After years of teases, the first trailer for Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps was released. It showed just enough to get fans excited. Some people were confused by Reed Richards being the only one who didn’t use his powers in the trailer, but this writer loved it; not only does it give people more to look forward to, but who’s to say he has the exact same abilities? Or maybe Marvel’s being careful with what they show.
With the trailer released and the movie coming in the summer, fans will undoubtedly start to look up the history of the Fantastic Four (or FF) and where certain characters appeared first. Also, who are the heroes and villains that started as FF exclusives but became something greater? Thankfully, I’m here to give you those answers (you're welcome).
The Fantastic Four
First appearance: The Fantastic Four No. 1 (1961)
The Fantastic Four making their first appearance in their own title could be considered quite rare. Doctor Strange debuted in Strange Tales and Thor made his first appearance in Journey into Mystery. And those are just two examples of characters who started outside of their solo comic books. Maybe the Fantastic Four's self-titled luck is a thing with teams because the X-Men also started in The X-Men No. 1 (also called Uncanny X-Men No. 1).
Fantastic Four No. 1 showed audiences how the world reacted to the titular team and their powers. Among the responses was Ben Grimm being seen as a monster - something that still happens in Marvel Comics today, despite him being one of the bravest heroes ever.
And, of course, we see the historic trip into space that gave them fantastic abilities in the first place. On top of all that is the appearance of their oldest villain - and no, it isn't Victor von Doom.
Mole Man
First appearance: The Fantastic Four No. 1 (1961)
Mole Man was the perfect villain for the Fantastic Four to start with. It allowed them to use their powers against things bigger and stronger than them. With Godzilla being popular, using something resembling a Kaiju must have caught people’s eyes. That, plus, creative-looking monsters never go out of style.
Mole Man had a couple of moments in this issue, but nothing major. It’s similar to how he’s looked at today. People don’t want to see Harvey Rupert Elder. They want the Moloids. Hopefully, they’ll pop up in the MCU.
Victor von Doom
First appearance: The Fantastic Four No. 5 (1962)
The story of Victor von Doom’s scarred face is quickly told after he kidnaps the Fantastic Four to do two things. First, he wants to brag about creating a time machine. Second, he forces them to steal Blackbeard’s treasure (it was the 1960s. Just go with it).
Doctor Doom went on to do great things as time went on. For example, the Marvel Comics crossover One World Under Doom has begun. In this series, he rules the world. It’s doubtful anyone would have thought he’d be as powerful and popular as he is today.
Uatu
First appearance: The Fantastic Four No. 13 (1963)
The Watcher’s first appearance was a little forgettable. The only memorable moment was when he showed the Red Ghost how powerful he was. It wasn’t until he announced the coming of Galactus that he became someone important to the overall Marvel lore.
Uatu has become an important being to the entire Marvel Universe now, recently getting more exposure in MCU-adjacent animated series What If...?. Seeing him means something major is about to happen. And while he says he isn’t supposed to get involved in situations, he does when things get bad.
Galactus and Silver Surfer
First appearance: The Fantastic Four No. 48 (1965)
The Silver Surfer cruised through space on his board, but the narrator didn’t express the danger of seeing him. That was left to the Skrulls who freaked out when they saw him. They continued by saying that where he goes Galactus isn’t far behind. And if Silver Surfer scares them, his master must be terrifying.
Galactus wasn’t nearly as strong or scary as he is today. There’s no way Reed and Ben would be able to take them down on their own without enhancements. Thankfully, he was given upgrades throughout time. Also, do yourself a favor and look at Galactus’ first outfit. He looked like a giant Christmas ornament. Thankfully, this was changed to purple in the next issue. However, the short shorts were hilarious.
The other thing (and it happens throughout the next couple of issues) is Silver Surfer’s personality shining. We see that he isn’t an evil person. In fact, he's more caring than some humans. Without that, Galactus would have destroyed the planet. That should be credited to his time with Alicia Masters (who made her appearance in Fantastic Four No. 8).
Skrulls
First appearance: The Fantastic Four No. 2 (1961)
If you heard a Skrull saying that the Fantastic Four started their rivalry, they’re lying. Three Skrulls used their shape-shifting abilities to besmirch the FF’s name. After the four heroes cleared themselves of the crimes committed and captured the criminals, the next question was what to do. Since the Skrulls would easily escape prison, the consequence was making them live their lives as cows.
During Fantastic Four No. 18, the most important achievement in Skrull history happened.: They created their own version of the Super Soldier project when Kl'rt was given the powers of the Fantastic Four and became the first Super Skrull. A moment that eventually leads to Marvel’s Secret Invasion.
Kree
First appearance: The Fantastic Four No. 65 (1967)
It would be difficult to find a species more arrogant than the Kree. They believe that they’re the smartest beings in the universe thanks to their achievements and the Supreme Intelligence. It was that hubris that led them to send Ronan the Accuser to Earth to attack Marvel's First Family.
The best part of this issue is Ben Grimm. Despite being down and out, he managed to get up and help his family. Without him finding the strength within himself, they would’ve all been sentenced (whatever that means).
The Inhumans
First appearance: The Fantastic Four No. 45 (1965)
If I had a dollar for every time Johnny Storm’s libido has gotten the Fantastic Four in trouble I’d be Tony Stark. However, if he hadn’t tried to meet Crystal (and cheat on his partner), they never would’ve made friends with the Inhumans. Who, like the Kree, have some incredibly egotistic members.
The problem with the Inhumans is that they’ve spent decades being the Fantastic Four’s punching bags (something I’ve said in multiple articles). After reading the first couple of issues they were in, it’s even more obvious that they were handled poorly. They're said to be among the most powerful beings in the universe, but they've never beaten the FF. No wonder the experiment to make them the X-Men failed.
Namor
First appearances: Motion Picture Funnies Weekly 1939 and Marvel Comics No. 1 (1939)
Namor has two first appearances (as you can see in the section above), but the most important one came in Marvel Comics No. 1. This series introduced him to the world differently than you know him now. He had green skin and blond hair when he was underwater. When he came on land, he looked like the Namor recognized today.
The Submariner didn’t start as someone recognized as a Fantastic Four character. He was initially attached to Captain America. He didn't meet the FF until Fantastic Four No. 4. Like when any superpowered people met, they fought. Eventually, Namor was defeated and vowed revenge.
While Marvel’s First Family and Namor have become friends, the Submariner’s obsession with Sue Storm never ended. Sometimes it's borderline creepy.
T'Challa
First appearances: The Fantastic Four No. 52 (1966)
T’Challa and all of Wakanda making their first appearance in the pages of the Fantastic Four's stories might shock some people. What isn’t surprising is that T’Challa used their first encounter to test them to see if they were worthy of an explanation of his country’s wealth and if they could help him.
T’Challa became one of the FF's closest allies. After the Marvel Civil War, Reed and Sue asked Black Panther and Storm to take their place while they went on vacation. And when either Reed or T’Challa have scientific questions that can’t be answered, they contact each other immediately.
Which Fantastic Four characters are your favorites? Let us know on our social media platforms Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter. And stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow for more FF news as it comes out.