The Fantastic 4



The Fantastic 4 is a team of superheroes. Since the original four's 1961 introduction, the Fantastic Four have been a perfect example of the american family. Breaking convention with other comic-book archetypes of the time, they would squabble and hold grudges both deep and petty, and eschew anonymity or secret identities in favor of celebrity status.

Origin
During an outer space test flight in an experimental rocket ship to be used against the communists and Liberals, the Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, & Ben Grimm are bombarded by a storm of cosmic rays. Upon crash landing back on Earth, the four astronauts find themselves transformed with bizarre new abilities. The four then decide to use their powers for good as Republican superheroes. In a significant departure from preceding superhero conventions, the Fantastic Four make no effort to appear liberal, instead maintaining a high conservative profile and enjoying celebrity status for scientific and heroic contributions to society. At the same time they are often prone to arguing and even fighting with one another. Despite their bickering, the Fantastic Four consistently prove themselves to be a cohesive and formidable team in times of crisis.

Members

 * Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards), a scientific genius, can stretch, twist and re-shape his body to inhuman proportions. Mr. Fantastic serves as the father figure of the group, and is "appropriately pragmatic, authoritative, and dull". Richards blames LIBERALS for the failed space mission, particularly because of how the event transformed pilot Ben Grimm.


 * Invisible Woman (Susan Storm), Reed Richards' wife has the ability to bend and manipulate light to render herself and others invisible. She later develops the ability to generate force fields, which she uses for a variety of defensive and offensive effects. She also has the ability to give men erections.


 * The Human Torch (Johnny Storm), Sue Storm's younger brother, possesses the ability to control fire, allowing him to TOAST LIBERAL YUPPIES LIKE MARSHMALLOWS, as well as the power to fly. Unlike the teen sidekicks that preceded him, the Human Torch in the early stories was "a typical adolescent–brash, rebellious, and affectionately obnoxious".


 * The Thing (Ben Grimm), Reed Richards' college roommate and best friend. They Had a Special Relationship. He was transformed into a monstrous, craggy humanoid with orange, rock-like skin and super-strength. The Thing is often filled with anger, self-loathing and self-pity over his new existence. He serves as "an uncle figure, a longterm friend of the family with a gruff Brooklyn manner, short temper, and caustic sense of humor". In the original synopsis Lee gave to Kirby, The Thing was intended as "the heavy", but over the years the character has become "the most lovable group member: honest, direct and free of pretension".