WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Fantastic Four #22 by Dan Slott, Paco Medina, and Sean Izaakse, on sale now.
The ongoing Empyre crossover has left the Marvel Universe in dire straits. The combined might of Earth’s heroes may not be enough to contain the sentient plant life known as the Cotati. Even if the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four can stop the Cotati from using Earth as the base for their genocidal campaign, there’s still the possibility of the Kree/Skrull alliance destroying the planet to contain the threat. In the Marvel Universe, strange times make for strange team-ups, and with The Fantastic Four currently indisposed in space, a bold new team has emerged to take their place on Earth. Franklin and Valeria Richards, the son and daughter of Mr. Fantastic and The Invisible Woman, have called upon the aid of Spider-Man and Wolverine to form a new Fantastic Four.
The Fantastic Four have been caught up in the events of Empyre from the beginning, but the catalyst of this newest incarnation of Marvel’s first family occurred prior to the current crisis. The classic FF, with Franklin and Valeria in tow, had just spent an eventful evening at a deep space casino called the Casino Cosmico while refueling and repairing their damaged spaceship. It was there that the FF encountered the Profiteer, the Elder of the Universe/casino owner who was holding unethical gladiatorial matches for profit.
The Profiteer’s main attractions were the young Kree boy Jo-Venn and the young Skrull girl N’Kalla. Genetically tailored as warriors and fueled by their ancestral hatred of one another, the two were pit against each other in never-ending gladiatorial combat, with massive crowds wagering on the outcome. With the assistance of their mother, Franklin and Valeria Richards were able to "beat the house" and used their earnings to purchase the contracts of the alien children, effectively freeing them from their violent way of life and becoming their legal guardians.
After leaving the casino, the team encountered an armada of ships comprised of the Kree / Skrull Alliance headed to Earth. Franklin and Valeria were tasked with escorting Jo-Venn and N’Kalla down to Earth when it became evident that conflict was unavoidable. As Franklin and Valeria were descending to Earth, a fight broke out between Jo-Venn and N’Kalla that damaged their shuttle and sent it crashing down in the middle of Yancy Street. Valeria called for help using her father’s computer system, summoning Spider-Man and Wolverine to help break up the scuffle. However, the two heroes made the situation worse, with Wolverine stabbing N’Kalla, assuming the shapeshifter was the threat he’d been summoned to deal with.
Unfortunately, things did not improve from that point. Cotati allies called the Dark Harvest attacked and overwhelmed the team, kidnapping Jo-Venn and incapacitating Wolverine. While licking their wounds and tending to N’Kalla, the group was contacted by Reed Richards. Mr. Fantastic tasked the heroes with continuing on as a new Fantastic Four and provided new costumes for the two veteran heroes.
The Richards kids are unquestionably in charge and whether they can grow into a leadership role and direct their adult team members is an open question. The Fantastic Four have gone through lineup changes in the past, but it’s particularly intriguing to see the next generation of Marvel’s first family come to the forefront like this. Franklin has long had the potential to be one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel universe and Valeria is already as much of a genius as her father. Adding in two of Marvel's most enduring heroes will no doubt make this new team anything less than fantastic.