Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. The original FF are back together in issue #551, but the shadow of Civil War still hangs over them. Also, time travel!

The issue begins with the caption, “Meanwhile, 75 years later…” at a high-tech future prison called Platform 42. It’s connected to the main prison facility at the bottom of the ocean, and staffed by powerful, incorruptible cyborgs. But wait – one prisoner has escaped, leaving the cyborgs trashed in his wake. One surviving cyborg contacts Reed Richards and says Dr. Doom has escaped. An older, grey-haired Reed answers, saying he knew this would happen, he just didn’t know when.

Cut to the present where the FF are returning from a successful battle against Diablo. There’s a few pages of classic FF banter to remind us that they’re one big happy family again. But then the intruder alarm goes off inside the new Baxter Building, and everyone jumps into action. Ben smashes through a door to find Black Panther, Alicia, and a much older Namor sitting around waiting for them. (I’m assuming they rigged the intruder alarm not to go off until the FF got home.) Namor says the FF look just like he remembers them. T’Challa unmasks, also revealing himself to be much older. Reed figures out what the reader already knows, that they’ve come there from the future. Oh, and Dr. Doom is also there, wearing spiky new armor.

Ben tries attacking Doom, but Doom has a new type of force field that Reed says is only theorized. Then Reed deduces that this is his own theory come to life. Before more fighting breaks out, T’Challa says he and Namor convinced Doom to come into the past with them. Sue doesn’t trust Namor, but Reed is willing to hear him out (!) because Doom was once honest with him on the Latverian Day of Reproachment. Namor does the talking, saying the three of them stole a time machine and came to the present on a mission to save the world.

Then another twist, when Reed asks who they’re saving the world from, T’Challa says, “From you.” Doom adds that they are there not because of something Doom did, but because of something Reed is going to do. Reed then shows everyone his private thinking room, with all his equations written all over the walls, which was introduced during Civil War. Doom says Reed’s writings are well-known in the future, as these are the 100 ideas he dreamed up with Tony Stark to improve the world. Sue still feels stung, reminding everyone that Reed’s calculations predicted (or perhaps led to) all the ugliness of the superhero civil war.

Doom chides Reed for telling his teammates about the 100 ideas. Then he says the ideas have led to massive global societal upheavals. Even if Reed predicted that, Doom says, that’s not the sole reason he didn’t tell his family. Instead, Doom says, there is a 101st plan that Reed currently has in the works. Doom says he, Namor, and T’Challa are there to prevent 101 from happening.  

Ben is ready for a fight again, but Doom says they’re not there to kill Reed. T’Challa says their mission is convince Reed to make the right decision. Ben presses Reed on what plan 101 is, and he says that it’s “fix everything.” It’s a single equation that could result in a worldwide utopia. Reed insists that it’s possible, but then he looks at his three visitors and asks, “Or is it?”

Doom says that in the future, Reed’s equation worked, and the Earth did indeed become a utopia, without crime or disease, and with all people living in abundance. But then the populace started worshipping Reed, the praise went to his head, and Sue left him for Namor.

As the others react to this, Namor shares his side of the story. As Reed’s future good works increased, he became more and more distant, driving his family and friends out of his life. Namor is apologetic, but he insists that they’ve come to the present because the stakes are so high, and that something must be done. Reed agrees, saying he’s worked out the answer. He pulls out a high-tech gun (!) and he shoots Namor in the face (!!). On the last page, a shadow falls over Reed’s face as he stands over Namor’s bloody corpse, saying “See? Problem solved.”

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: I doubt the scribblings on the walls in Reed’s thinking room are meant to add up to anything in the real world. Some of the words on the walls are, “possibilities,” “never assume,” “infinite,” behavior,” and “added with previous results.”

Fade out: While Sue admits that Reed’s actions during Civil War were to prevent an even greater Armageddon, the tone and the look on her face suggests that there’s still some hurt feelings there.

Clobberin’ time: Ben is in a celebratory mood with the team being back together and fighting villains again. This is likely why he’s so eager for a fight throughout the issue when everyone wants to talk.

Flame on: Upon seeing writing all over the walls of the thinking room, Johnny is the one who asks Reed why he doesn’t just use a notebook instead. (The answer: Reed likes to see the equations all at once.)

Fantastic fifth wheel: Black Panther is on hand to act as the voice of reason. With Namor on one side and Doom on the other, he’s someone the FF can trust in this situation. (Or is he?)

Four and a half/Our gal Val: Why is Alicia at the meeting? She’s there to babysit Franklin and Valeria while the FF were away, and she escorts the kids out of the room before the conversation gets too heated.

Trivia time: If the FF’s fight against Diablo has ever been told in another comic, I don’t know when that was. From what I can tell, his next appearance after this will be a supernatural-ish fight against Night Thrasher and a brand-new New Warriors team in New Warriors #10.

The story about the Latverian Day of Reproachment was told in the “My Dinner with Doom” story from 2005’s Fantastic Four Special #1.

No point is made of it, but the FF are back in their original light blue uniforms as of this issue.

Fantastic or frightful? This issue is pretty much all exposition, setting up big things to come in upcoming issues. (Feels like I’ve said that about the last couple of story arcs.) But the character work is spot-on, especially with Reed taking some responsibility and letting his family in on his secrets. Doom’s spiky armor is a pretty great design, too.

Next: Future shock.

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