Then There Were 3: Death Within the Family

Written by: Gary M. Kenny, CC2K Comics Editor

Marvel kills off one of the founding members of the 1st superhero family, The Fantastic Four. The “Three” storyline captivated the media and comic resembles that of the 90s “Death of Superman,” it even comes in one of those iconic black bags with the Fantastic Four‘s logo (but with the number 3 not 4). The death of such a iconic character shows just the beginning of the major changes Marvel has to offer.

The Human Torch is dead.

official press release

“Jonathan Hickman [writer of Fantastic Four] came to us two years ago with a vision for evolving the characters and concepts introduced to fans 50 years ago in Fantastic Four #1 – and quite frankly his vision blew us away,” said Tom Brevoort, Marvel Entertainment SVP of Publishing. “The death of the Human Torch is the first major move in this incredibly exciting evolution of the legendary Fantastic Four franchise and a necessary part of the larger story we will be telling featuring the beloved characters moving forward.”

But the story doesn’t end there– February’s Fantastic Four #588 brings the long running series to a conclusion as the Fantastic Four disband and the surviving characters must discover their new roles in the Marvel Universe. Just what’s next for the surviving members of Marvel’s First Family?

Fantastic Four #1 debuted in 1961, kicking off the “Marvel Age” of comics and dramatically increasing the popularity of super heroes. As the progenitor of Marvel Universe, the Fantastic Four set a new tone for super hero comics with its nuanced characterization, reflection of real world fears and progressive depiction of super heroes. Through the years, the Fantastic Four have been involved in many of comics most important & memorable storylines, from the introduction of Galactus to the chart-topping Civil War and now the upcoming event Fear Itself.

What do you all think? Are you surprised that it was Johnny Storm and not Reed Richards or Sue or Ben? Does it bother you that Marvel would kill such an iconic hero?