Marvel’s Big Fantastic Four Reboot Has One Major Problem

Published Oct 17, 2026, 7:57 PM EDT

Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies graduate who loves popular nerd culture (almost anything to do with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings) and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared's first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot.

No different than with the Avengers, X-Men, or Defenders, the fun of a Marvel Comics team like Fantastic Four is what each member contributes to the overall ensemble, and that they do indeed come as a full package, whether or not there’s a weak link or characters who aren’t as well-developed. In terms of the Fantastic Four, in particular, you can’t have any individual member without the rest, as Reed Richards’ Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm’s Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm’s Human Torch, and Ben Grimm’s Thing together literally put the “Four” in “Fantastic Four.”

However, more than any other Marvel Comics superhero team, the Fantastic Four should ideally be the golden standard for an ensemble of characters because they’re not only a literal family, but also Marvel’s First Family. That doesn’t mean they can’t bicker, disagree, or even go on their own adventures, but a Fantastic Four story that pedestals one of the Four much higher than the others risks the disfigurement of what makes the Fantastic Four so special. Unfortunately, this is a spiky pitfall that Midnight Fantastic Four appears to be walking into.

Mister Fantastic Is Midnight Fantastic Four’s Main Character, No Doubt About It

Benjamin Percy and Kev Walker’s Midnight Fantastic Four is excellent so far, but something has stuck out like a sore thumb in the ongoing series’ debut issue: Reed is unmistakably poised as the book’s protagonist, while Sue, Johnny, and Ben are clearly supporting characters in his story. That’s not to say they always will be, and yet it’s a sad issue to read if you’re a huge fan of Thing or Human Torch, in particular.

As the main character, Reed is the focal point of Midnight Fantastic Four’s story. There’s a lot to dissect and unpack when it comes to Reed and his consumption of mysterious purple pills, and it’s because of his brazen scientific efforts that Storm Systems bails him out of prison and recruits him onto their admittedly truncated team. But while a lot is depicted and teased about Reed and his experiences, all we know about the other three Fantastic Four characters is that Sue is wealthy and runs Storm Systems, Ben is Sue’s violent security advisor, and Johnny is a pilot who recently crashed, resulting in the loss of his legs.

The Fantastic Four aren’t a family yet in Midnight Fantastic Four, nor do they need to be. That said, instead of being a Fantastic Four story, it’s hard not to see this as a Mister Fantastic story.

Only 1 Issue Is Out, And The Road Is Long Ahead

Playing devil’s advocate, it’s possible that Reed is merely being wielded as the entry point to the story, as it desperately needs one in order for readers to be gradually warmed up to the enormous amount of cosmic and interdimensional worldbuilding Midnight Fantastic Four is about to boast. That’s arguably more important to establish a foundation for in this first issue, as well as the inciting incident of Victor von Doom and the New York Institute of Technology’s science building being blown up, rather than giving thorough backstories for each member of Midnight Fantastic Four’s Fantastic Four. There will be a time and a place for that.

Marvel Comics is devoting a lot to this horror-themed Midnight universe, and it’s likely that Midnight Fantastic Four’s story is designed to be a slow burn that accelerates and goes on for well over 100 issues. Right now, the book is obviously in its infancy, and the Fantastic Four don’t even have their powers yet.

Still, we’ll hopefully start to see Sue, Johnny, and Ben get as much attention as Reed fairly soon. Otherwise, that imbalance is going to be quite unsavory if one or more Fantastic Four members’ origin stories are on a back burner. The solicitation for Midnight Fantastic Four #2 reads as follows:

Reed Richards — haunted by a past he can barely recall and a scientific breakthrough he can barely understand — begins his tenuous working relationship with Sue, Johnny, and Ben at Storm Systems. They’re about to test out one of his theories — a theory that will revisit and redefine the perils of the atomic age.

Midnight Fantastic Four #2 is scheduled to be released on November 18, 2026.

The Fantastic Four is a superhero franchise centered on Marvel Comics' first family of superheroes. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the team made its comic book debut in 1961 and quickly became a cornerstone of Marvel's success. The franchise follows four astronauts—Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm—who gain superpowers after being exposed to cosmic radiation. Over the years, Fantastic Four has been adapted into several live-action films, animated series, and video games. The films have seen multiple reboots, with varying levels of success, and are now set to be integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with a new film slated for release in 2025.