What If the Fantastic Four Had Not Gained Their Super-Powers?

What If the Fantastic Four Had Not Gained Their Super-Powers? 

This was the rare issue that saw a story by the lead characters' regular creative team,without their usual crotch of having to deal with everything by using their powers.Some might think that gave the book a lack of something,but making the Fantastic Four more like DC Comics Challengers of the Unknown made seem more heroic. His misanthropic ways more than any notable drop in the quality of his artwork have diminished John Byrne's profile, but he was red hot at the time, writing and drawing the regular FF title. Byrne's alternate take on the team's origin had cooler heads prevail before the fateful unauthorized launch that created Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Girl the Human Torch, and the brutish Thing. In this tale, Reed waits a few weeks, enlists some actual astronauts to accompany Ben and he, and successfully completes the interstellar Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben are called in by the authorities to investigate mysterious tunneling incidents worldwide. The story then follows the familiar path of FF#1, as the team confronts and defeats the Mole Man, albeit without the benefits of super powers. Interestingly, these "Challengers of the Unknown" have an easier time of it than their powered counterparts in many ways. All in all, its a nice, straightforward tale that illustrates that powers or not, the Fantastic Four are heroes.flight.

After Frank Miller on a Daredevil/Elektra What If, we get John Byrne on a Fantastic Four What If. Byrne's FF work was the beginning of the most creative run of his career (which for me ends after Next Men). He revitalized Marvel's first series and made it the World's Greatest Comics Magazine again. Unlike Miller, who riffed on his own stories, Byrne goes back to the beginning and not only makes a crucial change (that is more logical than the original story), but retells the first issue all over again.
What If Vol.1 #36 (December 1982)Based on: Fantastic Four #1The true history: Lack of funding makes Reed Richards wonder if he should steal into his experimental starship and give it an illegal test flight. Ben Grimm says "whoa there", but is goaded into helping by Sue Storm's girlish manipulations. Their makeshift crew goes into space, but crash down when the shields prove too weak to protect them from cosmic rays, cosmic rays that give them amazing powers.Turning point: 

What if Reed Richards listened to Ben Grimm?This is what might have happened.

Story type: Deviated Origin/New World Order

Reed Richards was a scientist and the inventor of the first spaceship capable of reaching planets beyond our moon. After much planning, expense and hard work; the ship was built and was nearing its launch date. However, as the launch neared, the federal government was about to cut funding for the flight. Reed decided there was no choice but to launch the ship before the whole effort was scrapped and wasted. Reed invited his girlfriend Susan Storm along for the trip and her brother Johnny Storm insisted on coming along in order to keep her safe. ... Wanting a pilot with both the ability and the guts to make the flight, Reed turned to his former college roommate and very close friend Ben Grimm, a highy accomplished former test pilot for the United States Air Force. ... The crew now set, everyone was ready for launch when Reed received a warning from the authorities concerning the effects of the cosmic rays on human bodies so far out in space. Reed's request for launch was denied and the mission aborted. When the government threatened to cut spending on Reed Richards' rocket project, Reed wisely heeded his old friend Ben Grimm's advice not to launch the ship until they had ensured adequate radiation shielding. 

Before flying into space and getting bombarded with cosmic rays, Benjamin Grimm pleaded with Reed Richards to wait until the rocket could have better shielding added. Sue called Ben a coward, Ben got angry and the three of them went into space. Here, Reed decides that Ben is right to play it safe. After gaining some more funds, they fly into space with enough shielding to keep them normal.

Two weeks later, having obtained funding from other means and having completed the shielding, Red and Ben took off. With the advantage of time to think things through, Reed had refused to allow Sue or Johnny--neither of whom had had any experience in space flight--to accompany them. The shields held and the ship successfully entered hyperspace, landing three days later on the planet Epsilon Eridani. A month later, Reed and Ben returned to Earth, and the entire world showered honors upon them. Within a year, Earth became a true space-faring planet, with small outposts on a dozen distant planets. With renewed government funding and money made from a patent for the star-drive in Reed's name, Reed Richards' Rocket Group grew to create a vast scientific complex, dedicated to the advancement of mankind.

You have to wonder why the regular Marvel version,picked not New York,but that how Stan Lee figured in back in 1961.And why did this we see more about offworld colonies?Marvel is full of space fairing menaces.This Fantastic Four might confront out in space,too.
Shortly after receiving notice of large holes in the surface of the Earth forming and swallowing up a nuclear power plant in Russia, a similar phenomenon happened under Reed Richard's complex (with Reed and group observing Giganto in action). Reed pinpointed the origin of the attack to Monster Isle and sent the army to scout around, while he and Ben prepared to investigate. This time Sue Storm insisted on accompanying them, and Johnny Storm demanded to join her, and Reed relented. They followed the tunnel, at which point they were assaulted by a group of rock creatures.
You’d think a story about the Fantastic Four without powers would be boring. As I reading,it wasn't,unless your an idior as atleast or fanboys on the net found idea boring thought.But most fanboys opinions don't count and are as smart as a brick,thinking such thing.which is why of your fiction is crap,because they put out,are trying appeal to the stupid people in the audience and not the far,intelligent readership. As they prepared to fight back, a small cave-in occurred beneath Reed and Johnny, who fell through. Of course, things are a little more difficult without superhuman abilities. Reed gets his shoulder dislocated and Johnny can't flame on much more than a flare.a neat bit,emulating an ability,that this Johnny Storm dosen't have-flaming a part of body to create a flair.
Reed Richards dislocated his shoulder in the fall, but Johnny Storm patched him up, and the two found an underground railcar system that brought them to the Mole Man, though the light from the Valley of the Diamonds had left them incapacitated.


Like the Miller issue, this issue was helped by the regular writer of the title tackling the story and really embracing the fun idea. John Byrne really got into the idea of what would happen if the Fantastic Four never gained powers.The end result is a nicely illustrated by Byrne story of the Fantastic Four basically becoming the Challengers of the Unknown. Good stuff,especially seeing someone try and no a book,where characters often rely on superhero powers,rely on brains and gargets.Too bad that the Challengers never got a Lee/Kirby team or a John Byrne to do something this good.Challenger has floundered in crap since many Kirby left and I'm not one of those Jack Kirby is God King of Comics type idiots you see everywhere.but the book does often just stink.Like the Miller issue, this issue was helped by the regular writer of the title tackling the story and really embracing the fun idea. John Byrne really got into the idea of what would happen if the Fantastic Four never gained powers.The end result is a nicely illustrated by Byrne story of the Fantastic Four basically becoming the Challengers of the Unknown. Good stuff,as Byrne tells a tale,where the Reed Richards Rocket Group or Richards Research,made of himself,Sue Storm,Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm confronting the Mole Man.The Challengers is the powerless Fantastic Four,who hasn't anyone of the book since Jack Kirby-left worthe a dam period.And I'm not one of Jack Kirby is King or God of Comics people,but lets face nobody and I mean nobody has written a Challenger story as good as this one or any of the classic stuff,you see in the Fantastic Four.Imagine,if this comic  was the way DC went early on and had the Lee/Kirby team on the book or say John Byrne at his best with the X-Men or Fantastic Four.You got to wonder,how this none powered version of the team,went against the likes of Galactus,Doctor Doom,the Fightful Four and whomever,The story gives the idea,the Richards Team took on all comers and survived.

If they had continued that way they would have been in the same "League" of the Sea Devils, or Cave Carson. It might be the man not the power, but few can argue with someone on fire.After Frank Miller on a Daredevil/Elektra What If, we get John Byrne on a Fantastic Four What If. Byrne's FF work was the beginning of the most creative run of his career (which for me ends after Next Men). He revitalized Marvel's first series and made it the World's Greatest Comics Magazine again. Unlike Miller, who riffed on his own stories, Byrne goes back to the beginning and not only makes a crucial change The second story, about Nova’s powers? Not so good.The only draw to this issue,the non powered Challenger Fantastic Four has to share space with this loser of a story.There is your sometimes Comics are just crap.