The Fantastic Four are Marvel’s First Family, the superhero team that set the company’s standard for decades. The way they blended superhero action, familial drama, and sci-fi adventures set the stage for Marvel’s soap opera approach to comics. The team continues to be wildly popular today, especially when looking at both Ryan North’s incredible current run and the success of Fantastic Four: First Steps. The Fantastic Four, first and foremost, are a family. Their love and personal lives are always at the heart of their best adventures, and that only works because the team is so well established and they have incredible chemistry with each other.
However, while the core four are the main members, the Fantastic Four has opened its doors to plenty of other heroes across the decades. Some are extremely well known, such as the times Spider-Man and She-Hulk rocked the FF symbol, but they are far from the only ones. The Fantastic Four has had plenty of members who go almost unnoticed by all but die-hard fans. So, today, we’re going to take a look at four great members of the team that nobody talks about.
4) Jack of Hearts
Jack of Hearts is a hero who gained incredible energy projection powers after being dosed in Zero Fluid, which mutated him. He temporarily joined the Fantastic Four during the events of the “Reckoning War,” which saw a cosmic war where the Brotherhood of Badoon battled the Watchers. What makes Jack such an interesting member of the team is his relationship with She-Hulk. They have a torrid romance, coming together and breaking apart, but both caring very deeply for each other. Seeing him interact with the Fantastic Four, who are some of She-Hulk’s greatest friends and confidants, is a treat in the same way as watching an awkward teen talk to their partner’s intimidating dad is.
3) Flux
Dennis Sykes is easily the most tragic member of the Fantastic Four. He was forced to swallow chemical waste when trying to stop some criminals. The incident gave him the ability to manipulate matter, but also extreme amounts of cancer, leaving him with only a month to live. Wanting to make the best of his time, he tried to be a hero and was asked to join the Fantastic Four when Ego the Living Planet went crazy. Dennis was given the name Flux, and with the help of the Four, managed to cure Ego of a cancerous tumor that was driving him insane. Unfortunately, Flux died a short time later, but will always be remembered as a member of the Fantastic Four when they needed him most.
2) Nova (Frankie Raye)
Frankie has a storied connection with the Fantastic Four, and especially Johnny Storm. She is the stepdaughter of Phineas Horton, the man who made the original Human Torch robot. An incident granted her the Torch’s same powers, and inevitably, Frankie met and grew close to the new Human Torch. She took the name Nova and joined the Fantastic Four while dating Johnny. The two bounced off each other greatly, but their idyllic relationship was torn apart when Galactus arrived on Earth. To spare the world, she agreed to become his herald. This connection to Galactus only made her relationship with the FF all the more interesting, as their constant battles with Galactus often bring them together.
1) Namorita
Namor is well known as one of the Fantastic Four’s earlier enemies. His obsession with Sue Storm led him to try and destroy the team innumerable times, and even today, the team and the King of Atlantis cannot get along. That makes Johnny’s very public, very messy relationship with Namor’s cousin Namorita all the funnier. She got with Johnny to get back at her ex, Nova. Rich Rider, not Frankie, though that’d make one heck of a story. Johnny dating the cousin of the one person his sister and brother-in-law hate more than anyone not named Doom is the perfect recipe for hilarious, awful situations.
Frankly, these two should not have and should never date again, but Namorita’s brief time on the Fantastic Four did offer a new view of their connection to Namor, which is very much appreciated. There’s also something hilarious about Namor dedicating his life to simping for Sue, only for his cousin to land Johnny with zero effort. It’s ironic justice in the best way.
So there are four members of the Fantastic Four that nobody brings up when discussing the team, which is probably for a good reason. Which auxiliary member of Marvel’s First Family is your favorite?
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
