Marvel confirmed the rumors about their Fantastic Four series at New York Comic Con.
Current writer James Robinson said the Fantastic Four are “going away for a while” and he’s “building up to the end of the Fantastic Four.”
Marvel is cancelling the latest volume of the book starring their First Family.
The End of FourEver will be the final arc ending with issue 645 – a return to the original numbering.
Is this ending about sales, studio rivalry or just time for a creative break?
Only the higher ups at Marvel know for sure.
Fox controls the film rights to X-Men and the FF.
Fox’s rebooted Fantastic Four movie opens next year with a younger cast and casting decisions that are different from comics canon.
The latest Fantastic Four volume by James Robinson and Leonard Kirk launched just last February after a year long run by Matt Fraction and Mark Bagley. Fraction followed Jonathan Hickman who also launched FF, the Future Foundation spinoff book.
Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben are the characters that launched the modern Marvel comics. I can’t imagine a world without them. Maybe a Fantastic Four book break will be good for the characters and the world of Marvel.
I honestly love seeing Reed in a battle of wits and wisdom with Tony Stark and Bruce Banner in Civil War and in The Illuminati in New Avengers. What if Reed led a new team of Marvel’s biggest brainiacs (no DC pun intended) including Banner, Amadeus Cho and Prodigy?
Inspired by the success of the all-female X-Men – why not give Susan Storm a diverse team of Marvel’s mightiest matriarchs (Storm, Medusa, The All-Mother) on a mission in the style of The Fearless – which starred Valkyrie in a year long odyssey for Odin.
How about bringing back Marvel Two-In-One for Ben Grimm? The Thing headlined this team-up book from 1974-1983 with different guest stars. Ben Grimm is one of the most unique characters in comics with his rugged rocky looks, good heart and sense that he’s still just one of the guys from Yancey Street.
As for Johnny Storm? I always saw the Human Torch as a potential Avenger. Jonathan Hickman recruited Sunspot and Cannonball from the X-Men for his expanded roster. I’d love to see Johnny join Sam, Roberto along with Manifold, Captain Universe, Smasher and Nightmask in a new team of twenty-something heroes.
No more Four?
Maybe it’s time to let Reed, Susan, Ben and Johnny move on to new alliances and adventures in the Marvel Universe. There’s been debate about the casting of a black actor in the role of Johnny Storm. There’s an opportunity to let a new group of heroes become the next Fantastic Four with a diverse cast in the spirit of the Young Avengers.
The end of the Fantastic Four series doesn’t have to mean the end of four incredible characters who still have so much story potential.
By Editor