As one of Marvel's greatest superhero teams, the Fantastic Four has over six decades of comic history under their belts, with countless amazing adventures that have kept fans entertained for all those years. Through those exciting stories, the Fantastic Four have met numerous other Marvel legends and established long-lasting relationships all over the Marvel Universe.
In fact, many Marvel characters, even some of the greatest, first appeared inside the pages of Fantastic Four. Though many of these characters have gone on to achieve success on their own, their link to the Fantastic Four is unbreakable and engrained in Marvel history.
9 Black Panther Debuted As A Fan Of Reed Richards
Like Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Iron Man, Black Panther is among the Marvel heroes that nearly everyone has heard of. With a live-action movie that ruled over the box office in 2018, doubtful readers can no longer question Black Panther's status as an A-list Marvel character.
Making his debut in Fantastic Four #52, Black Panther first met the Fantastic Four after T'Challa informed Reed Richards that he admired his scientific creations. Receiving an invitation to Wakanda in the form of a flying craft, the Fantastic Four accepted and arrived in the secretive African nation shortly after. Initially attacking them in an ambush, Black Panther informed the Fantastic Four that he was only testing their combat abilities and invited them to see his kingdom.
8 Dr. Doom Is Among Marvel's Greatest Villains
With sixty years of comic history and dozens of notable appearances all across the Marvel universe, Dr. Doom has established himself as a top-tier villain who could potentially show up and wreak havoc inside any comic Marvel produces. Though Dr. Doom does have deep relationships with other Marvel heroes like Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Captain America, his link to the Fantastic Four is more vital than any other as he first appeared in one of their comics.
In Fantastic Four #5, Dr. Doom drops a giant net over the Baxter Building, trapping the Fantastic Four inside. After sharing words with Dr. Doom, Reed Richards deduces that the villain is non-other than his old college classmate, Victor Von Doom.
7 Black Bolt Is The King Of The Inhumans
Recently appearing in the latest Marvel Studios film, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, Black Bolt is among Marvel's most talked about characters. The king of the Inhumans, Black Bolt, was subjected to the mutagenic Terrigen Mist before birth, resulting in strange powers that surpassed the abilities of the most capable Inhumans.
First appearing in Fantastic Four #45, Black Bolt and his fellow Inhumans debuted as enemies of the Fantastic Four. After two issues of being adversaries, Black Bolt enlightened the Fantastic Four about the evil plans of his brother Maximus, allowing the team to realize that Black Bolt had no ill intentions toward them.
6 Adam Warlock First Emerged In Fantastic Four
Confirmed to be making his live-action debut in the 2023 Marvel Studios film, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, speculation regarding Adam Warlock in the MCU has gone wild. The result of an attempt to create a perfect being, Adam Warlock is a cosmic entity who wields high-level, cosmic power.
First appearing in Fantastic Four #67, Warlock had initially been named "Him." Upon his birth, Warlock instantly sensed that his creators sought to use his abilities for evil. Shortly after meeting the Fantastic Four, Warlock rebelled against his creators, destroying their facility and escaping.
5 Galactus And The Silver Surfer Descended To Earth In Fantastic Four
Over its nearly 90 years of history, Marvel has published countless comics with concepts and ideas that have influenced the entire world of fiction. Among these influential comics is the debut of Galactus and the Silver Surfer, Fantastic Four #48. Aptly titled "The Coming Of Galactus," Fantastic Four #48 begins with the team escaping an encounter with Maximus, the evil Inhuman. After returning home, Reed Richards witnessed the sudden appearance of a powerful being known as the Watcher.
The Watcher informed Reed that the Silver Surfer, an advanced scout of a powerful being named Galactus, roams the cosmos around Earth and will surely come upon it at any moment. Shortly after finding Earth, the Silver Surfer called Galactus to the planet. In the following three issues, the Fantastic Four engaged in one of the most critical conflicts in comic history.
4 Kang The Conqueror First Appeared As Rama-Tut
Though the name Kang The Conqueror wasn't used until a much later issue of Avengers, the character first appeared in the form of Rama-Tut in Fantastic Four #19. Originally dubbed "the Pharaoh of the Future," Rama-Tut is an alias Kang The Conqueror went by in his early days of using time travel for conquest. In the comic, Reed Richards discovered a hieroglyph that claims the existence of a substance used to treat a Pharaoh's blindness.
Traveling back in time to acquire the cure for blindness, the Fantastic Four ended up in 2960 BC and faced immediate attacks from an Egyptian army. Brought to the leader of the army, the Fantastic Four were introduced to Rama-Tut, the Pharaoh of the Future.
3 Agatha Harkness Protected The Fantastic Four
With an appearance as the primary antagonist of the Disney+ series, Wandavision, Agatha Harkness has only recently come into the perspective of numerous Marvel fans, and with her own Disney+ series in development, the character's popularity will likely continue to grow. Making her comic debut in Fantastic Four #94, Agatha first appeared as a caregiver and ally of the Fantastic Four.
In the story, shortly after their child, Franklin was born, Reed Richards and Sue Storm brought him to Agatha Harkness with the hopes of learning how to raise a child with superpowers. Shortly after they arrived at Agatha's, the Fantastic Four was attacked by their supervillain anti-team, the Frightful Four. Agatha landed the final blow in a quick-fought battle, successfully protecting the team.
2 The Skrulls First Appeared In Fantastic Four
Having first appeared in Fantastic Four #2, the Skrulls are one of the oldest villains in Marvel comics. A shape-shifting alien race with the ability to replicate human features, the Skrulls control an intergalactic empire that spans across the Andromeda Galaxy. The Skrulls have taken part in numerous significant events throughout Marvel history and have been in near constant conflict with the Kree, another intergalactic empire.
In their debut appearance, a group of Skrulls used their shape-shifting abilities to turn themselves into doubles of the Fantastic Four. Disguised as Marvel's First Family these Skrulls went about committing crimes in an attempt to discredit the FF.
1 Medusa Debuted With The Frightful Four
A powerful member of the Inhumans royal family, Medusa made her comic debut in Fantastic Four #36. Alongside fellow villains, Wizard, Paste-Pot-Pete, and Sandman, Medusa formed the Frightful Four, a group of Fantastic Four villains who decided to combine their efforts against the superhero team. The wife of fellow Inhuman Black Bolt, Medusa was exposed to the mutagenic Terrigen Mist as an infant, which endowed her with powerful hair that she can use like added appendages. After her debut, the Human Torch teamed up with Gorgon, another Inhuman, to capture Medusa and bring her back to the Inhuman royal family.