Fantastic Four (Vol. 3) #58

The Ever-Lovin', Blue-Eyed End of the World: Part 2

The Fantastic Four are in crisis mode: The Thing's body has been creating violent berserker versions of himself that Reed was forced to shunt to a pocket universe of his own creation. With only a few hours before they are forced to return, Sue and Johnny are busy trying to reach out to their various allies to try and get help. With the Avengers and Inhumans are unavailable. Reed impresses upon them the dire situation, if he doesn't find a solution, the Thing reproductions will return to Earth and decimate the entire planet.

In the pocket dimension, the Things are running rampant across the empty utopian world. With the real Thing as their prisoner, they intend to "clobber" him because he has the ability to revert between human and Thing forms. As Ben is being dragged away by his crude progeny the future casting television continues its stream of a possible future where these Things get loose on Earth and cause untold destruction and death. Ben takes a pounding while the television informs him that he will fall in battle trying to stop these creatures and the military will be forced to consider a nuclear option to destroy the monsters. As he flicks off more of the nodes growing off his rocky skin, the Thing hears how the Fantastic Four were the first to die in battle and the first innocent casualty will be none other than Reed and Sue's daughter Valeria.

Back on Earth, Johnny and Sue continue to try and reach out to the superhero community to no avail. Meanwhile, Reed is communicating with a group of experts on how to try and resolve the problem, but the others hear Reed express his frustration over being unable to resolve the problem. While back in the pocket dimension, the Thing tries to find a solution of his own even amid more dire broadcasts from the future. Deciding he needs some kind of improvised weapon, Ben begins crushing the futuristic cars into compact balls of scrap into massively dense projectiles that he can use against the growing armies of berserker Things.

While at the Baxter Building, Johnny and Sue check on Reed and to learn who he is talking to. They are confused when Reed talks about how he has a newborn daughter and the Human Torch on his world is male. Reed reveals who he is talking to by flipping on a visual revealing that he is communicating with alternate versions of himself from across the multiverse. This "Congress of Reeds" has been putting ideas together to try and discover a solution to the problem but so far they have not been successful. At that moment back in the pocket dimension, Ben has made an arsenal of projectiles and begins lobbing them at his evil duplicates. While he has the element of surprise the berserkers manage to swarm him. When all seems lost suddenly someone ELSE begins tossing his projectiles. To his surprise, he has been saved by other spawns from his skin who are altruistic and wish to help him stop the berserkers from destroying everything. With this addition of these new allies, Ben is ready to face off against his foes.

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Valeria Richards

Continuity Notes

• These things are a byproduct of the fact that the Thing regained the ability to revert human form at will back in Fantastic Four Vol 3 #38. He sacrifices this ability next issue.

• The Fantastic Four attempts to get in touch with the Avengers, the Inhumans, Iron Man, and Doctor Strange who are all unavailable. At the time of this story...

  • The Avengers (including Iron Man) were busy battling the Elements of Doom in Avengers Vol 3 #56.

  • While Doctor Strange was still under the influence of a curse put on him by Yandroth as seen in The Order #1-6.

  • The Inhumans were last seen in Fantastic Four Vol 3 #54 on the moon trying to rebuild their home of Attilan. What they are up to at this time is undisclosed, but likely they are in the process of arranging an Inhuman exchange program as seen in their next appearance in Inhumans Vol 4 #1.

• The Congress of Reeds should not be confused with the less than altruistic Interdimensional Council of Reeds who were first seen in Fantastic Four #570.