—Franklin Storm's final wordsI was foolish... weak... I let a tragedy of life defeat me years ago! I didn't have the courage to carry on... as I should have... for you!! But now, somehow, I found my courage!! So... perhaps... I've made up for the years I'd wasted... that's why you must not cry... at last I've regained my pride...! Think kindly of me, my children... always remember... I loved you... never forget how proud you made me... with your honor... your valor... your selfless love...my life has been lonely... all these years... but now I'll be lonely no more... do you hear?? I'll be lonely no more... for I'm going to join my beloved ...Mary...
Appearing in "Death of a Hero!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Franklin Storm (Appears in flashback) (Death)
- Alicia
Antagonists:
- Skrull Empire
- Invincible Man (Super-Skrull)
- Morrat (First appearance)
- Emperor Dorrek
Other Characters:
- NYPD
- Mary Storm (First appearance) (Death) (Only in flashback)
- Doctor Doom (Victor von Doom) (Mentioned)
- Avengers (Mentioned)
- Petunia Grimm (Mentioned)
- Rube Goldberg (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Realities:
Locations:
- Milky Way
- Andromeda Galaxy
- Tarnax System
- Tarnax IV
- Power Asteroid (Behind the scenes)
- Tarnax System
Items
Vehicles
Synopsis for "Death of a Hero!"
Reed Richards has devised yet another means of changing the Thing back to his human form. The initial test appears to work and they have 24 hours to determine if the transformation is a success or else it will become permanent. Meanwhile, a beam from deep space enters Earth's atmosphere and strikes a deserted island, freeing a being trapped below. Back at the Baxter Building, Ben wakes up from his transformation and attacks his friends. The side effect of the transformation has stricken Ben with amnesia, and he lashes out at the other members of the Fantastic Four and Alicia. With no other choice, the Fantastic Four knock Ben out and Reed reverses the process before it can be permanent. Although Ben's mind is restored, he is upset at yet another failure to change him back to normal.
At Ryker's Island Prison, Franklin Storm's cell is invaded by the mysterious being. Before he can react, Franklin is teleported away, and the intruder takes his form. The next morning, Sue and Johnny visit the warden's office, where Sue finally reveals the truth about their father: Twenty years ago, he and their mother were involved in a car accident. Surgery proved futile, and Franklin was unable to save Mary's life. Distraught by his wife's death, Franklin became addicted to gambling, racking up a massive debt. When a mobster came looking for him to pay up, the two got into a scuffle and the mobster's gun went off, killing him. Still grieving over the death of his wife and ashamed of what he had become, Franklin Storm said nothing in his own defense, and was sentenced to prison for manslaughter.
With the story out in the open, Sue and Johnny visit the man they think is their father, to inform him that they are going to try to get him paroled early. However, the impostor tells them that he won't have to wait that long, and surprises them when he suddenly turns invisible and busts through the prison wall and escapes. As the rest of the Fantastic Four are summoned, "Franklin" assumes a costumed form and calls himself the Invincible Man. With all the powers of the Fantastic Four, he terrorizes the people of New York. Because they believe their foe is Johnny and Sue's father, the Fantastic Four hold back and are easily defeated. Seeing the Invincible Man escape so easily makes the general public believe that they are going soft on him, due to his "family relation" to the group. However, Reed runs some tests and suddenly deduces the identity of the Invincible Man.
Reed constructs a hyper-wave transmitter and confronts the Invincible Man and explains that he has contacted his homeworld and that he knows that he is not Franklin Storm. With his cover blown, the mystery man reverts to his true form, the Super-Skrull. With their plans foiled again, the Skrull emperor teleports the Super-Skrull away. On their way back to the Baxter Building, Reed explains how he used his devices to deduce the identity of their attacker. He prepares a weapon and threatens to destroy the Skrull homeworld if they do not return Franklin Storm to them. Franklin is returned to Earth, but there is a bomb planted on him. Not wishing to harm his family, Franklin rolls over and smothers the blast and is fatally wounded. Before he dies, Franklin tells his children that he is proud of them. When the authorities arrive, they learn how Storm sacrificed his life.Appearing in ""A House Divided!""
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Gregory Gideon (First appearance)
- Gideon's business rivals:
- Commander Vanvroot
- Tamiroff
- Favorshaw
- Smedley, Gideon's assistant
- Gideon's agents:
- Berney
- Agent R
Other Characters:
- Thomas Gideon (First appearance)
- Claire Gideon (First appearance)
- Judson, Gideon's chauffeur
- NYPD
- Yancy Street Gang (Behind the scenes)
- Doctor Doom (Mentioned)
- Doombot (Mentioned)
- Puppet Master (Mentioned)
- Thor (Odinson) (Mentioned)
- Beatles (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Realities:
Locations:
- Earth
- North America
- United States of America
- New York
- New York City
- Manhattan
- 42nd Street and Madison Avenue
- Financial District
- Wall Street
- Gregory Gideon's office tower
- Wall Street
- Yancy Street (Mentioned)
- Manhattan
- Long Island
- Glenville
- Sue and Johnny's House
- Glenville
- Westchester County
- New York City
- New York
- United States of America
- Africa (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
- Egypt (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
- Cairo (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
- South Africa (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
- Egypt (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
- Europe (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
- United Kingdom (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
- North America
Items:
- Fantastic Four Uniforms
- Doctor Doom's Time Platform
- Concussion Gun
Vehicles:
Synopsis for ""A House Divided!""
While the FF comment on the Thing's latest gift from the Yancy Street Gang – A Beatles Wig – greedy millionaire Gregory Gideon makes a bet with his competitors: If he cannot defeat the Fantastic Four within a week, he will forfeit his entire fortune to them, but if he succeeds, he gains their wealth.
Gideon's plan starts by convincing the Thing that Reed is really a Skrull imposter, and convincing Sue that Johnny is a robot imposter created by Doctor Doom. Although they clash with each other, they soon realize that they were tricked. They rush to the Baxter Building, unaware that Gideon's men have set up Dr. Doom's time machine in the floor, so that whoever crosses it gets sent to another time.
Gideon's plan ultimately fails because his son Tommy is a big Fantastic Four fan, and when he learns that his father is going to kill his favorite heroes, the boy goes to the Baxter Building to warn them. Tommy walks through the time machine trap, and although the Thing tries to save the boy, the two are transported to another era. After the FF round up the crooks and turn off the time machine, Gideon arrives and begs Reed Richards to bring back his son, and is willing to pay anything to get Tommy back. When the boy appears safe and sound, having been returned to the present when Reed turned off the device, Gideon realizes that in his mad quest for ultimate wealth, he neglected the most valuable thing he had: his family.
After listening to an appeal from his wife, Gideon swears to give his fortune to charity. The Fantastic Four let the Gideon family go, to rebuild their troubled family.