The following article contains spoilers from Fantastic Four #46, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
A journey into the Microverse sees Marvel's First Family come face-to-face with Molecule Man, who has become the size of a literal molecule, in Fantastic Four #46.
Fantastic Four #46 comes from writer Dan Slott, artist CAFU, color artist Jesus Aburtov and letterer VC's Joe Caramagna. While recovering from the events of "The Reckoning War" storyline, the issue reunites Reed Richards with his long-lost half-sister, Joanna Jeffers. Joanna accompanies Reed and the rest of the Fantastic Four out to space when Psycho-Man shows up. The team suddenly finds themselves in the Sub-Atomica system of the Microverse, which is where they discover Molecule Man.
Reed uncovers that Psycho-Man's molecular rearranger -- a device the villain was using in an attempt to remake Sub-Atomica in his own image -- is actually Owen Reece. Molecule Man reveals he didn't intend to team up with Psycho-Man but was rather became a "molecular manservant" until the Fantastic Four freed him. "When we last saw each other -- I was atomized in another dimension!" he tells the Fantastic Four. "But I survived by placing all of my consciousness into one molecule -- and escaping here to Sub-Atomica!" Grateful for being saved, Molecule Man agrees to fix the Fantastic Four's broken ship so they can return to Earth; although, whether or not he accompanies them on the return home isn't immediately clear.
What Happened to Molecule Man?
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Molecule Man first appeared in 1963's Fantastic Four #20. While sometimes dipping his toes into heroism, Molecule Man is typically portrayed as a villain who has faced the Fantastic Four, Iron Man and many other characters over the years. Along with aligning himself with Doctor Doom in the original Secret Wars, Owen played a sizable role in the 2015 Secret Wars when Doom turned him into a secret power source he locked away in his castle. When Doom was defeated by Reed, Molecule Man gave him his power so he and Franklin Richards could recreate the multiverse. After Secret Wars, Molecule Man was attacked and seemingly killed by a villain called the Griever at the End of All Things.
Fantastic Four #46 features cover art by CAFU and variant cover art by R.B. Silva, David Curiel and Superlog. The issue is on sale now from Marvel.
Source: Marvel