Fantastic Four’s New Origin Perfects Reed & the Thing’s Friendship (With Horrifying Consequences)

Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Ultimates #4!The newest Fantastic Four origin story has perfected Reed Richards and The Thing‘s friendship, even with its horrifying consequences. The friendship between The Thing and Mr. Fantastic has become one of Marvel’s most notable relationships. First meeting in college, Reed Richards and Ben Grimm became fast friends at Empire State University, leading to years of working together. However, a small change to their origin has changed the dynamic of their friendship while perfecting it at the same time.

In The Ultimates #4 by Deniz Camp and Phil Noto, Reed Richards’ life leading up to the accident that would give him powers is explored to see what changes were made that would eventually turn him into the new Doctor Doom. However, for the most part, his early days are fairly similar to his Earth-616 variant. That is, save for one notable moment where he meets Ben Grimm for the first time in college.

This version of Reed is shown to be much younger than what he was in his original origin. While he was always a child prodigy who attended college at a young age, he never met Ben until he was in his late teens/early 20s. However, here, he’s 13 years old.

Reed Sees Ben as the Older Brother He Never Had

While Reed would eventually discover over the years that he has half-brothers and half-sisters throughout the universe in his family tree, he grew up in his household as an only child. By aging him down when he first meets Ben in college, their friendship ultimately evolves into a sibling dynamic, as Reed gains not just a new friend but a role model at the same time. Ben has far more experience in things outside of science than Reed, so making him far older allows him to be a good influence on Reed as the two partner up throughout college.

Plus, this new take on the origins of their friendship allows Ben to provide a space for Reed to be himself without dealing with the pressures of being the youngest student on campus. Being a child prodigy is bound to come with some major social hangups, since his peers are far older than him. So, his friendship with Ben allows him to have someone to turn to when he needs them most and creates a positive environment for him to vent his frustrations while exhibiting his love for science to a supportive audience.

Reed and Ben’s Ultimate Universe Origin Takes a Horrifying Turn

This Doesn’t Mean It Can’t Still Be Made Canon

The most upsetting takeaway surrounding Ben and Reed’s new friendship is the dark turn it takes as their attempt to test Reed’s new program ends in failure. After Johnny dies in a blaze and Susan Storm is bedridden in the hospital, Ben is shown to have died by suicide in a massive pile of gravel after becoming a disgraced pilot.

It’s an unfortunate downside to this new take on the relationship between the two. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that this future is set in stone should it make its way outside the Ultimate Universe, as the main canon could adopt this small change to their own story line, further perfecting Reed and Ben’s friendship without needing to kill the latter.

Josh Trank’s Major Comic Change Is Finally Explored Further

What’s interesting about this major change to Reed and Ben’s friendship is that it actually expands on the best aspect of the critically panned 2015 Fantastic Four film directed by Josh Trank. In the film, Ben and Reed meet for the first time in public school together, forging a friendship that lasts for years. The two have a similar dynamic in the original Ultimate Fantastic Four series by Mark Millar, Brian Michael Bendis and Adam Kubert. In that series, they also meet as children, with Ben protecting Reed from bullies in exchange for help with his homework.

In Ultimate Fantastic Four, they part ways when Ben goes to college, but reunite before Reed’s fateful experiment that grants him and the rest of the team powers. While Trank clearly took inspiration from the original Ultimate Universe’s origin for the characters, his change to have them stay friends rather than separate helps the two bond as not just friends, but also as pseudo-siblings. Despite being around the same age, Ben is clearly playing an older brother role in the friendship. He provides a positive role model for Reed, encouraging him to embrace his intelligence, just like what’s hinted at in The Ultimates #4.

It’s interesting to see how one small change to Reed and Ben’s origin can redefine how their friendship unfolds for the better. Making Ben into a brotherly figure for Reed is incredibly sweet, even if their new story ends in tragedy. Despite the dark side of it all, it’s an adjustment that should work its way into the main Fantastic Four canon because of how much it reshapes Mr. Fantastic and The Thing‘s origin stories for the better.

The Ultimates #4 is available now from Marvel Comics!