One of the most tragic villains Superman has ever encountered accidentally helped create a positively terrifying version of the Fantastic Four. For this foe and his teammates, cosmic radiation was a terrible curse instead of the blessing it was to Marvel's First Family.
The origin of the Fantastic Four is one that combines the wonders of scientific exploration with a superhero origin story. Reed Richards, along with his wife, brother-in-law and best friend, were all a part of a mission in space that was drastically affected when their ship was hit by cosmic radiation. The team became the Fantastic Four after they realized they were all had gone through strange and powerful transformations. Whether it's being super stretchy or becoming a living fireball, each member of the team has something truly amazing about them. Their unique team makeup remains one of Marvel's most iconic and identifiable crews in its universe.
But one Superman villain took the essence of the Fantastic Four and used it to create the most horrifying version of the team ever seen. In Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Cyborg Superman #1 by Alan Burnett and Patrick Blaine, fans are given the complete history of the Cyborg Superman, one of Man of Steel’s potential ‘replacements’ during the “Reign of the Supermen” story arc. Hank Henshaw recounts on how he became the twisted and undying monstrosity he is now, and thinks back to what started it all: a journey into space with his wife and other scientists as part of radiation experiment. Unfortunately a solar flare causes the team to be exposed to an intense level of cosmic radiation, that put them all through a painful mutation and put a ticking clock on all of their lives.
Why Superman's Fantastic Four Are So Scary
Not only did every member of the team, except for Cyborg Superman, die as a result of their mutations, Hank Henshaw was essentially cursed by his transformation. As a result of his accident in space, Henshaw’s consciousness was made functionally immortal, and since his adventure in space, he’s desperately searched for a way to die. Needless to say, whereas Reed Richards and his allies found a new lease on life with their origin, Henshaw's crew was a nightmare of epic proportion.
The Fantastic Four’s origin is an iconic one. It presents the idea of scientific exploration as a good for humanity, but it also presents the risks involved, as seen in the Thing’s more unfortunate transformation. But overall, the team’s beginning is high-concept and engaging for readers. However, the twist that Cyborg Superman’s origin presents is one taken to a more realistic and deadly extreme. It takes the more innocent concept from Marvel and shows what would happen if the entire team suffered in a way Ben Grimm couldn't even fathom. It’s a disturbing, but highly effective concept. While the Fantastic Four’s origin is nowhere near as shocking, Cyborg Superman’s tweaks to it remain deeply perturbing.