Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #3
The Bridge, Chapter Three
In an alternate reality, pirates based on the Human Torch, the Thing, and Invisible Woman are clashing in the sky with an invading ship of Skrulls. Among them is an alternate reality version of the Thing from a medieval reality, who is confused to find himself in this situation. While the wench Sue goes below deck to fetch Captain Storm a drink for battle, the two Things lend their strength to repel the invaders. However, Sue is actually a spy for the High Council which consists of this world's Mister Fantastic, Doctor Strange, Black Bolt, Iron Man, and Sub-Mariner. She reports on their work repelling the invaders and is told to keep up the good work.
Within the Bridge, the Mister Fantastic of Earth-616 continues to examine alternate realities to find out where he has gone wrong in recent history. This time he places his focus on sixty-five worlds where the Illuminati exists and the heroes survived the Civil War. On Earth-976, the Illuminati also included Doctor Doom and Magneto. On Earth-5521, the Illuminati eliminated the threat of the Skrull invasion by unleashing the Pheonix upon the entire race. After the Skrull homeworld was destroyed, Mister Fantastic killed the Phoenix. Lastly, on Earth-231, Richards decided that the Illuminati could not work effectively and murdered all the other members. As Reed examines these realities, on the pirate world the ship of Skrulls is defeated, however Captain Johnny and his crew spot more Skrull ships heading their way.
Back on Earth-616, the Richards children are fending for themselves while they wait for their parents to come home. However, Valeria begins to worry as the letter from HAMMER states that Norman Osborn is going to pay them a visit and decide if the Fantastic Four will still be allowed to operate. Valeria worries about what they are going to do, but Franklin is convinced that Osborn will be stopped no matter what. Meanwhile, the time has collapsed again, and in a reality in the midst of the American Frontier, Chamberlain Grimm and Captain Johnny find themselves drinking with the old west version of themselves. The cowboy version of Johnny warns them not to cause trouble because the town is protected by sheriff Black Susan. They explain at this very moment she is preparing to draw against a stranger called the Beyonder at high noon.
At that moment, Mister Fantastic is continuing his examination of other realities and how the Illuminati effected them. On Earth-538 where the Beyonder enslaved the world, whereas on Earth-29007 the Earth found peace when every super-human was transported to Battleworld to fight in a not-so-secret war. While on Earth-2819, the Illuminati's encounter with the Beyonder led to the destruction of the Earth. Focusing on the Skrull invasion, Reed finds Earth-3290 where the Skrulls won the war. This causes Reed to ponder how the Illuminati played a direct role in the invasion. His recent examination has caused time to collapse again, sending Chamberlain Grimm, Captain Johnny, and Black Susan to a world that is in the middle of World War II and an alien invasion. With their plane under attack, everyone on board abandons ship.
Back on Earth-616, Franklin and Valeria are woken up by the alarm and realize the 24-hour deadline is now over. Franklin checks the security monitor and spots Norman Osborn, Venom and an army of HAMMER agents approaching the Baxter Building. Franklin vows to stop them from causing trouble.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Franklin Richards, Valeria Richards, HAMMER (Norman Osborn, Spider-Man
Continuity Notes
This issue focuses on alternate versions of both the original Secret Wars and Secret Invasion taking place in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1-12 and Secret Invasion #1-8 respectively. There is a particular focus on the Illuminati's meeting with the Beyonder, which was depicted in New Avengers: Illuminati Vol 2 #3.
