Even in the Marvel Universe, a place filled with geniuses such as Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, the man named Reed Richards stands in a place all his own. A gifted intellectual prodigy, Reed was capable of splicing an atom at age 15. Already a leading researcher in many fields of science and technology in his early 20s, he went to Empire State University to pick up yet another degree. There he met two people who would greatly affect his life for years: the brilliant Victor von Doom of Latveria, who saw Reed as a rival, and Ben Jacob Grimm of New York, who became Reed’s roommate and best friend.
Years after more study and a brief stint in the military, Reed began work on a hyperdrive starship capable of traveling faster than light. Ben Grimm, now an Air Force pilot, was selected to pilot it. But when funding was cut and the mission was set to be scrubbed, Reed became desperate and decided to do a test flight himself. Ben warned that the radiation shielding hadn’t been tested and might not be strong enough, but Reed and his fiancee Sue Storm convinced him to go along. She and her teenage brother Johnny both insisted on helping Reed and Ben as crewmen and the four launched into space aboard the starship. But as the hyperdrive activated, the adventurers were bombarded by strange radiation and forced to crash land back on Earth. Not only did they survive without serious injury, but the four had each gained strange abilities and traits.
Concerned that he and his friends would be seen as freaks, Reed allowed a public relations campaign to paint them as superhero explorers (or “imaginauts”). They were given colorful nicknames and later Sue designed matching jumpsuits. Reed, Ben, Sue and Johnny came to be known as Mr. Fantastic, the Thing, the Invisible Girl (later Invisible Woman) and the Human Torch. Over the years, the Fantastic Four have gained interstellar fame for their explorations of other planets and dimensions and their many victories against alien invaders and cosmic menaces. Their greatest and most persistent enemy has been Reed’s old college rival, Dr. Doom, who has used a combination of incredible science, powerful magic and political manipulation in various attempts to destroy the FF and become ruler of the Earth.
Recently, it seems that Johnny was killed. Perhaps this is true. Perhaps like Mr. Fantastic and the Thing, who both seemingly died only to later return, we’ll be seeing him again sooner than we think. In any event, since folks are talking about the FF, let’s take a look at the styles they’ve worn over the years.
Now, as usual, we are sticking with mainstream reality so we won’t be delving into possible futures or parallel worlds (especially when you consider just how many parallel worlds the FF has visited), in order to keep this from becoming a novel.
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