Marvel Unveils New Designs For Fantastic Four, With Major Changes
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The Fantastic Four's new designs look nothing like any previous version of Marvel's First Family. The Fantastic Four are unmistakable even without their matching uniforms or their superpowers, thanks in great part to Jack Kirby's genius character design. Regardless of whether Ben Grimm is in active The Thing form and Johnny Storm is sporting his divisive comic book mustache or his short movie hairstyles, the Fantastic Four are instantly recognizable on and outside the battlefield.
While other superhero teams like the X-Men and the Avengers constantly cycle through drastic costume overhauls, the Fantastic Four maintain a remarkably consistent wardrobe that honors their originally clean, minimalistic aesthetic across decades and alternate realities. The Fantastic Four's costumes are almost always a sleek two-tone jumpsuit accented by a simple chest emblem, all in all a timeless look that avoids the over-designed armor and excessive straps of modern costume design. When they do decide to alter their uniforms, the Fantastic Four tend to manipulate the color palette rather than the designs themselves.
Even the most optimistic and consistently successful Marvel characters have dark counterparts somewhere out there in the multiverse, and the Fantastic Four are no exception.
The Midnight Fantastic Four Make Their Official Debut
Midnight Fantastic Four #1; Written By Benjamin Percy; Art By Kev Walker
Launching this timeline, Benjamin Percy and Kev Walker's Midnight Fantastic Four #1 introduces its dark take on Marvel's First Family, who are everything but a family in this timeline. In the Midnight Universe, Reed Richards meet Sue Storm while imprisoned, when Sue and her intimidating security advisor Ben Grimm visit him to free him. Meanwhile, Johnny Storm is the pilot in charge of transporting them and make sure the beaten-up Reed Richards recovers during the flight. This version of the Fantastic Four starts their journey in a very different place than usual, as only Sue and Johnny have anything resembling a positive relationship.
Before they gain their superpowers in the Midnight Universe, the Fantastic Four have more physical similarities than differences when compared to most of their other selves across the multiverse. However, there are two major changes to the civilian Fantastic Four. Ben Grimm is a towering, stone-faced bald man sporting sunglasses who doesn't utter a word if it isn't strictly necessary, and while Johnny Storm is still an upbeat blond jock, he wears prosthetic legs after experiencing an unfortunate crash.
Midnight Fantastic Four #1 is now available from Marvel Comics
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