Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. After several issues teasing the concept of Dr. Doom’s master, we finally get to meet the guy in issue #566.

We begin on a beach in Thailand, where Reed asks a local, “Who found the body?” Turn the page and the Watcher is lying dead on the sand, his chest and guts ripped open for some spectacular gore. Reed assures the local authority, Agent Nong, that this is indeed the Watcher. As for who or what killed him, Reed answers, “You don’t want to know.”

Cut to Latveria, where all the people have come out in a massive celebration as Dr. Doom returns to the throne. (The last time we saw Doom in Fantastic Four, he was imprisoned in the Hague. To find out how he got Latveria back, you had to read about the deal he made with Norman Osborn in Dark Reign.) There’s a reference to weather all over the Earth being screwy, and Doom says this is a sign that his master is approaching and will arrive within hours. A little girl attending to Doom asks him what he learned from his master. Doom responds, “Everything.”

In New York, we catch up to Jason, the ex-boyfriend of Ben’s fiancé Debbie Green. He’s written a book about how she dumped him for Ben, although the interviewer calls him out on this, saying Debbie broke up with him six months before she met Ben. Ben himself smashes his way into the studio and threatens Jason. Debbie is also there, and she gets Ben to stop. She reminds him that Jason is not a supervillain, but an ordinary man. She says, “You’re scaring the hell out of me,” and she tells him to go home and “act like a normal person.” This is all captured on live TV.

Sue joins Reed at the Baxter Building as he performs an autopsy on the Watcher. He goes back on what he said earlier, in that this is not Uatu, the Earth’s Watcher, but an Uatu from a parallel dimension. Sue concludes that this had to do with Doom’s recent threats that something huge is on its way. They speculate on who Doom’s teacher might have been, and that this dead Watcher might have seen something he shouldn’t have. In Latveria, there’s more celebrating in the streets as Doom’s master is about to arrive. He warns his attainers to shield their eyes, and he welcomes “the Marquis of Death and the new apprentice.” And here they are:

The Marquis tells Doom to ask his question. Doom doesn’t know what question that is, and Marquis says the question is whether he’s happy with Doom’s progress at becoming the greatest villain who ever lived. The Marquis says the answer is “No,” and causes explosions to happen all around. The Marquis says he can hear and smell all the times Doom has been defeated by his enemies. He concludes, “Your foes deserve a new menace, Victor.”

Turn the page, and there’s Dr. Doom being engulfed in flame.

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Reed examines the dead Watcher while wearing some glowing green goggles. No idea what these are or how they’re helping him.

Fade out: Sue plays the role of co-scientist as Reed autopsies the Watcher. She’s shown carrying a bunch of papers, suggesting she’s been out researching.

Clobberin’ time: How far would Ben have gone in his threats against Jason? The comic would have us believe Ben is so pushed to the edge that he would have hurt or even killed the guy.

Flame on: Johnny appears in only panel of this issue, flying over the ocean. Sue later tells Reed he was in England (why?) and will arrive to help with the Watcher situation in about 90 minutes.

Trivia time: There’s some question as to whether the reporter Alex in this issue is the same reporter named Alex who appeared in Captain Marvel #55. That Alex was a blonde male based in Denver and the one in FF appears to be a blonde female (we only see the back of her head) and is based in New York. Maybe they’re the same character, but it’s unlikely.

This is the only appearance of Agent Nong, and his one-sentence entry in the Marvel Wiki doesn’t state who he works for, whether he’s a local, or with something like S.H.I.E.L.D., or part of Reed’s rarely-seen science staff.  

Fantastic or frightful? Here’s where we start to see some of Mark Millar’s so-called “edgelord” writing come into play. The dead Watcher, complete with his ribcage and guts exposed. Ben being so driven with rage that he threatens to kill an ordinary person. Dr. Doom ordering his goons to shoot any revelers who do not spend at least an hour applauding for him. All this is supposed to be cool and shocking and provocative, but instead it feels like trying too hard. We’ll see where this goes.

Next: Burn, baby, burn.

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