Fantastic Four Unplugged #2
Will Power
The Fantastic Four and their extended family are at the offices of Clayton & Crabtree for the reading of Mister Fantastic's will. The Thing is less than happy about this reading because he views those inheriting parts of Reed's estate as nothing more than vultures, this leads to a scolding from Sue. They eventually get to the meeting room where Johnny, Franklin, Nathaniel, Huntara, the Sub-Mariner and She-Hulk are waiting to do the reading. After She-Hulk reads Reed's final statement, the Thing interrupts asking when they are going to divide up the "loot", offending everyone in the room due to his lack of sensitivity. However Scott takes this as a cue that everyone who is not considered immediate family exit the room so that Ben, Johnny, Sue, Nathaniel, Franklin, Huntara and a representative of the Latverian embassy, can hear the rest of the will. When Ant-Man tells Ben he'll see him back at home, Ben gives him attitude.
With the others gone, She-Hulk begins reading the will. The first item on the list is a scrapbook of Reed's life and childhood that is bequeathed to Nathaniel, as a reminder of all the things he missed as Reed was growing up. Nathaniel is touched and grows quiet as he flips through the book, stopping at a photo of his late wife and Reed when he was a child. The Thing watches this display and thinks to himself about how he doesn't buy Nathaniel's display of emotion considering he abandoned Reed years ago, while Ben stuck by him no matter what. Franklin is left a trust fund as well as the Fantastic Four's original costumes. Ben is shocked to hear that Reed had been holding onto those costumes for so long and thinks about all the various changes the group has undergone over the years. This causes Ben to recollect how he and Reed were best friends all through university together. He recalls on his greatest day in his football career, he gave Reed the game ball, even though he didn't think Reed fully understood the significance. In recollecting those old memories, Ben misses them.
Next She-Hulk reads that Johnny is to inherit the original Fantasti-Car, which Ben cryptically hopes Johnny wraps around a tree. This makes Johnny angry and he reams Ben out for saying such a horrible thing until She-Hulk breaks them up. Ben explains that these are not just possessions they account for Reed's life and that they are all they have left of his memory and they should respect these things instead. She-Hulk continues and gets to the part of the will about the possessions that Reed is leaving his wife. Reed leaves her control of Fantastic Four, Inc. as well as all its assets and patents to his inventions. This causes Sue to break down in tears and she wishes her husband wasn't taken away from them, but she collects herself in an effort to be strong in front of the others. By this point the ambassador to Latveria asks She-Hulk to hurry things up so he can get back to the embassy. When She-Hulk reads that he is bequeathing his class ring from Empire State University to the Von Doom estate this angers Ben he is even more furious with Sue for knowing that this was in the will. Sue explains that these were Reed's final wishes and they have to respect them. Ben loses his temper and flips the table, grabbing the ambassador and gets in his face. Having had enough with Ben's temper tantrums, Sue slaps him across the face. As Ben washes over with rage, Sue stands her ground. Ben eventually takes out his anger by smashing a wall, not impressing Sue in the least as they will have to pay for the damages.
With this outburst over the ambassador takes Reed's ring and leaves. Everyone is upset with Ben for his lack of decorum and leaves Sue to deal with him alone. Left to their own, Ben finally breaks down in tears explaining that he is having a hard time accepting that Reed is truly gone. Sue then gives Ben what Reed left for him -- his old game ball from years ago -- which causes Ben to break down in tears and realize he has been acting out and asks for her forgiveness. She does forgive him and reminds him that they owe it to Reed's memory to carry on his work. When Ben finally composes himself, he asks her not to tell the others how he has been crying. She agrees to his request and suggests that they go for lunch. Ben, acting as though his emotional outburst hadn't happened, agrees that they should.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Invisible Woman, Thing, Ant-Man), Fantastic Force (Psi-Lord, Human Torch, Huntara), Lyja, She-Hulk, Sub-Mariner, Nathaniel Richards
Continuity Notes
This story states that Mister Fantastic is dead, he and Doctor Doom seemingly perished in Fantastic Four #381. The Fantastic Four held a funeral for him in Fantastic Four #400. However it is later revealed that Reed and Doom are actually prisoners of Hyperstorm as seen in Fantastic Four #406.
It should be clarified that at the time of this story. both Ant-Man is an official member of the Fantastic Four having joined in Fantastic Four #384 while Johnny quit the team in Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising #2 to join up with Fantastic Force. He remains with that team from Fantastic Force #10-15. In the meantime Lyja will fill his place on his team starting in and Fantastic Four #402 (which occurs chronologically after this story). Johnny eventually returns to the Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four #407.
The Thing's face is scarred here because he was slashed in the face by Wolverine back in Fantastic Four #374. His face is fully healed in Fantastic Four #409.
Sue mentions that she and Reed have been married for "years". The couple were married in Fantastic Four Annual #3. Per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616 they have been married for roughly eight years at the time of this story.
The Thing recognizes the business man that he frightened out of a taxi from last issue.
This issue marks the first mention of Reed's mother and her name and that she died when he was young.
Franklin is given the Fantastic Four's original costumes which the group wore almost consistently from Fantastic Four #3-256.
Ben's recollections of the Fantastic Four's costumes over the years include:
The Thing is shown wearing a helmet here, which he wore briefly in Fantastic Four #3, he has worn it on occasion in Fantastic Four #329 and Fantastic Four #301. He wore it for a longer stint from Fantastic Four #375-385 after his face got slashed. The Thing also appears in this recollection with dinosaur-like skin. As explained in Marvel Two-In-One #50 the Thing's form continued to mutate after his transformation in Fantastic Four #1, eventually morphing into his brick-like appearance around Fantastic Four #10.
Johnny's red costume was worn from Fantastic Four #132 to 159. Which is also the period in which Medusa was part of the team.
Lastly he recalls the teams current white on blue costumes they have been waring since Fantastic Four #256.
Continuity Errors
Reed's will names Huntara, which cannot be accurate because it was not revealed that Huntara might be related to Reed until Fantastic Four #390, after his apparent death in Fantastic Four #381.
It doesn't make sense that Reed would leave his ring from Empire State University (which Reed and Ben actually attended as seen in Thing #2) because he and Doctor Doom only attended State University together until Von Doom was kicked out of school, as first depicted in Fantastic Four Annual #2.
Supplementary Material
This issue features a profile on the Invisible Woman as well as the Richards Family Tree.
It states that Huntara might be the sister of Mister Fantastic. There are conflicting reports of her parentage. Fantastic Four #390 states that she is the daughter of Nathaniel Richards. However in Fantastic Force #9 reporter Paul Alvarez claims that she is his long lost sister Maria. This issue has yet to be resolved as of this writing (January, 2022)
Psi-Lord is listed as the son of Reed and Sue.. Which is technically accurate, but far more complex than it appears here. The 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.
The Sha'Barri egg was revealed to be a trap for the Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four #390.
It also places the vague connection between Rama-Tut/Scarlet Centurion/Kang/Immortus. In Fantastic Four #273 it is implied that the time traveler who eventually became Rama-Tut and others was a descendant of the Richards family. Their familial connection was finally confirmed in Fantastic Four (vol. 6) #35.
