The original four members of the Fantastic Four are finally back together in the pages of Dan Slott's and Sara Pachelli's Fantastic Four (Vol. 6) #1. It's been three long years since Secret Wars concluded, and Reed and Sue Richards committed to rebuilding the reality that Doctor Doom had broken. The Richards are returning at long last, ensuring a reunion of Marvel's first family. With all of the Fantastic Four hype in the air, we decided to take a look back at the FF's illustrious history. The foursome hasn't always consisted of Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Thing, and the Human Torch. In fact, over the course of the FF's 55+ years of history, they've had over 25 members.
Marvel's first family is no joke. Reed and Sue have basically single-handedly rebuilt reality, the Thing has toppled the Hulk, and the Human Torch has taken on Annihilus and his army all by himself. But, as great as they are, are they really the most powerful FF members? We aren't so sure. Hulk, Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, and Wolverine would beg to differ -- all of whom were FF members at one point. Not to mention, there are the Inhumans that have stepped onto the team in the FF's time of need, as well as an Omega Level mutant or two. In recent years alone, the FF has attracted young super geniuses and a mutated dinosaur. Given all of the superhuman talents that were affiliated with the Fantastic Four in one capacity or another, we've decided sort things out for good. Here are the top 25 FF members, ranked by power.
25 VALERIA RICHARDS
Valeria Richards is the first born child of Reed and Sue Richards, having debuted in Fantastic Four (Vol. 3) #54. Like her father and uncle, Valeria is a super genius. In fact, she was classified as such even when she was a toddler, with the promise that she'd only become more brilliant as she aged.
At that rate, Valeria is expected to quickly become one of the smartest characters in the Marvel Universe, on pace to eventually outthink her very own father.
24 MOON GIRL
With Reed and Sue Richards absent in recent years, the Human Torch and the Thing looked for a pair of replacement heroes. Moon Girl and her partner, Devil Dinosaur, temporarily joined the team in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (Vol. 1) #29.
Although she was only with the team for one mission, she proved to be an invaluable asset to the Fantastic Four in their battle against Super-Skrull. Moon Girl's unparalleled intellect and ability to transfer her consciousness into Devil Dinosaur were key.
23 DEVIL DINOSAUR
Devil Dinosaur is a mutated Tyrannosaurus Rex with an abnormally high level of intelligence who debuted in 1978's Devil Dinosaur (Vol. 1) #1. Devil Dinosaur's first companion was Moon-Boy, and the two shared many adventures, even going up against Godzilla early on.
During Marvel's All-New All-Different era, Moon-Boy met his demise and Devil Dinosaur partnered up with Moon Girl, making him more dangerous than ever. When paired with Moon Girl's consciousness, Devil Dinosaur is a threat unlike any other in the MU.
22 NAMORITA
When Namorita was dating Johnny Storm, she frequently teamed up with the Fantastic Four. From Fantastic Four (Vol. 3) #42-50, she helped the team fight against the Gideon Trust, Annihilus, Puppet Master, and other villains.
Namorita's Atlantean genes provide her with a number of superhuman traits, including super strength and speed, flight, and amphibious breathing. After Namorita and Johnny split up, she ceases to aid the team, opting to go her own way. Not long after, she'd join the New Warriors and meet her tragic end during the inciting event of Civil War.
21 ANT-MAN
Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, was handed the reins to Mr. Fantastic's team after Reed and the rest of his family had to retire to another universe, so they could stop the decay of their powers. The new Future Foundation -- the alternative name the Fantastic Four had at the time -- consisted of Ant-Man, She-Hulk, Medusa, and Ms. Thing.
Despite lacking extensive leadership experience, Lang helped lead the team in a victory over Doctor Doom, as Lang's shrinking ability proved to be an advantage against Doom and his allies.
20 MISS FANTASTIC
In the MC2 Universe, Lyja Storm is the fifth member of the Fantastic Five. Originally disguised under the human alias, Alicia Masters, Lyja worked as an undercover operative for the Skrulls. She fell in love with Johnny Storm and the two eventually got married.
When Lyja was revealed to be a Skrull, a brief rift formed in the Fantastic Five, but Lyja ended up staying on the team. As a Skrull, Lyja is a master shapeshifter, capable of morphing into any number of animals to help out her team.
19 MISS THING
Darla Deering, aka Miss Thing, was among Ant-Man's replacement group when the original Fantastic Four had to spend time in another universe. Before she'd don the Thing exoskeleton, Deering was a pop star and the girlfriend of Johnny Storm.
When Johnny couldn't find a superhero to replace him, he asked Deering to do so. Deering was equipped with a pair of Thing Rings, out of which the Thing exoskeleton formed around her, transforming her into Miss Thing. Although not quite as strong as the original Thing, Miss Thing packed quite the punch.
18 GHOST RIDER
The New Fantastic Four was introduced in Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #347 to fill in for Marvel's first family after they were believed to have perished. The new team was vastly different and consisted of the unlikely assembly of Ghost Rider, Hulk, Spider-Man, and Wolverine.
Ghost Rider was an invaluable asset for the team during their brief existence. In addition to super strength and stamina, Ghost Rider can manipulate hellfire at will, making him a suitable stand-in for the Human Torch.
17 MEDUSA
The Inhuman known as Medusa joined the replacement Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four (Vol. 4) #2. Medusa, who, along with her Inhuman associates, had known Marvel's first family for a long time, didn't hesitate to join the team in their time of need. Medusa ended up staying with the team longer than expected as the original four became sidetracked in outer space.
Medusa's power is in her hair, which she can control like tentacles to subdue her enemies. Her surprisingly resilient and quick hair was a key component to the Fantastic Four's victory over Doctor Doom.
16 AGENT VENOM
Agent Venom led a second New Fantastic Four beginning in Venom (Vol. 2) #13. Joining Venom in the battle against Blackheart and his demons were Red Hulk, X-23, and Ghost Rider. Though short-lived, Agent Venom's New Fantastic Four had quite the adventure -- including the four of them perishing, going to hell, and fighting to earn another shot at life.
The fact that Agent Venom was able to lead this squad of renegades through such a crisis is enough to put him on this list. Of course, he also has the Venom symbiote, which makes him a perpetually formidable opponent to anyone he faces.
15 FLUX
Dennis Sykes, aka Flux, was on borrowed time when he joined the Fantastic Four for less than a month in Heroic Age: One Month To Live #1-5. After being forced to ingest medical waste by a band of thieves, Sykes was diagnosed with several forms of cancer.
However, he also discovered that he now had the ability to manipulate matter, motivating him to live out the rest of his life as a superhero. In the month he had left, the Fantastic Four enlisted his help in stabilizing Ego, the Living Planet, and thus saving the galaxy.
14 CRYSTAL
Crystal is an Inhuman who began to manifest psionic abilities after being exposed to the Terrigen Mist. She initially met the Fantastic Four when she fell in love with Johnny and joined after she was asked to fill in for the pregnant Invisible Woman. Crystal quickly proved to be a well-chosen replacement.
She effectively utilized her various psionic powers -- pyrokinesis, geokinesis, force field creation, etc. -- to help the team against the Wizard, the League of Evil Inhumans, and Doctor Doom. Crystal's FF membership ended when she realized that the pollution in Earth's atmosphere was hurting her.
13 INVISIBLE WOMAN
Sue Storm-Richards, otherwise known as the Invisible Woman, acquired several astonishing abilities when she and her friends traveled through cosmic rays. Chief among her powers is Sue's ability to make herself invisible. By manipulating a special cosmic energy, she's able to bend various light rays around her, thus rendering herself invisible.
She's also capable of producing psionic force fields, which she creatively uses for different purposes. As a testament to just how powerful these fields can be, she once created one that protected the Fantastic Four from the destructive effects of a black hole.
12 HUMAN TORCH
After the cosmic incident that gave the Fantastic Four their powers, Johhny Storm gave himself an appropriate codename -- the Human Torch. As the Human Torch, Johnny can generate and manipulate a vast amount of fire.
After years spent mastering his power, Johnny's refined his ability to the point where he can sculpt small objects composed of flame, as well as shoot off "nova-bursts", which have temperatures comparable to nuclear warheads. But Johnny isn't just all flash. On one occasion, he sacrificed his life to prevent Annihilus and his forces from storming Earth.
11 LUKE CAGE
Luke Cage temporarily joined the Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #168 after the Thing was depowered. Unfortunately, Cage didn't last too long because in the following issue the Puppet Master pits Cage against the FF. Had Cage not been toyed with by the Puppet Master, the FF would've seen just how much of an advantage it would've been to have Cage on the squad.
Having been injected with a Super Soldier serum, Cage is breathtakingly strong. But what really stands out about Cage is his invulnerability -- bullets bounce off his body as if he's Superman.
10 MS. MARVEL/SHE-THING
After being administered a special strength substance, wrestler Sharon Ventura became the vigilante, Ms. Marvel. She soon met and fell in love with the Thing, leading her to join her boyfriend's team in Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #305, but five issues later, tragedy struck.
Sharon was exposed to cosmic rays, resulting in her transforming into a Thing-like creature. Despite having her reservations at first, Sharon grew into her role as She-Thing. As She-Thing, Sharon possessed a level of strength on par with her male counterpart, as well as increased intelligence as a byproduct of her transformation.
9 BLACK PANTHER
In the wake of Civil War, Sue and Reed Richards temporarily left the team to patch up their marriage. Filling in for them were the new husband and wife duo of Black Panther and Storm.
The king of Wakanda brought his unique set of powers and resources to the team, making up for the absence of Mr. Fantastic's super-genius level of intellect. Black Panther played an instrumental role in the team's victories over Galactus, Silver Surfer, and the Frightful Four.
8 WOLVERINE
Wolverine was among the rag-tag group of heroes to form the New Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #347. Unlike the solo heroes Spider-Man and Ghost Rider, Wolverine brought with him his years of experience as a member of the X-Men.
That, combined with the decades of tactical experience he racked up in various military capacities, made Wolverine the glue that held the New Fantastic Four together. Not to mention, the adamantium skeleton, claws, and berserker rage -- those came in handy too.
7 STORM
Storm joined the Fantastic Four for a short time in Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #543. As a replacement for the Invisible Woman, Storm brought a powerset unlike any other previously seen on the Fantastic Four. Classified as an Omega Level Mutant, Storm possesses the ability to manipulate the weather to an apocalyptic degree.
She's been shown to create blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other forms of powerful natural phenomena. Although her time with the FF was short, she helped the team to prevent Galactus from setting off a cosmic catastrophe.
6 SPIDER-MAN
Spider-Man has been involved as a member of the Fantastic Four on two different occasions. The first time was when Spider-Man joined the New Fantastic Four, helping Wolverine, Hulk, and Ghost Rider to fight against the Mole Man, and, later, the Sinister Six.
More recently, Spider-Man jumped onto the Fantastic Four when they changed their name to the Future Foundation. The web-head contributed his super-strength and web-slinging abilities to help Mr. Fantastic and company against A.I.M and the High Evolutionary.