psionics), Doctor Doom, Galactus-807128, “Henry Pym”

Continuity Notes

Ben mentions that David Letterman is having Johnny's band. However, this should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616. Particularly since Letterman retired from late-night television in 2015.