Ultimate Fantastic Four: President Thor, Part 1
Issue: #27
Writer: Mark Millar
Pencils: Greg Land
Inker: Matt Ryan
Colors: Justin Ponsor

The story opens on the day of the accident that transformed Reed Richards and his friends into the Fantastic Four. Two future versions of Reed are looking on a safe distance away and talking about argiopes, spider-like machines that are hovering over the area. One of the Reeds comments that argiopes “eat” threats to the time/space contimuum, and warns everyone not to touch anything native to this time and place. He then asks his other future self how far back in the Fantastic Four have traveled; Susan Storm replies it’s twenty-four hours. Ben and Johnny allude to an incident involving Carmen Miranda as their motivation for time traveling into the past, but won’t discuss it any further. One Reed comments that it’s strange seeing the pre-change group talking so easily with Victor Van Damme, before he becomes Doctor Doom. The other Reed asks if everyone is agreed on the idea of changing the past to prevent the teleporter accident, and everyone is. The Reed who has traveled to the past by himself returns to his present day. He tells the Baxter Building robot H.E.R.B.I.E.-4 that the mission was successful, the “secret problem” solved, and reminds the robot not to mention it to anyone, including Professor Storm.

Meanwhile, Sue is on an archaeological dig in Chile with members of the X-Men. They’ve found a corpse inside a South American-style pyramid, and Jean Grey is picking up a residual psychic message: “Super Skrull”. The message doesn’t seem to mean anything. Reed contacts her to discuss the problem Ben Grimm has been having with his condition as The Thing. Sue isn’t sure she wants to risk changing the past because of one man, but Reed is insistent – Ben seems to have been traumatized by the accident, and Reed wants to help his friend.

Johnny Storm is sitting outside a secured cell talking to the zombie version of the Fantastic Four who are imprisoned inside. The zombie Reed Richards is giving him instructions on making a quick-brew form of beer. Johnny is a little concerned that the formula will turn out to be an explosive or some other method the zombies can use to free themselves. Zombie Reed assures him that’s not the case; he already knows how he and his fellow zombies will escape – they’re just not ready yet.

Ben Grimm is in trouble with the law. He explains to the police officer that, seeing a police car pursuing a beat-up passenger car, it made sense for him to grab a streetlight pole and stop the passenger car. The officer informs him that the passenger car was driven by undercover cops and that both vehicles were on their way to an emergency. Ben grumbles that this is no way to treat someone who has helped save the world. The officer responds that the Fantastic Four were responsible for causing most of those problems in the first place, and cites both the Namor and Nihil’s spaceship incidents as evidence. Ben finally tells him to send a bill for damages to the Baxter Building, and the lawyers will figure it out.

Ben calls Johnny to make sure the birthday party he’s attending is still on. Johnny assures him it is, and reminds him about the vintage movie star costume he’s supposed to wear. The men are supposed to dress as women, and vice versa. Ben has chosen to come dressed as Carmen Miranda. When he bursts through the door in costume, however, he realizes that Johnny has played a trick on him – no one else is in costume, and he’s made a fool of himself in public. Instead of taking a swing at Johnny, Ben strides away in tears; it’s just another blow to his self-esteem. Johnny gets told off by Thor, who was a guest at the party, just before Sue and Reed show up.

All three go in search of Ben (with Sue also chewing Johnny out for the joke), and eventually find him sitting in a park. Ben has decided he can’t take any more of being The Thing. It’s a lifetime condition and it isn’t going to change. Ben admits he’d kill himself if he could find a razor that didn’t break when he tried to use it. He asks if maybe Reed could find a way to kill him since he’s apparently given up on finding a cure.

A short time later, the Fantastic Four is setting up the time machine. They’ve all agreed to go back and change the past, even though they’ll be giving up their new abilities. Reed warns them about the argiopes before they disappear. We see them as the second group of time travelers shown at the beginning. After the first Reed disappears back into the future, another figure appears in the distance – a green-skinned being with pointed ears, who shouts that he’s too late.

With the teleporter accident prevented, the future has changed. In the Oval Office, President Thor is getting a phone call from his Vice President, Reed Richards, asking to be excused from making the address at the welcoming ceremony for the Chitauri ambassador. Thor reminds his secretary that the term “Chitauri” is offensive, and that the correct term is “Skrulls”, then tells her that Reed is expected to be at the ceremony. An aide comments that Thor is the most successful president in U.S. history, that there is no longer disease or poverty, and virtually no crime. However, there are a number of super-villains who would not be a threat if everyone on the planet hadn’t been given super powers. Thor is looking out the window at large group of humans who can fly or ride advanced forms of air transportation. He argues that super-powers shouldn’t be confined to a minority, and that there’s no turning back now.

Submitted By: Seldes Katne