Dark Victory

Abraxas has just obtained the Ultimate Nullifier the one thing that could potentially stop him from destroying the entire multiverse. With the Fantastic Four as his only opposition, he unleashes his army of alternate-reality Novas to attack the team on the rooftop of their Baxter Building headquarters. Johnny tries to talk sense into the Nova that betrayed him to Abraxas, but she explains that she wants him to experience the pain of the heart. To bring this message across she raises a pillar out of the floor of the building which contains the lifeless body of Namorita, who has suffocated after Abraxas reverted her back to her Kymaera form. Nova reveals that in her world, her Galactus destroyed the Earth even after she agreed to become his herald. Furious at this betrayal, Johnny attacks Nova while the other members of the Fantastic Four try to attack Abraxas. The powerful being deflected their attacks by sending his Novas after him. Watching events unfold is Satyarnine who orders Franklin and his sister Valeria to stick by her side.

Suddenly the Fantastic Four are joined by heroes from across the multiverse who have appeared in their version of New York thanks to Abraxas being in the proximity. They get assistance from a female Doctor Spectrum, Thor, Spider-Man and the original Captain Marvel. As Sue saves Johnny after being defeated by Nova, the Thing tries to attack Abraxas directly but is easily cast aside. Abraxas then turns his attentions to Mister Fantastic and begins torturing him, telling Reed that after he dies, he'll ensure that all versions of Reed across the multiverse die as well. As the battle rages on, Sue and her children witness Reed writhing in pain. Seeing his father suffering, Franklin realizes what he must do. He asks his mother and Valeria to take his hand. Entering into a mind link, Franklin reveals that his baby sister, who died years earlier in childbirth, didn't actually die at all. Roma showed Franklin that he somehow used his powers to save the baby's life and bring it to a possible future where it was reborn as Valeria von Doom. That his fondest wish had been granted.

Spotting a massive star glowing in the sky, Valeria tells Franklin to wish upon it. Just moments before Abraxas can use the Ultimate Nullifier, Franklin's wish causes the sky to fill up with the image of Eternity and then Infinity. Using their powers in unison, both Frankin and Valeria cause a massive surge of energy that resurrects Galactus. Restored to his full strength, Galactus then strips Abraxas of the Ultimate Nullifier with ease. When the Novas try to attack him he slays them with a gesture. Galactus then tells Mister Fantastic that he must do what comes next. Reed realizes that he has no choice in the matter and as Abraxas begs him not to do so, Reed Richards activates the Ultimate Nullifier. All of the reality blinks out for an instant, shattering Eternity entirely. When it returns again, it's as though the multiverse was never endangered by Abraxas to being with. Johnny is surprised to see that Namorita is alive and well and back to normal. Franklin is first to notice that not everything is back to normal: Valeria is missing. The Watcher then appears and tells the Fantastic Four that in order to stop the threat of Abraxas and save all that there is a rebirth was necessary. He points out yet another thing that was restored following the defeat of Abraxas: the Silver Surfer soars the skies once more. Suddenly they hear the voice of Sue calling out for Franklin. When the boy runs to his mother the Fantastic Four are shocked at the sight of Sue, who is now pregnant.

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Franklin Richards, Marvel Girl, Galactus, Watcher, Saturnyne, Namorita, Abraxas, Nova, Eternity, The Watcher, Valeria Richards (unnamed), Silver Surfer

Continuity Notes

• Johnny is depicted as wearing a red and yellow uniform in this story. He last wore a uniform in this color scheme was in Fantastic Four #132-159.

• Valeria von Doom is actually an adult version of Valeria Richards the stillborn second child of Reed and Sue. Valeria didn't survive the child birthing process as depicted in Fantastic Four #267. This is revealed in Fantastic Four Vol 3 #49. Franklin ultimately uses his powers to restore Valeria to her newborn state so Sue can give birth to her again in Fantastic Four Vol 3 #50.

• Abraxas reverts Namorita to her Kymaera form. She held this form from New Warriors #44 until she was reverted back to normal in Nova Vol 3 #2.

• Mention is made about Johnny's past relationship with the Nova of Earth-616 and how at the time of this story she was dead. Some facts:

  • Johnny and Frankie dated between Fantastic Four #164-204 and 232-244. In issue #244 she agreed to become a herald of Galactus.

  • Frankie served with Galactus for years until she was murdered by Morg in Silver Surfer Vol 3 #75.

  • Per the Sliding Timescale, Nova will be resurrected as seen in Heralds #1-5, roughly two years (in Marvel time) after this story.

• The flashbacks of Sue during her pregnancy are mostly taken from previous stories. These include:

  • The scene where Sue uses her invisibility powers to catch paint which was depicted in Fantastic Four #263.

  • Sue's miscarriage took place in Fantastic Four #267.

  • Sue lashing out with her powers take place in Fantastic Four #269 and Franklin consoling her took place in the following issue.

• Galactus was transformed into a star at the end of Galactus the Devourer #6.

• The depiction of the Twin Towers at the site of the World Trade Center should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616. The twin towers were destroyed in a terrorist attack on September 11th 2001.

• The Watcher states that the multiverse needed to be rebooted in order to continue. This wasn't the first nor the last time such has happened. As revealed much later in Ultimates Vol 2 #2 the Earth-616 has gone through a number of reboots in the past.

• The Silver Surfer is resurrected here after being killed by Abraxas in Fantastic Four Vol 3 #46.

• Sue's pregnant is rebooted after his miscarriage in Fantastic Four #267, which -- per the Sliding Timescale -- happened four years prior in Marvel Time.