Fantastic Four Unplugged #1
Adapt This!
The Thing has gone out to buy a lottery ticket only to arrive a minute past the deadline. He argues with the store clerk to let it go given how many times he has saved the world, but the clerk won't budge. The Thing gives up and goes back out into the rainy streets of New York City. Not far away a beautiful woman is trying to hail a taxi cab so she can make her violen recital. When a cab finally pulls over to pick her up, a business man pushes her aside and hops in. However before the cab can drive away, the Thing grabs the rear bumper to prevent it from driving off. When the rude business man realizes the cab isn't moving because of the Thing he high tails it out of the cab. The Thing is helping the woman into the cab when suddenly the Fantasti-Flare goes off. Needing to answer this emergency, Ben asks the woman to let him into the cab, but she refuses to get out. With the cab driver telling them he needs to move it, they comprise with riding together since the woman needs to get downtown. The whole cab ride there the woman is abrasive and rude to the Thing, more interested in her recital than the potential danger that people might be in.
Eventually they get to the Williamsburg Bridge where traffic is held up, however it is close to the danger so Ben hops out of the cab. Running into a relieved police officer, the Thing is informed to the fact that some kind of monster is causing chaos on the bridge. When he goes to look he is struck in the fact by what appears to be an Adaptoid that can mimic Johnny's flame powers. As they fight it out, the Thing recognizes the android as the one that the Mad Thinker sent after him recently. The fight takes them out onto the passing subway track where the Super Android is struck by a train, but that fails to phase him. While the Thing had to jump to the side to avoid the train, he is pulling himself back onto the bridge just in time to see the police officer get cut down by the Adaptoid. Meanwhile in the cab, the woman grows impatient and decides to cross the bridge on foot despite the trouble, putting her right in the path of the Super Android.
As the Thing fights the creature, it locks him in an arm hold and in order to break free Ben tries to bite its arm. A chunk of the android breaks off and able to operate autonomous of the trest of the body it tries to choke the Thing by expanding in his throat. Ben manages to cough it out and the woman tries to smash it with her her purse. In doing so a bottle of perfume she has inside breaks and leaks onto the portion of the android causing it to dissolve. Realizing that it is vulnerable to alcohol, she tells this to the Thing. Spotting a nearby beer delivery truck, the Thing throws the Super Android into it. It emerges covered in beer and charges at the Thing but quickly dissolves into nothingness, ending it's threat. When Ben returns to his cab he finds that the cobbie left the meter running and he ends up with a very high fare.
Later at the Four Freedoms Plaza, the Thing checks in with the Vault to learn that the Mad Thinker had nothing to do with this attack and that he is still secure. While puzzling over this situation, the Thing walks past Johnny's room and notices that he is in there. Asking the Torch what he is up to, he explains that he is leaving the Fantastic Four.
Recurring Characters
Thing, Super-Android, Mad Thinker, Human Torch
Continuity Notes
Although no rendered very well, the Thing's face is scarred in this story because he was slashed in the face by Wolverine back in Fantastic Four #374. His face is fully healed in Fantastic Four #409.
The Thing last battled the Super-Android back in Fantastic Four #395, although it is seemingly destroyed here it reconstitutes itself in Avengers Unplugged #3.
The Human Torch states that he is quitting the Fantastic Four. This shouldn't come as a surprise to the Thing since Johnny has already told the team that he is quitting in Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising #2 which happens before this tale. Johnny joins Fantastic Force from Fantastic Force #10-15 before returning to the Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four #407.
The Exended Family of the Fantastic Four
This issue features some supplementary material that gives some brief background on the Fantastic Four and their extended family. Some additional facts about this feature:
It states that Nathaniel Richards has some mysterious goals. This is to prevent the birth of Hyperstorm a quest that reaches fruition in Fantastic Four #414.
It states here that Huntara is the sister to Mister Fantastic. This was stated in Fantastic Four #390. However in Fantastic Force #9, reporter Paul Alvarez claims that Huntara is his long lost sister Maria. This claim has not been substantiated and has been left ambiguous and unresolved as of this writing (January, 2022)
This tree states that Mister Fantastic and Doctor Doom were killed in an explosion. This happened in Fantastic Four #381, however as seen in Fantastic Four #406 they were actually kidnapped and made prisoner of Hyperstorm.
This tree states that the teenaged Franklin Richards is a grown up version of his younger self. Teenage Franklin seen here was delivered to the modern age by Nathaniel Richards from Earth-6311 to replace his Earth-616 counterpart. This occurred in Fantastic Four #376. Although everyone reacts as though this is Earth-616's Franklin all grown up, the young Franklin is returned in Fantastic Four #413. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #14 confirms that they are separate entities. Franklin believes that his mission was to stop the Dark Raider from destroying the Fantastic Four as explained in Fantastic Four #387, however this is part of a larger scheme to stop Hyperstorm that is not realized until Fantastic Four #414.
This entry states that at the time of this story the Inhuman Royal Family are the only free Inhumans on Earth. The group went into exile on Earth in Fantastic Four Unlimited #2. They are trapped outside of Attilan after it was brought to Earth and sealed behind a barrier in Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising #1-2.
This entry also briefly goes into the complexities of the relationships between the Human Torch, Lyja, the Thing and Alicia Masters:
Ben's relationship with Alicia Masters, the pair began dating back in Fantastic Four #9.
When Reed, Johnny and Ben being kidnapped by the Beyonder occurred in Thing #10. They were on Battleworld between Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1-12. While on Battleworld, Ben discovered that he could change back and forth between his human and Thing forms and decided to stay.
Lyja took Alicia's place happened just prior to the heroes return from the Secret Wars. Johnny, Reed and She-Hulk's return to Earth was depicted in Fantastic Four #265. This fact was revealed in Fantastic Four #358.
Johnny and "Alicia's" relationship began to grow from Fantastic Four #267 onward.
The scene where Ben discovered Johnny and "Alicia's" relationship is from Fantastic Four #277. Ben left Battleworld in Thing #22.
Lastly Lyja recounts her marriage to Johnny which occurred in Fantastic Four #300.
Ben eventually got over it and began pursing a relationship with Ms. Marvel, who had joined the ranks in Fantastic Four #307. After Sharon was mutated into a she-thing in Fantastic Four #310 they eventually fell in love with each other in Fantastic Four #317.
Their relationship became strained when Ben was restored to human form in Fantastic Four #327 leading to Sharon seeking a cure from Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four #350. Ironically, Ben mutated himself into the Thing again to try and put them on even ground. Sharon suddenly disappeared following the events of Fantastic Four #354.
Not long after that, Ben exposed Lyja in Fantastic Four #357 and the Fantastic Four rescued her in Fantastic Four #358. Alicia still believed that she and Ben were still in a relationship, and he did not mention Sharon until she resurfaced and approached Alicia herself in Fantastic Four #365.
Ben couldn't make up his mind over who he wanted to be with, prompting Alicia to eventually leave him in Fantastic Four #385.
The Puppet Master more recently tried to force the couple back together in Fantastic Four #394 but this didn't work.
