10 Best Fantastic Four Comics For Non-FF Fans

After years of dormancy at Marvel Comics, the Fantastic Four have slowly crawled out of their hole and risen the popularity ranks of the Marvel franchise, reaching the pedestal Marvel’s First Family deserves to sit atop. With the upcoming release of The Fantastic Four (2025) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, many new readers will want to learn more about Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch and the Thing.

Readers unfamiliar with the Fantastic Four’s history, or even non-FF fans looking to give the team another chance ahead of their MCU debut, should look for more unorthodox Fantastic Four comics that explore alternate Marvel universes or place the team in wildly unique situations.

10 The Ultimate Universe Presents A New, Younger Fantastic Four

Ultimate Fantastic Four

Marvel’s Ultimate Universe reboots ranged from incredibly successful to tone-deaf. Ultimate Spider-Man was undoubtedly the most successful Ultimate Universe comic series, and Ultimate Fantastic Four falls somewhere in the middle of that scale. The Fantastic Four’s origins are further fleshed out, and readers see Reed Richards and Ben Grimm grow up together, enhancing the impact of their eventual cosmic changes.

Ultimate Fantastic Four is not necessarily better than the Marvel 616 book that debuted in the 1960s; it’s just different. The Ultimate Mister Fantastic goes on quite the journey, becoming the Maker and completely changing the Ultimate Universe, even creating a new one in modern Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men titles.

9 Doctor Doom Vs. The Fantastic Four, Avengers & X-Men

Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars

Doctor Doom can never have enough power. During the iconic Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars event from 1984, Doctor Doom successfully stole Galactus’s power to steal the Beyonder’s powers to completely manipulate reality, offering heroes and villains everything they could ever dream of.

While the original Secret Wars event is not strictly a Fantastic Four story, the Fantastic Four play a significant role, and Ben Grimm experiences major character developments. Secret Wars is also one of Doctor Doom’s finest moments. Secret Wars is perfect for non-FF fans as it stars Marvel’s best Avengers, X-Men, and Spider-Man.

8 The Future Foundation Is A Larger-Scale Fantastic Four

FF

Jonathan Hickman ditched the Fantastic Four name in favor of the Future Foundation, emphasizing the Fantastic Four’s roles in the Marvel Universe: scientists and explorers. The Avengers can save the world as Earth’s Mightiest Superheroes. The Fantastic Four were born of science, for science.

The Future Foundation in the FF comic series sports new, striking costumes and an expanded hero roster that includes Franklin, Valeria Richards, and even Spider-Man. FF and its Future Foundation is a nice shift for readers who struggled to invest in the original Fantastic Four comic.

7 An All-New, All-Different “Fantastic Four”

FF (Vol. 2)

Running for only 16 issues, the FF (2012) comic series presents a different version of the Fantastic Four, which temporarily replaces Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and the Thing. She-Hulk, Miss-Thing, Medusa and Ant-Man became the new “Fantastic Four” of the Marvel NOW! comic initiative.

With guest appearances from the Future Foundation, Doctor Doom and the Inhumans, FF has all the foundational pieces of a Fantastic Four comic without the actual Fantastic Four. FF (Vol. 2) is the perfect comic for non-Fantastic Four fans who do not particularly enjoy the original Fantastic Four heroes but enjoy their style of adventures.

6 Silver Surfer Travels The Marvel Universe In Marvel NOW!

Silver Surfer (2014)

While the Fantastic Four are nowhere to be seen in the Marvel NOW! Silver Surfer comic, a version of the Silver Surfer will certainly appear in The Fantastic Four (2025). Readers should probably brush up on their Silver Surfer knowledge. Though it’s unclear which version of Silver Surfer that Juia Garner will play, the Silver Surfer (2014) comic is one of Marvel’s best.

Norrin Radd and Dawn travel the Marvel Universe in a beautiful book written by Dan Slott and illustrated by Mike Allred. Silver Surfer debuted in Fantastic Four comics and serves as a digestible gateway character for readers who never quite fell in love with the Fantastic Four.

5 The Fantastic Four Without Reed Richards & Sue Storm

Marvel 2-In-One

A couple of years after the events of Marvel’s Secret Wars from 2015, the Fantastic Four return… sort of. Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman are no longer part of the group, leading Marvel to rebrand the comic, temporarily, as Marvel 2-in-One, a play on an original title from the 1970s.

Starring only the Human Torch and Ben Grimm’s The Thing, Marvel 2-in-One differs greatly from the old Fantastic Four comics, emphasizing Johnny and Ben’s rocky relationship exacerbated by Doctor Doom’s manipulations. The full Fantastic Four team is missing, but Human Torch and the Thing absolutely steal the show.

4 What If The Fantastic Four Were Different?

What If…?

Marvel’s What If…? comics are the perfect gateway for any reader who has never particularly connected with Marvel’s heroes and villains. What If…? presents alternate versions of Marvel heroes, and the Fantastic Four stars in many of them.

What if Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four? What if the Invisible Woman fell in love with Namor the Sub-Mariner? What if the Fantastic Four had lost the trial of Galactus? These are the same beloved characters in new, wild situations that readers may find more enjoyable than standard Marvel Comics canon.

3 Doctor Doom Remakes The Marvel Universe

Secret Wars (2015)

Like the original Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars event from 1984, the 2015 Secret Wars stars the entire Marvel Universe, not just the Fantastic Four. Reed Richards, Sue Storm, and Doctor Doom are pivotal in the updated event. Doctor Doom wields the Beyonder’s power once more, successfully molding and merging the Marvel 616 and Ultimate universes.

Secret Wars (2015) has major ramifications for the entire Marvel Comics universe and really places Doom and Reed’s feud at the center of the conflict. Secret Wars invites readers with the promise of all Marvel heroes and villains but could easily create new Fantastic Four fans by the final issue.

2 The Fantastic Four Return After Secret Wars

Fantastic Four (Vol. 6)

After the massive Secret Wars event in 2015, which primarily starred Reed Richards and Doctor Doom, Marvel did the unthinkable: the Fantastic Four, who helped launch Marvel into the Silver Age of comics back in the 1960s… had no monthly comic. Three years after Secret Wars, Marvel’s First Family returned.

From the opening arc, “Fourever,” to crossover events with the rest of the Marvel Universe like Empyre, Judgment Day and War of the Realms, the Fantastic Four were firmly back in Marvel Comics, proving that absence does make the heart grow fonder.

1 Read The Latest Fantastic Four Comic Series

Fantastic Four (Vol. 7)

Sometimes, there’s no better place to start than the beginning. The next best place is a local “New Releases” rack at any comic book shop. The Fantastic Four stars in an ongoing series written by Ryan North with artists such as Carlos Gomez and beautiful covers by the legendary Alex Ross.

In the seventh volume of Fantastic Four, Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing travel through time, encounter alternate versions of themselves, and, of course, Doctor Doom. Any reader unsatisfied with classic Fantastic Four comics should try the current volume, which features fresh art and modern stories.