Modern Age
What is commonly referred to as the "Modern Age," "Modern Era" or "Age of Heroes" refers to the period of time following the birth of the Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four #1 to the present time. Since the Marvel Universe operates in a sliding timescale, this period no longer starts in 1961 when Fantastic Four #1 released in real-life. All events from that issue onwards and into the present are compressed in a window of time of roughly 13 years, per 2008's Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #2. This means that, at any time in the present, the spaceflight that gave birth to the Fantastic Four always happened roughly thirteen years prior. In 2008, that would be around 1995. In 2012, it happened around 1999. In 2022, circa 2009. And so on. And based on that, all events in between are adjusted accordingly. This sliding timescale only affects events that only happen in the comics, the date of historical events are unmoving (for instance, 9/11 will always have happened in 2001). Depictions and mentions of these historical events or historical figures are regarded as topical references.
(See Also: Topical Reference, Sliding Timescale)
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