Articles
The Top 10 Fantastic Four Allies (Not On the Team), Ranked by Importance
The Fantastic Four are a family before they are a team, but their family is a lot bigger than the four actual members. Marvel’s First Family wouldn’t be where they are today without their friends, neighbors, and cosmic heroes who show up to help them when things get tough. The Fantastic Four have consisted of the same four people for almost their entire existence: Reed Richards, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing. There have been some other members over the years, from She-Hulk to Medusa, Ant-Man, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and more, but the team has also built up some allies that have not been official members, but are some of the strongest allies a team could ever have.
From other superheroes and aliens to other members of their own family, here are the best Fantastic Four allies not on the actual team.
10) Willie Lumpkin
Willie Lumpkin is a special case in the world of the Fantastic Four. He made his debut in Fantastic Four #11 (1963) by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and he was the cheerful Manhattan mailman whose delivery route included the Baxter Building, the home to the Fantastic Four. As a result, he sometimes finds himself as a part of their wild adventures, including one Christmas when he ended up locked in a closet when the Super-Skrull attacked. He also helped save the Fantastic Four once when they battled the Mad Thinker. After retiring, Reed hired him to be a biology teacher for the Future Foundation school.
9) Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur became close allies with the Fantastic Four when the team moved to Yancy Street. While they often seemed elitist compared to the Yancy Street regulars, the Fantastic Four came around and ended up protecting and working alongside their new neighbors. This is when Moon Girl also showed up, and she shared a fantastic rivalry with Valeria Richards, as they both proclaimed their genius intelligence, often comparing it to one another. She first teamed with The Thing in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #14, and she crossed paths with the team in her own book and the team’s official title.
8) Power Pack
Debuting in Power Pack #1 (1984), Power Pack was a group of four pre-teen siblings, the first superpowered child superhero team without adult supervision in Marvel Comics. They very quickly crossed over with the Fantastic Four and became close friends with Franklin Richards, who eventually joined them. Alex, Julie, Jack, and Katie gained their powers from a dying alien, and each is based on an elemental force. The original Power Pack series ran for 62 issues, and they have been showing up randomly in Marvel history since that time.
7) HERBIE
HERBIE the robot made his debut in The New Fantastic Four animated series in 1978. He was an AI robot who helped Reed Richards and was voiced by Frank Welker (Scooby-Doo). While he was a cartoon original, no less than Jack Kirby designed him since he was hired to work as a storyboard artist for the series. In 1979, Marv Wolfman and John Byrne brought HERBIE into the comics in Fantastic Four #209. HERBIE has remained a constant companion for the team, even appearing in the movie, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and the recent comic book event series Age of Revelation.
6) Wyatt Wingfoot
Wyatt Wingfoot debuted in Fantastic Four #50 (1966), which was also the end of the “Galactus Trilogy.” He wasn’t even a superhero, but was Johnny Storm’s college roommate at Metro College in New York, an athletically talented Native American. He and Johnny become best friends, and he starts to hang out more at the Baxter Building, where he helps the Fantastic Four countless times. He also dated She-Hulk when she was a member of the team, ingraining him more as an ally.
5) Crystal
Crystal is a member of the Inhuman Royal Family, and she is Medusa’s younger sister. Not only is she an Inhuman, but she was the first Inhuman identified in Marvel Comics, debuting in Fantastic Four #45. That was the issue that introduced the Inhumans, although Medusa actually debuted first, without any mention of the Inhumans at the time. She not only dated Johnny Storm, but she later married Quicksilver and had a daughter named Luna. She was always the most prominent member of the Inhumans in Fantastic Four comics, although Medusa later joined as an actual member.
4) Namor
Namor is one of Marvel’s oldest characters, debuting in 1939, decades before Marvel Comics actually launched. After serving in All-Winners Squad in the pre-Marvel era, he re-debuted in Fantastic Four #4 (1962) as an amnesiac whom Johnny Storm helped to recover his memories. However, when he learned about the pollution and waste humans were throwing into the oceans, almost destroying his home of Atlantis, he sought revenge. Over the years, he became an ally as well, mostly thanks to his infatuation with the Invisible Woman.
3) Alicia Masters
Alicia Masters is one of the most beloved Fantastic Four supporting cast members, and a loyal ally to the end. She debuted in Fantastic Four #8 (1962) as a blind sculptor who could create uncannily lifelike representations of anyone just by touching them before starting work. Her stepfather is the evil Puppet Master, but she sided with the Fantastic Four when he targeted them. She is best known as Ben Grimm’s longtime girlfriend and eventual wife, although there was a controversial time when she seemed to fall in love with and marry Johnny Storm, but that Alicia turned out to be a Skrull.
2) Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer debuted in Fantastic Four #48, as he led Galactus to Earth for the first time in Marvel Comics. In the “Galactus Trilogy,” the Silver Surfer ended up siding with the Fantastic Four to stop Galactus from consuming Earth, and he was banished and forced to remain on Earth, far from his original home as a result. After this, he became a loyal ally and companion to the Fantastic Four and was there to help them every time they needed him, especially against cosmic villains. He is quite possibly Jack Kirby’s greatest creation during his time on the Fantastic Four title.
1) Franklin & Valeria Richards
While some might argue that they are Fantastic Four members, the team has four members, and Franklin Richards and Valeria Richards are Reed and Sue’s kids, and fight by their side, but they are allies and not part of the four-person team. That said, there is no ally of the Fantastic Four more powerful than Franklin Richards when he has his powers, which is only once a year now. There is also no ally of the FF who is smarter than Valeria Richards, whose own father said could create things he never dreamed of. These two kids are invaluable additions to the family and the best allies their parents could ever hope for.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
