This Fantastic Four Member Is an Even Better Leader than Reed Richards

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The Fantastic Four have been one of the pillars of Marvel Comics since the early 1960s. Known by fans as Marvel’s First Family, the team has remained a steadfast facet of the comic publishing giant for decades, and their stories have constantly influenced and inspired other creators in the comic book landscape, as well as other characters within the world of the stories themselves.

Though Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic, has been the leader of The Fantastic Four since their inception, his aloof nature and preoccupations with scientific advancements can sometimes mean that his role as the head of the FF is pushed to the sidelines. With The Fantastic Four being as close-knit and familial as they are, Reed’s eccentricities are, of course, accepted and appreciated by the other members of the team, but many fans believe there is an argument to be made that someone else should lead The Fantastic Four.

The Invisible Woman Would Be a Far More Focused Leader Than Her Husband

Reed Richards’ tenure as leader of the Fantastic Four has been an absolutely incredible one, and there’s no denying that. The Fantastic Four have faced incredible odds, battled cosmic entities beyond imagination, and uncovered startling new discoveries under his leadership. Without discrediting the accomplishments of Mister Fantastic and The Fantastic Four with him at the forefront, there’s a strong argument to be made that Reed Richards would be better suited for a supporting position on the team. If his wife, Susan Storm-Richards, aka the Invisible Woman, were to take control of Marvel’s First Family, Reed would be able to focus on his scientific research and step away from his responsibilities as team leader.

While Ben Grimm, aka the Thing, would also certainly be a viable option for the leader of The Fantastic Four, the lovable powerhouse seems more suited to the supporting role he currently holds on the team. Though he is far more intelligent than many fans realize, and his inner psychology is far more complex and compelling than what is perceived on the surface, the Thing himself would almost certainly prefer to follow the lead of Sue Storm rather than take the reins of the FF himself.

Additionally, Susan’s younger brother Johnny, aka the Human Torch, would be the one member of the team that most likely wouldn’t be a good choice for team leader. The youngest, most hot-headed member of The Fantastic Four certainly still has a lot of room to grow, and though he might make a fine leader someday, he still isn’t there quite yet.

Susan Storm-Richards is one of the most powerful members of The Fantastic Four, and she is also one of the most well-rounded, emotionally complex characters in all of Marvel Comics history. Her relationships with her husband, Reed, and their children, Franklin and Valeria, are some of the most engaging and interesting familial dynamics that Marvel Comics has to offer.

On top of this, her control of her incredible powers stretches far beyond simply making herself invisible or creating rudimentary force fields. Susan has proven time and time again that she is able to utilize aspects of her powers in imaginative and surprising ways in order to get the upper hand on a problem or a foe, and that level of quick-thinking and calm control under pressure is exactly what a leader should have.

The Fantastic Four Is a Family, and Susan Is the Matriarch

The Invisible Woman Holds The Entire Team Together

The Fantastic Four have faced off against some terrifying threats over the years. Major villains of The Fantastic Four have reared their heads repeatedly over the decades since the team’s creation, and that means that no member of Marvel’s First Family is ever truly safe. The youngest members of the family, Franklin and Valeria Richards, though both extremely competent and powerful in their own rights, are still just children after all, and their mother, Susan, has always been a steadfast pillar in their lives, constantly ready to protect them from anything. This idea expands beyond just the children, as well. The pages of Fantastic Four over the years have displayed Susan’s protective nature over the entire team, and these instincts have kept her and her family members safe on countless occasions.

Though Reed Richards is the smartest member of the team, that by no means implies that Susan is not incredibly intelligent, cunning, and resourceful. While her husband’s area of expertise is science and technology, Invisible Woman is a tactical strategist, highly-skilled archaeologist, and expert people-reader. The constant evolution and adaptation of her power set make her quick on her feet, spontaneous in her planning, and laser-focused on whatever problem she is facing.

These skills are vital for a leader, and Sue Storm-Richards has them all in spades. The Fantastic Four need a leader, and if Reed Richards is to be given the opportunity to fully focus on what he finds most pressing in his life, then the Invisible Woman is absolutely the right pick to take on leadership responsibilities.

Despite the fact that the team is so close emotionally, they still bicker, fight among themselves, and constantly find themselves separating in order to avoid further conflict. Something always pulls the team back together, and without a leader who can retain a clear, level head, the team would flounder and become ineffective.

In the wake of the epic Secret Wars event in 2015, The Fantastic Four temporarily disbanded, and Reed and Sue Richards took their children into the unknown reaches of space to explore the cosmos together, leaving Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm alone on Earth. What transpired between the two remaining Earth-bound FF members proved concretely that neither one seems capable enough to carry on the torch of Marvel’s First Family without one of the Richards on the team with them.

Invisible Woman Deserves to Step Into the Spotlight

Sue Storm Should Be the New Face of the Team She’s Held Together for Decades

In the early 1960s, when The Fantastic Four were first introduced, Susan Storm was known as the Invisible Girl. It wasn’t until Fantastic Four #284 in 1985 that Sue was finally renamed the Invisible Woman. This dated indicator of the time in which the original Fantastic Four books were released is yet another reason that Susan should be given the chance to step to the forefront of the team. For decades, she was relegated to being the weak damsel of The Fantastic Four, and while decades of stories have since fixed and retconned Susan’s place on the team, there is still often a feeling that she could be given more in The Fantastic Four’s stories.

Some of the Fantastic Four’s very best comic book storylines have still suffered from somewhat sidelining Sue Storm-Richards, and that is a major disappointment to many fans of the character and her place in the Marvel Universe. Invisible Woman is one of the most iconic female superheroes of all time, and her place as the First Lady of Marvel Comics makes her far more important than many casual fans give her credit for.

The Fantastic Four as a team is so often dictated by the whims of Reed Richards — a character who often finds himself making the wrong decisions in the interest of further scientific discovery. Mister Fantastic is not the leader that The Fantastic Four deserves, and Reed himself deserves to not have to shoulder the burden of a position that he is not entirely suited for.

Susan Storm-Richards is a more emotionally mature, level-headed leader than her husband, and making her the leader of The Fantastic Four going forward just makes sense. She has already taken the reins of the FF leadership time and time again over the years, so making it official would just help to cement her position as a vital part of the Marvel Comics Universe and its roster of team leaders. Pushing the Invisible Woman to the forefront of Fantastic Four’s comics is the right thing to do, and with the brand-new The Fantastic Four: First Steps film releasing this year, Vanessa Kirby’s iteration of Susan Storm-Richards is sure to leave a major impression on audiences everywhere. Bringing her character in the comics into the leadership role would be the logical move to showcase the dynamics of the superhero team, and it would get fans invested in a bold new era for The Fantastic Four.

“}]] While Reed Richards has been the head of the Fantastic Four for decades, another member of the FF would actually be far better suited for the role.  Read More