Fantastic Force is a fictional

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

team appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. It is a spin-off of the

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...

. The team had its own title, which lasted for eighteen issues from November 1994 to April 1996. Its average monthly sales for 1995, its only full year of publication, were 33,675 copies. The title was revived for a miniseries involving a new team in April 2009.

Original team

Rumors started circulating in the early 1990s that ''

'' was to be cancelled and a new title called ''Fantastic Force'' launched in its place. At the time the rumors were false, but the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

Tom DeFalco Tom DeFalco (born June 26, 1950) is an American comic book writer and editor well known for his association with Marvel Comics, with long runs on ''Amazing Spider-Man'', ''Thor'', and ''Fantastic Four''. Career While in college, DeFalco "wrote fo ...

, decided that due to the amount of traction the rumor had gained that they should create a new

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

with the same title. A creative team was brought together; however, after it disbanded due to creative differences,

Tom Brevoort Tom Brevoort () is an American comic book editor, known for his work for Marvel Comics, where he has overseen titles such as '' New Avengers'', ''Civil War'', and ''Fantastic Four''. He became Executive Editor in 2007, and in January 2011 was prom ...

wrote the new book while Dante Bastianoni took on the responsibilities of cover design and penciller. It launched in November 1994 as a spinoff book to ''

'' rather than as a replacement. The founding members of the original team were: * Psi-Lord ( Franklin Richards) was the leader, son of

Mister Fantastic Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member, and the leader, of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mastery of mechanical, aerospace a ...

and

Invisible Woman The Invisible Woman (Susan "Sue" Storm-Richards) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four and was the first female superhero created by Marvel during ...

of the

* Huntara (Tara Richards), Franklin Richards' aunt from an

alternate future Time travel is a common theme in fiction, mainly since the late 19th century, and has been depicted in a variety of media, such as literature, television, film, and advertisements. The concept of time travel by mechanical means was popularized ...

, armed with a scythe that enabled her to open interdimensional portals * Vibraxas, a

Wakanda Wakanda () is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Wakanda has been depicted as being in East Africa. It is located in sub-Saharan Africa, and is home to the superhero Black Panther. Wakanda first app ...

n with the power to generate vibratory force * Devlor, an

Inhuman Inhuman may refer to: Comics *Inhumans, a fictional race in Marvel Comics ** ''Inhuman'' (comics), a comic book series focusing on Inhumans ** ''Inhumans'' (TV series), a television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe *Kristoff Vernard, ...

who could transform into a large ape-like creature Vibraxas later became a supporting character in ''

Black Panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...

'' volume 2. The Black Panther, who also served as an unofficial member of the team, joining them in the field on occasion, funded Fantastic Force. For a short time the

Human Torch The Human Torch (Jonathan "Johnny" Storm) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. He is writer Stan Lee's and artist Jack Kirby's reinvention of ...

became team leader. Eventually Huntara left the group for another dimension, and her slot on the team was filled by

She-Hulk She-Hulk (Jennifer "Jen" Walters) is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in ''The Savage She-Hulk'' #1 (cov ...

.''Fantastic Force'' #13; cover date Nov. 1995

2009 series

The new miniseries in 2009 followed the exploits of a group formerly known as " The New Defenders". This team was composed of the last superheroes of a bleak future who brought the remaining members of the human race to the present day where they settled on Nu Earth, an artificial copy of Earth. This group first appeared in the storyline "Death of The Invisible Woman" featured in ''

'' #558-562. This team includes a descendant of Bruce Banner/Hulk and a future version of Wolverine as well as a number of less recognizable characters.

References

External links

Marvel universe article on the Fantastic Force'Still Bad After All These Years' - Marvel.com blog entry from writer Tom Brevoort, looking back on Fantastic Force
{{She-Hulk 1994 comics debuts Fantastic Four Marvel Comics superhero teams Marvel Comics titles