4 Heroes You Forgot Were Members of the Fantastic Four

With The Fantastic Four: First Steps soaring into theaters, the iconic superhero team is getting a lot of renewed attention and for good reason. The heroes have long been known as Marvel’s First Family due to their role as the first superhero team for Marvel, a team that marked a turning point in comics with its tight-knit core of very human heroes working together to save the world from all manner of threats. But while most people think of the core four when they think of the Fantastic Four — Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben — the reality is that there have been many other heroes to be a part of the team over the years.

From temporary replacements to unexpected allies, there have been plenty of substitute members of the Fantastic Four. Here are four that you may have forgotten that were really and truly officially part of the team.

1) She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters)

The Fantastic Four just isn’t the same without its muscle, so when Ben Grimm/The Thing opted to remain on Battleworld for a year at the conclusion of Secret Wars (1984), Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk joins the team in his place. She-Hulk remained with the Fantastic Four for a few years, forging deep bonds with the team in Fantastic Four #265-300 and has been a recurring member of the team for years, but her time as part of Marvel’s First Family is often forgotten by fans because it overshadowed by her time on another team, the Avengers, which she had joined in 1982. She-Hulk is also perhaps better known to fans for her solo series, specifically The Sensational She-Hulk which ran for 60 issues beginning in 1989 and featured notable issues written and drawn by John Byrne who has since become closely associated with the character.

2) Ant-Man (Scott Lang)

Scott Lang/Ant-Man spent some time with the Fantastic Four in the early 2000s in Fantastic Four (Vol. 3), joining up while Reed was missing and presumed dead. During his time with the team, Scott most notably offered up his technical skills and mentorship for Reed and Sue’s children, Franklin and Valeria. For Marvel fans, however, Scott’s time with the Fantastic Four is often forgotten because they don’t really consider him a real “member” of the team. Instead, he was just a temporary fill-in, serving as a substitute for a very short period of time rather than truly becoming part of the family. It’s also worth noting that Scott later went on to lead a replacement version of the team, the FF.

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3) Crystal (Inhumans)

Crystal was introduced along with the rest of the Inhuman royal family and indeed the Inhuman race in the Fantastic Four comics, even entering into a romantic relationship with Johnny Storm/Human Torch. This made her a Fantastic Four mainstay but didn’t really make her part of the team — at least not until Sue Richards needed to essentially go on maternity leave. Crystal stepped in and served on the team during that time and even continued on as part of the team after Sue’s return. She was ultimately written out of things in Fantastic Four #105 with Crystal returning to Attilan. As for why she’s forgotten as a member of the team despite being part of the story from nearly the beginning? You can chalk that up to the fact that Crystal is more strongly associated with the Inhumans and the Avengers.

4) Luke Cage

Believe it or not, the Fantastic Four did in fact hire Luke Cage, making him part of the team for a short period of the time. Luke’s time with the Fantastic Four comes during the character’s Power Man era and, specifically takes place in Fantastic Four #168 (1976). Luke joins the team when he is hired to temporarily replace The Thing. While Luke’s time with the Four is brief — and is largely forgotten for exactly that reason — it does have some lasting impact on the hero. Luke soon returns to his solo series and, soon after that, the series becomes Power Man and Iron Fist when Danny Rand/Iron Fist joins him in 1978, giving comics fans one of their favorite team ups to this day.

Did you remember that these four heroes have all been members of the Fantastic Four? Are there any other temporary members of the Fantastic Four that have surprised you? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section!