Fantastic Four: Foes #1

Part 1

Andrew Lewis is rushing to get ready for work, as he scrambles for something to eat, his wife doesn't take her face out of the newspaper. Lewis soon arrives at the Baxter Building where a child mistakes him for Reed Richards. Lewis corrects the child and heads to his office Lewis Security Systems where he tells his secretary to hold all calls. Finally alone in his office, Lewis breaks down and laments over another boring day.

Upstairs in the headquarters of the Fantastic Four, Sue enters Reed's lab and scolds him for working all night long again. Reminding him that he needs to spend more time with his children, Reed waves her away as his work is important. She manages to get his full attention when she jokingly suggests that they get divorced. She then goes into the kitchen, she checks in with Ben and Johnny to find out what they are doing for the day. With Ben planning to go to the park with Alicia and Johnny going on a date, Sue heads off to take Franklin to school.

As the Fantastic Four go about their day they are unaware that somewhere in the city the Puppet Master is back out on the loose. The Puppet Master slips into a warehouse where he has organized a meeting of various Fantastic Four villains. The Puppet Master then tries to rally them all together to fight the Fantastic Four as a group. However, none are interested and everyone but the Mad Thinker quickly departs after the Puppet Master's speech. This all plays into the Puppet Master and Mad Thinker's plans, as they had no intention of working with the other villains. Instead, they used the meeting to secretly collect the DNA of all the villains in attendance. The Mad Thinker has developed a device that allows them to use the DNA to control these foes. To test the device, the Puppet Master summons Dragon Man with success. Satisfied, the Puppet Master then begins his plans to get revenge against the Fantastic Four.

While at the offices of Lewis Security Systems, Andrew grudgingly takes a phone call. Suddenly there is a piercing sound that puts Lewis into a trance. Someone then sneaks into his office and accesses a control panel and then leaves. As soon as the intruder is gone, Lewis snaps out of his trance with no memory of what happened.

Meanwhile, at Alicia Master's studio, Alicia can sense the presence of her step-father. Alicia demands to know what the Puppet Master is doing. He tells her that he is going to destroy the Fantastic Four once and for all and gives her one last chance to stand by his side. Their argument is heard by the Thing who comes crashing through the door. The Puppet Master is prepared as he uses his control helmet to summon the Dragon Man. As the Thing battles off Dragon Man, he places a call to the rest of the Fantastic Four. By the time that the rest of the team arrive the Thing has already defeated Dragon Man and captured the Puppet Master. When Reed examines the Puppet Master's device and the DNA samples this confirms some troubling calculations that he has run. I the Fantastic Four continue to battle their foes at this rate they will all be dead in two years.

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Franklin Richards, Valeria Richards, Alicia Masters, Threska, Puppet Master, Mad Thinker, Frightful Four (Wizard, Salamandra, Trapster, Hydro-Man), The Ruined (Exalt, Stem, B’arr), Mole Man, Red Ghost, Terrax, Klaw, Rama-Tut, Mahkizmo, Occulus, Diablo, Overmind, Super-Skrull, Dragon Man, Staak the Evolver, Devos the Destroyer, Iconoclast, Dreadface, Psycho-Man