The Fantastic Four essentially birthed Marvel Comics as we know it. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s tale of an All-American family dealing with newfound superpowers was a mission statement for what they’d go on to do with the rest of the Marvel Universe. Cruel fate handed them powers that were often as much a curse as they were a blessing, and each of the family interacted with each other in believable ways and had believable concern.
That was in 1961. Now, in 2018, Marvel Comics are apparently set to retcon the classic origins of the Fantastic Four to suggest that it might not have been an accident that gave them their powers. Or at least, that’s what’s being strongly suggested by a teaser image released by the company today, which you can see below:
Coming in March and promising to “destroy” Marvel history, we’ll no doubt find that some scheming villain has been playing a very long game, and the revelation that their lives have been orchestrated will shake up what we think we know about Marvel superheroes. It’s possible that this ‘destruction’ of Marvel history might spread to include other famous heroes, too, with the accidental origins of heroes like the Hulk, Spider-Man, Daredevil and so on eventually being revealed to be less accident and more design.
However this story turns out, I can’t help but think the idea of messing with the classic origins of the Fantastic Four and promising that Marvel history will be destroyed seems just a teeny bit tasteless on the heels of Stan Lee’s recent death. After all, these are his stories you’re messing with and while I doubt he’d complain, it seems a bit opportunistic to use the weeks immediately following his death to announce that you’re re-writing his classic tales.
I guess we’ll find out for certain in March though, when these comics hit shelves.
