Fantastic Four (Vol. 5) #5
The Fall of Fantastic Four: Part Five
Today is the day the Fantastic Four have to answer for the recent attacks on New York City in court. Covering the story for the Daily Bugle is veteran reporter Betty Brant. Arguing against the Fantastic Four is chief prosecutor Aiden Toliver. The case is off to a rough start when Toliver asks Reed Richards about the first time he used the Fantasti-Flare to summon the Fantastic Four. As there was no immediate threat, Aiden points out how the fledgling Fantastic Four counted a great deal of property damage, including the destruction of military aircraft at the hands of the Human Torch.
Next, Tolvier calls the Thing to the stand to talk about one of the Thing's early battles against the Hulk. Although She-Hulk, who is defending the Fantastic Four, points out that her cousin is now an authorized agent of SHIELD and that the Avengers were also involved in the clash which Tolvier mentions, he still is allowed to question about this incident. Aiden points out how the Thing continued to antagonize the Hulk and cause countless millions of dollars in property damage provoking further battle when the Hulk was clearly trying to get away. Next Toliver calls the Invisible Woman to the stand and brings up the Fantastic Four's relationship with the Sub-Mariner, mentioning his many attacks on New York City. He also points out how the Fantastic Four has never worked with SHIELD or another agency to trap him once and for all, something that the people of Wakanda would have appreciated now.
Johnny Storm is called up next and his past relationship with Crystal of the Inhuman Royal Family is brought up. He mentions the damage caused to New York during the Fantastic Four's first encounter with the Inhumans, their long association and the recent destruction of Attilan that could have been prevented had Johnny shared what he knew with various intelligence agencies. Mister Fantastic is called to the stand again, and he is questioned of his long history with Doctor Doom. Pointing out that regardless of the many times that the Fantastic Four fought Doctor Doom, even terrorizing his Reed and Sue's children in the process, he allowed his daughter Valeria to run off to Latveria to be with that same foe. After a lunch break, the trial resumes and Aiden Toliver brings up the Fantastic Four's first encounter with Galactus. How Galactus was defeated with the Ultimate Nullifier. When Toliver asked where the Nullifier went, Reed said he doesn't entirely know. This leads to the admission that at one time Reed had the Nullifier in the Baxter Building. This leads to Reed also admitting to having a portal to the Negative Zone, also in the Baxter Building, That the Negative Zone is where invaders such as Blastaar and Annihilus comes from. He also gets Reed to admit that he has other portals to other dimensions, like the one where the most recent invaders came from.
Next. the Invisible Woman is brought back to the stand to talk about how she was once turned into Malice by the Hate-Monger. Toliver next brings a witness to the stand who testifies that his father's career as a cab driver has ruined thanks to one of the Thing's temper tantrums and that they have never been able to recoup money for the loss because of all the other lawsuits file against the Fantastic Four. In his closing arguments, Toliver points out that the Fantastic Four have saved the city and the world many times over, they are responsible for years of careless and reckless behavior. The Fantastic Four soon lose their case, and although the She-Hulk is planning on filing an appeal, this has done nothing to stop the courts from seizing the children of the Future Foundation.
Meanwhile, in Italy, Doctor Doom is trying heroics for the first time by liberating the town of Puglia from the tyranny of Count Neferia. When Valeria suggests they do something about famine ravaged reasons in Somalia, Doctor Doom notices that there is something wrong with her. She admits that she misses her brother Franklin and hopes that he is okay. At that very moment at SHIELD Base 4201 (formally Camp Hammond), the children of the Future Foundation are offloaded from an aircraft. When the soldiers there tell Alex Power that he has to go, as he is not a minor and his parents have requested his return, Alex refuses to go. The situation gets tense when the man in charge arrives. As it turns out it is Jim Hammond, the original android Human Torch. Upon seeing this legend from World War II, Alex assures the children that they will be okay here.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Future Foundation (Franklin Richards, Alex Power, Dragon Man, Bentley-23, Vil, Turg), Betty Brant, She-Hulk, Valeria Richards, SHIELD (Human Torch), Doctor Doom, Quiet Man, Count Nefaria
Continuity Notes
Betty Brant notes a few prominent court cases in the Marvel Universe:
The trial of the Hulk, of which there are a few, notable in Incredible Hulk #152 and Savage Hulk #1.
The Trial of Magneto from Uncanny X-Men #200.
The events mentioned in the Fantastic Four's court trial are as follows:
The first time the Fantastic Four were summoned is taken from the pages of Fantastic Four #1.
The first battle against the Thing and the Hulk happened in Fantastic Four #12, but the one specifically referenced here is from Fantastic Four #25-26.
Mention is made of the Sub-Mariner's long history with the Fantastic Four which dates back to Fantastic Four #4. Atlantis attacked New York City many times in recent history, the earliest the Fantastic Four were involved in dated back to Fantastic Four Annual #1.
The Fantastic Four's first encounter with the Inhumans occurred in Fantastic Four #45. Johnny fell in love with Crystal instantly and they dated from Fantastic Four #66 to 105.
The flashbacks of the Fantastic Four's various battles with Doctor Doom include Fantastic Four #39-40 when they fought Doom alongside Daredevil, when Doom stole the Silver Surfer's Power Cosmic in Fantastic Four #57-60 and when Doom attacked the Fantastic Four using Valeria as a familiar in Fantastic Four Vol 3 #68-70 and Fantastic Four #500.
The Fantastic Four's first battle with Galactus was chronicled in Fantastic Four #58-50.
The Malice incident mentioned here occurred in Fantastic Four #280-281 and Secret Wars II #2.
She-Hulk mentions how her cousin, the Hulk, is an authorized agent of SHIELD. This was the case at the time of this story as seen in Indestructible Hulk Vol 1.
Toliver mentions the destruction caused in Wakanda which occurred in Avengers vs. X-Men #8. This was an attack carried out by the Sub-Mariner.
Attilan was mention as being recently destroyed. This happened in Infinity #3.
Continuity Errors
In the flashback showing Reed Richards summoning the Fantastic Four for the first time, the Thing is depicted wearing black trunks with a white waistband. Not only is this an error because the Fantastic Four did not start wearing stylized costumes until Fantastic Four #3 but also because the Thing is wearing a version of his costume that the group didn't start wearing until Fantastic Four #256.
Reed states that he once stored the Ultimate Nullifier in the Baxter Building for study. However, at the end of Fantastic Four #50, Mister Fantastic relinquished it to Galactus. In fact, the Ultimate Nullifier was never stored at the Baxter Building.
