The Fall of the Fantastic Four: Part 1

The Invisible Woman writes a letter to her children Franklin and Valeria to explain to them the events leading up to the darkest chapter in the history of the Fantastic Four...

It all started when the Fantastic Four were busy containing Fin Fang Foom who was attacking New York City at the time. While the team tries to keep the massive dragon at bay, Mister Fantastic calibrates his a weapon to take him down. Eventually, they manage to incapacitate Foom and turn him over to SHIELD. While Nick Fury decides to try and figure out what to do with Foom, Reed questions what is the cause of this current rampage.

Back at the Baxter Building, the Invisible Woman allows herself to get upset over the fact that Valeria left them to live with Doctor Doom because she is angry over the secrets Reed was keeping from her during their mission through time and space. Mister Fantastic assures his wife that Valeria will eventually get over it and return home. Their conversation is interrupted when the children of the Future Foundation begin chasing Bentley-32 across the room. When Reed and Sue ask what all the commotion is, they learn that Bentley created a weapon that uses alchemy to convert unlikable food into chocolate. Seeing that there isn't much harm, Sue allows the children to have some fun. After the kids are on their way, Reed tells her that Johnny and Ben have gone out for the night.

The Thing has gone to visit Alicia Masters and tells her that he wishes to get back together, something that she wants to do as well. Meanwhile, the Human Torch is meeting with his new agent about starting his rock 'n' roll career. As part of his tour deal, Johnny has to sign a contract agreeing that he won't venture out into the Negative Zone or travel the Multiverse while on tour.

While everything in the life of the Fantastic Four appears to be going fine, that evening started the beginning of the end as the doorway to Gateway F opens and strange insectile creatures emerge from the other side and begin attacking Manhattan.

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Future Foundation (Franklin Richards, Dragon Man, Bentley-23, Onome, Tong, Turg, Leech, Artie Maddicks), SHIELD (Nick Fury, Jr.), Alicia Masters, Fin Fang Foom

Continuity Notes

• Reed mentions the "death" of Fin Fang Foom and the recreation of his body and how it contains both lizard and human DNA. Fin Fang Foom's original body was destroyed in Iron Man #275. His spirit, however, his spirit began possessing a statue and eventually reformed his body using a human body and lizards in Iron Man Vol 3 #15-18.

• Reed also mentions how Foom was "rumored" to have been a human-sized Buddist fry-cook. This is far from a rumor because it actually happened circa Marvel Monsters: Fin Fang Four #1.