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Fantastic Four
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Creation & Design

The Fantastic Four were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, intended to be a family-oriented superhero team that would appeal to a broader audience.

Early Years

The team debuted in 1961 and quickly became one of Marvel's flagship titles, introducing a mix of science fiction and superhero elements.

Character Development

Over the years, the Fantastic Four have evolved from a simple superhero team to complex characters dealing with personal struggles, family dynamics, and their place in the universe.

Cultural Reception

The Fantastic Four have been critically acclaimed and are considered one of the most important superhero teams in comic book history.

Character Details

Real Name:
Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, Ben Grimm
First Appearance:
Fantastic Four #1
Aliases:
The First Family of Marvel, The Fantastic Ones
Species:
Human
Gender:
Various
Affiliations:
Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., Inhumans
Abilities:
Superhuman strength, Invisibility, Elasticity, Flight, Rock-like durability
Equipment:
Fantasticar, FF Headquarters
Weight:
Unknown
Height:
6' 0"
Eye Color:
Various
Hair Color:
Various

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Fantastic Four #1
Marvel ⋅ 1961
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Fantastic Four #1
 
Price Trend
Low
$12k
Mid
$49.5k
High
$240k

Key Facts

1st team appearance and origin of the Fantastic Four: Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, The Thing

1st appearance of Mole Man

1st appearance of Giganto, a Deviant Mutate from Monster Isle

1st appearance of Tricephalous

View more (3)

Landmark issue that launched the Marvel Age of comics

💰 In April 2022, a 9.2 sold for $1.5 million

💰 In September 2024, a 9.6 sold for $2,040,000

Fantastic Four #2
Marvel ⋅ 1962
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Fantastic Four #2
 
Low
$750
Mid
$3.7k
High
$9.3k

Key Facts

1st team appearance of the Skrulls, the shape-shifting alien race

2nd team appearance of the Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four #3
Marvel ⋅ 1962
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Fantastic Four #3
 
Low
$815
Mid
$3.3k
High
$9.8k

Key Facts

1st team appearance of the Fantastic Four in costume

1st appearance of the Miracle Man

1st appearance of the Baxter Building, Fantastic-car and Fantastic-copter

Fantastic Four #4
Marvel ⋅ 1962
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Fantastic Four #4
 
Low
$1.2k
Mid
$5.7k
High
$15.1k

Key Facts

1st appearance of Sub-Mariner in the Silver Age

First time the Human Torch activates his power while shouting, 'Flame On'

Fantastic Four #5
Marvel ⋅ 1962
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Fantastic Four #5
 
Low
$5.5k
Mid
$19k
High
$52k

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Doctor Doom

Fantastic Four #6
Marvel ⋅ 1962
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Fantastic Four #6
 
Price Trend
Low
$450
Mid
$1.3k
High
$4.5k

Key Facts

First team-up of two super-villains in the Marvel Universe, Doctor Doom and Sub-Mariner

2nd appearance of Doctor Doom

2nd appearance of the Sub-Mariner in the Silver Age

Strange Tales #101
Marvel ⋅ 1962
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Strange Tales #101
 
Low
$175
Mid
$450
High
$1.9k

Key Facts

Origin of the Fantastic Four retold

Human Torch solo stories begin

Classic cover art by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers

Fantastic Four #12
Marvel ⋅ 1963
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Fantastic Four #12
 
Low
$1.5k
Mid
$4.9k
High
$16k

Key Facts

First battle of the Hulk and the Fantastic Four

First crossover of a character with a title (the Hulk) into another title (Fantastic Four)

Amazing Spider-Man #1
Marvel ⋅ 1963
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Amazing Spider-Man #1
 
Low
$4.5k
Mid
$14.5k
High
$82k

Key Facts

2nd appearance of Spider-Man

1st appearance of J. Jonah Jameson

First meeting of Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four

1st appearance of Chameleon, Dmitri Smerdyakov, half-brother of Kraven the Hunter

View more (1)

[February 2022 - confirmed, Fred Hechinger cast as Chameleon in the Kraven movie]

Fantastic Four Annual #1
Marvel ⋅ 1963
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Fantastic Four Annual #1
 
Low
$215
Mid
$810
High
$1.8k

Key Facts

Origin of the Fantastic Four retold

1st appearance of Krang, an Atlantean warlord

1st appearance of Lady Dorma in the Silver Age

Namor finds Atlantis

Fantastic Four #18
Marvel ⋅ 1963
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Fantastic Four #18
 
Low
$180
Mid
$600
High
$1.8k

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Kl'rt, a Super Skrull who utilizes the main power of each Fantastic Four member

1st appearance of Emperor Dorrek, unnamed

2nd team appearance of the Skrulls

Amazing Spider-Man #8
Marvel ⋅ 1964
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Amazing Spider-Man #8
 
Low
$150
Mid
$500
High
$1.5k

Key Facts

1st appearance of the Living Brain

First battle Spider-Man vs Human Torch

Fantastic Four #25
Marvel ⋅ 1964
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Fantastic Four #25
 
Low
$95
Mid
$450
High
$1.2k

Key Facts

2nd appearance of Captain America in the Silver Age

First solo battle of the Hulk versus the Thing, briefly fought in Fantastic Four #12

Cover appearance of the Hulk versus the Thing

Fantastic Four #26
Marvel ⋅ 1964
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Fantastic Four #26
 
Low
$125
Mid
$460
High
$1.2k

Key Facts

Classic battle of the Avengers & Fantastic Four vs the Hulk

First time The Thing mentions his Aunt Petunia, an ongoing reference until she finally appeared for the first time two decades later in Fantastic Four #238, identified in #239

Daredevil #2
Marvel ⋅ 1964
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Daredevil #2
 
Low
$220
Mid
$880
High
$2.2k

Key Facts

2nd appearance of Daredevil

2nd appearance of Electro

First crossover of Matt Murdock and the Fantastic Four after the team hires him as their lawyer

Fantastic Four #27
Marvel ⋅ 1964
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Fantastic Four #27
 
Low
$45
Mid
$130
High
$465

Key Facts

First meeting of Doctor Strange and the Fantastic Four

1st full cover appearance of Doctor Strange

Fantastic Four #28
Marvel ⋅ 1964
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Fantastic Four #28
 
Low
$40
Mid
$125
High
$740

Key Facts

First crossover of the X-Men in the Fantastic Four title

2nd appearance of the Mad Thinker

Fantastic Four Annual #3
Marvel ⋅ 1965
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Fantastic Four Annual #3
 
Low
$45
Mid
$130
High
$450

Key Facts

Marriage of Reed Richards and Sue Storm

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby are briefly seen outside of the wedding, angry that they were denied entry

1st appearance of Hedy Wolfe in the mainstream Marvel Universe, one panel

Fantastic Four #48
Marvel ⋅ 1966
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Fantastic Four #48
 
Price Trend
Low
$450
Mid
$1.3k
High
$4.5k

Key Facts

1st appearance of Silver Surfer

1st cameo appearance of Galactus

[October 2021 - an inside source tells us: currently, the Fantastic Four is heavily a multiverse movie and Silver Surfer is very much at its center]

Fantastic Four Annual #5
Marvel ⋅ 1967
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Fantastic Four Annual #5
 
Low
$18
Mid
$80
High
$190

Key Facts

1st appearance of Psycho-Man

First solo Silver Surfer story

Short story with an illustrated Stan Lee and Jack Kirby showing readers how they develop a plot

Fantastic Four Annual #6
Marvel ⋅ 1968
View Details  ⋅  View Variants (1)
Fantastic Four Annual #6
 
Low
$80
Mid
$150
High
$700

Key Facts

1st appearance of Annihilus, ruler of the Negative Zone

1st appearance of Franklin Richards, as an unnamed infant, considered by Marvel to be the most powerful mutant in the Marvel Universe

Introduction of the Cosmic Control Rod, a weapon used by Annihilus that manipulates matter

Fantastic Four #81
Marvel ⋅ 1968
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Fantastic Four #81
 
Low
$10
Mid
$30
High
$100

Key Facts

Crystal, the Inhuman joins the Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four #100
Marvel ⋅ 1970
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Fantastic Four #100
 
Low
$9
Mid
$25
High
$110

Key Facts

Issue #100 milestone

Fantastic Four #132
Marvel ⋅ 1973
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Fantastic Four #132
 
Low
$4
Mid
$12
High
$45

Key Facts

1st full appearance of Omega the Ultimate Alpha

Medusa joins the Fantastic Four after Sue Storm quits

Debut of new Human Torch costume

Fantastic Four #167
Marvel ⋅ 1976
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Fantastic Four #167
 
Low
$2
Mid
$8
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$20

Key Facts

Classic battle of the Fantastic Four vs the Hulk

Fantastic Four #265
Marvel ⋅ 1984
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Fantastic Four #265
 
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$8

Key Facts

She-Hulk joins the Fantastic Four

The Thing quits the Fantastic Four

The Skrull, Lyja replaces Alicia Masters in this issue which is later revealed in Fantastic Four #357

Fantastic Four #602
1:50 ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2012
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Fantastic Four #602
 
Low
$15
Mid
$60
High
$130

Key Facts

Variant Venomized cover art by Kalman Andrasofszky

Fantastic Four #2
Non-Key
1:50 ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2014
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Fantastic Four #2
 
Low
$1
Mid
$5
High
$15

Key Facts

Variant cover art by Arthur Adams

Fantastic Four #5
Non-Key
1:25 ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2014
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Fantastic Four #5
 
Low
$2
Mid
$8
High
$25

Key Facts

Variant cover art by John Hickman

Fantastic Four #1
Marvel ⋅ 2018
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Fantastic Four #1
 
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$3

Key Facts

1st appearance of Astronomica

1st appearance of Zora Vukovic, later becomes Victorious, the Herald of Dr. Doom

Fantastic Four #1
Non-Key
1:200 ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2018
View Details
Fantastic Four #1
 
Low
$5
Mid
$15
High
$50

Key Facts

Variant virgin cover art by Alex Ross

Fantastic Four #1
Non-Key
1:500 ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2018
View Details
Fantastic Four #1
 
Low
$5
Mid
$18
High
$65

Key Facts

Variant cover art by George Perez

Remastered edition

Fantastic Four #1
1:1000 ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2018
View Details
Fantastic Four #1
 
Low
$10
Mid
$30
High
$110

Key Facts

Variant sketch cover art by George Perez

Remastered edition

Part of the remastered series of interior art formatted for variant covers from well-known artists

Marvel Tales: Fantastic Four #1
Non-Key
1:50 ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2019
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Marvel Tales: Fantastic Four #1
 
Low
$1
Mid
$5
High
$15

Key Facts

Virgin variant cover art by Jen Bartel

Empyre: Fantastic Four #0
Non-Key
1:50 ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2020
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Empyre: Fantastic Four #0
 
Low
$4
Mid
$12
High
$45

Key Facts

Variant cover art by R.B. Silva

Fantastic Four: Antithesis #1
Non-Key
1:50 ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2020
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Fantastic Four: Antithesis #1
 
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$5

Key Facts

Variant cover art by Ryan Stegman

Empyre #6
Non-Key
1:100 ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2020
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Empyre #6
 
Low
$3
Mid
$9
High
$35

Key Facts

Variant cover art by Mike Mignola

Hidden Gem edition

Fantastic Four: Antithesis #2
Non-Key
Exclusive ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2020
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Fantastic Four: Antithesis #2
 
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$5

Key Facts

Variant cover art by Patrick Zircher

Shang-Chi #4
1:50 ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2021
View Details
Shang-Chi #4
 
Low
$5
Mid
$18
High
$60

Key Facts

Variant cover art by Michael Cho

Fantastic Four #35
Non-Key
1:25 ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2021
View Details
Fantastic Four #35
 
Low
$2
Mid
$8
High
$20

Key Facts

Variant cover art by Paul Renaud

Fantastic Four #35
Non-Key
1:100 ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2021
View Details
Fantastic Four #35
 
Low
$4
Mid
$12
High
$40

Key Facts

Variant cover art by Jack Kirby

Hidden Gem edition

Silver Surfer: Rebirth #1
1:25 ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2022
View Details
Silver Surfer: Rebirth #1
 
Low
$3
Mid
$8
High
$25

Key Facts

Variant cover art by Claudio Castellini

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