In the Puerto Rican town of Ponce, there is heavy rainfall. While most citizens choose to stay out of the wet weather, the costumed hero known as El Vejigante is on patrol when there is a sudden explosion in town. The police arrive on the scene to investigate and discover that the blast was at a local pharmaceutical company. Looking inside they are shocked to discover that the facility is being robbed by a group of monkeys. Shockingly, the primates pull out ray guns and begin opening fire, forcing the cops to flee. Outside they are about to call for back-up when El Vejigante arrives on the scene. However, before the masked hero can stop the apes, they blow up one of the squad cars with a rocket and the force of the explosion knocks El Vejigante out.

The next morning, Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman are making sure their names are not mentioned in the newspaper. They have been vacationing in Puerto Rico and the night before they had to stop the Dragon Man from damaging an oil refinery in the town of Catano.[1] The pair then get back to playing twenty questions. It’s Reed’s turn and his last question is to ask when Sue realized that he was the one for her. Sue recounts that it was the day Reed helped her move into her first apartment. Johnny had bailed on her and didn’t set up her sound system like she had asked. This was a disappointment because she was hoping to listen to music while she was unpacking. When Reed came over, not only did he set up the sound system, but digitized her entire record collection and set up a system so that it would be voice-activated.[2] When it’s Sue’s term to ask her final question, she tells Reed that she needs more time to think it over.

That’s when they get a telephone call from one of the local police officers. Even though she is only hearing Reed’s half of the conversation, Sue already knows that their vacation is going to be put on hold — again — and pleads with Reed not to go. Unfortunately, the officer’s story about intelligent macaque’s using weapons is too intriguing for Reed to ignore and soon gets dressed in his Fantastic Four uniform and heads off to investigate, much to Sue’s chagrin. Meanwhile, the man named El Vejigante has returned home to nurse his wounds. As he strips off his costume he takes special care since, even though he is semi-immortal, his wounds still hurt. Finally able to rest, El Vejigante figures that Munoz Labs might be hit next and allows himself to get to sleep.

Later that day, Sue is out trying mofongo, a local delicacy when she gets a call from Reed. He calls to tell her that this case has gotten more complicated and that she should be on the lookout for El Vejigante who the authorities consider a suspect because he was at the scene of all three pharmaceutical robberies. Sue promises to keep an eye out but reminds him that he owes her big time after this is all over with. Ending the call, he continues talking with the police officers assigned to the case. However, he takes offense when they keep on referring to the macaques as vermin, he reminds the men that every modern medical breakthrough and the space program all exist thanks to experiments done on the macaques and to show more respect. When one of the officers mentions that the apes were wearing yellow jumpsuits this gives Reed some pause.

He quickly calls Sue back and tells her that AIM is active in the area and that they need to get involved in order to stop them. Spotting El Vejigante running across the rooftops, Sue tells Reed to track her signal as she just spotted their suspect. Changing into her costume, Sue manages to catch up with El Vejigante. Sue tries to stop him, but El Vejigante manages to slip past her.[3] When Reed tries to grab the vigilante in one of his enlarged hands, El Veijgante becomes intangible. He’s surprised when they call him a villain, however, when Sue traps him in an invisible force bubble, El Vejigante tells them that he is really a crime fighter. They ask El Vijigante to tell them more about him. The masked man agrees to tell them his story, but he admits that it is one he’s not very proud of.

El Vejigante was once a young man named Miguel, who proudly joined the military after a terrorist attack and was stationed in the middle east. Unfortunately, one day his unit’s transport hit an IED.[4] Caught in the middle of a sudden ambush, the man who would become El Vejigante found himself frozen with fear. As his ears began to clear, he began helping the wounded to cover until the enemy fired rockets at them. His survival instinct kicked in and he abandoned his teammates leaving them to die. The experience left him psychologically broken and the VA’s office was not much help for hid condition. He was eventually medically discharged and returned home. He then moved into a local flophouse and began trying to drink himself to death. One night a voice called out to him and he woke up to see a being dressed in a Vejigante costume. This costumed being explained that he too once did something that filled him with great shame and guilt that nearly destroyed him. However, this masked man was given a chance to make things right and balance the scales. He introduces himself as El Vejigante and that his family lineage dates back to the dawn of time. He has acted as the defender of the people of Puerto Rico until a worthy successor can take his place. Now, after over 100 years of active duty, he has found someone worthy of his powers. However, Miguel needs to accept this responsibility with a clear mind. With that, El Vejigante makes Miguel fall asleep and when he woke up the next morning he found El Vejigante’s mask laying on his floor. Deciding that he does want to take on the mantle of the hero of his people, Miguel then put on the mask and took on the mantle of El Vejigante.

Finishing his story, Miguel admits that the job he has taken is not easy, especially since he isn’t entirely sure how many powers he now has. When they ask him why he ran, he explains that it wasn’t long ago when the police would consider someone an enemy of the state for associating with non-Puerto Ricans. Sue convinces Reed to give El Vejigante a chance, reminding him how Spider-Man is one of their greatest allies despite the fact that he has a negative public image.[5] With El Vejigante freed, Reed shows them something they picked up from one of the crime scenes, a piece of biotech that creates a chimera effect. He has only previously seen this sort of technology employed by the High Evolutionary and fears that this is how AIM has been able to artificially enhance the intelligence of monkeys. When he explains that the energy source to power such a device would be enormous, El Veijgante tells them that he knows where the perfect place for such a facility would be. They then fly the Fantasti-Car to the city of Rincon where a long decommissioned nuclear reactor is located. Arriving in the area, Reed’s scanner confirm El Veijgante’s suspicions that someone has reactivated the nuclear plant. Their scanners also pick up the biomechanical enhancements that are employed by AIM’s leader, MODOK. Landing the Fantastic-Car, the trio knock out the AIMonkey’s guarding the door and sneak inside under a cloak of invisibility thanks to the Invisible Woman.

Unfortunately, they trigger a neural shocker and are blasted into unconsciousness. When the three superheroes awaken they find themselves contained in a neuro-shock force field. When El Veijante says they will stop MODOK’s attempts to take over the world. However, MODOK shocks them that his scheme of genetically enhancing the monkeys as a cost-saving measure as it is cheaper than employing henchmen.[6] Needing a way out of their predicament, Reed deduces that the force field utilizes a single energy pattern and, as such, El Veijgante should be able to use his phasing powers on it. Phasing up to the floor above them, the novice hero fights through a small army of the AIMonkeys and is able to reach the central circuit breaker and shut it off. Although this frees the hero, MODOK warns them that with the power shut off the reactor core is beginning to overheat and they will all be killed when it explodes. The heroes fight it out with MODOK and his army of apes, but it’s not until the Invisible Woman seals MODOK in an invisible force bubble and threaten him with her angry mother voice does MODOK agree to surrender so they can diffuse the situation. Soon after the danger is over, MODOK and his monkeys are turned over to the authorities. The Invisible Woman tells El Veijante that if he ever comes to New York he should come and visit them. He explains that, unfortunately, as a Vejigante he is bonded to the land and if he ever left Puerto Rico he would disappear. They agree to visit the novice hero the next time they are in the area instead.

With everything all wrapped up, Reed and Sue resume their vacation and hit the beach. Sue finally comes up with her last question but knows he won’t answer it but tells him that she, Johnny, and Ben all have a bet going on what the answer is. When Reed tells her to ask his question, she asks why he calls himself Mister Fantastic. He doesn’t really understand what she means and she points out that everyone else on the Fantastic Four named themselves after something relating to their powers, all of them except for Reed. Reed is surprised that she doesn’t know why he chose that name and decides to tell her as long as she promises not to tell anyone. The origin of this name also dates back to the day Reed helped Sue move into her new apartment. After trying out her new voice-activated sound system she was so impressed with how well it works she said anyone who could accomplish what Reed had done in under two would be considered mister fantastic in her book. This nickname really stuck with Reed, because of all of the other nicknames he was given due to his intelligence such as “egghead” or “big brain”, this was one that actually celebrated his intelligence instead of make fun of it. He remembered that moment on the day of the space flight that gave them their powers and this is why Reed chose the name Mister Fantastic. After hearing this, Sue says it is one of the most romantic things she has ever heard. Even so, Reed reminds her not to tell anyone, especially Johnny, quipping that he’d sooner let Doctor Doom know than Johnny. To that, Sue admits that the next time Doctor Doom calls Reed “Mister Fantastic” she won’t be able to stop herself from laughing.

Recurring Characters

Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, MODOK

Continuity Notes

1. The couple discusses how Dragon Man has an infatuation with Sue. Dragon Man has been drawn to the Invisible Woman since he was first drawn to life back in Fantastic Four #35.

2. This flashback takes place before the events of Fantastic Four #1. It is placed as happening between a flashback in Fantastic Four: The Wedding Special #1, and a flashback from Fantastic Four: First Family #5, placing it as happening when Sue and Reed were living in Central City while he was developing his space ship. As such, per the Sliding Timescale roughly 14 years prior to this story.

3. When El Vejigante calls Sue the Invisible Girl, she corrects him by saying she goes by the name Invisible Woman. Indeed, Sue used to be called the Invisible Girl when she first got her powers back in Fantastic Four #1. She eventually changed her name to the Invisible Woman following the events of Fantastic Four #284.

4. This story specifically states that El Vejigante was moved by the events of 9/11 and served in Iraq. Both of these facts should be considered topical references per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.

5. The Fantastic Four have been allies with Spider-Man ever since Amazing Spider-Man #1. Spider-Man has had a negative publication thanks to the negative editorials published by the Daily Bugle’s owner, J. Jonah Jameson, which started in that same issue.

6. MODOK actually specifies that AIM is being affected by the “Great Recession” which lasted from December 2007 until June 2009. This should also be considered a topical reference.