The 7 Best Fantastic Four Fantasti-Cars
Pair this week's 'Fantastic Four' #11 with a look at the most memorable FF vehicles ever!
Every Friday, we use the powers of Marvel Unlimited to look back at the most notable appearances of a character that made waves this week.
Franklin and Valeria Richards may have traveled through space and time, but in this week's FANTASTIC FOUR #11 by Dan Slott, Paco Medina, Kevin Libranda, Paolo Villanelli, and Juanan Ramirez, they face a new force of nature: the Department of Extra-Normal Motor Vehicles!
While saving several different people from various threats, someone called in the DEMV to report that fact that two kids had been driving the Fantasti-Car without a license!
You'll have to read the issue to find out how all of that goes down, but the issue reminded us of one of the coolest vehicles in the Marvel Universe! So we're taking a look back at some of the different takes on it over the years. Step on it!
The Original
The very first version of the iconic vehicle debuted on the cover to FANTASTIC FOUR #3 in 1962 thanks to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby!
The team flew in the bathtub-like craft home from Miracle Man's performance before readers saw it split into four platforms that each team member could fly around in. Over the years, the team has returned to this version more than a few times, including immediately after making their way home after HEROES REBORN! More recently, Thing and Torch used this version to ride around when they starred in MARVEL 2-IN-ONE (2018)!
The Classic
The following year, gearhead Johnny Storm decided to give the bathtub an overhaul and developed a more spaceship-oriented version. This one took the modular idea a step further by making each individual compartment more of a contained piece!
Throughout the '70s, the Fantasti-Car evolved from the more rounded one seen in issue #12 to a more battleship-like version seen on the cover of FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) #227! As you can see, the side pods got smaller and the front became more like a boat!
Rosebud II
Reed used some of the ideas behind the Fantasti-Car to craft a different vehicle that he dubbed Rosebud II! This one turned out to be a time sled that he used to get his team—as well as Thor and Iron Man—to investigate a time bubble.
The Heroes Reborn Version
Even Fantastic Fours from other realities tend to find themselves flying around in some form of Fantasti-Car. And during the HEROES REBORN reality remix, Reed Richards developed one based on Tony Stark's original designs that could traverse the globe in just hours! Above, see the time he and Sue Storm took it out for an inaugural flight to Wakanda!
The Ultimate Fantasti-Car
When he was a kid, the Reed Richards of Earth-1610 (otherwise known as the Ultimate Universe) built a flying car so that he could visit his parents! He dubbed it the Fantasti-Car, a name which Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm mercilessly mocked. But they made the best of it as the Fantastic Four when the quartet used it to take on Doctor Doom.
The Sleek redesign
The Fantasti-Car received a cool update in the James Robinson-helmed FANTASTIC FOUR launched in 2014 thanks to artist Leonard Kirk. Though it looked like one solid piece, it featured quadrant couplings that allowed the four pieces to fly off on their own!
The Current Fantasti-Cars
These days, the team's membership has grown to fully include the Richards kids. In this week's mag, Franklin drives the tub-like one to help a failed skydiver while Val flies the more classic-style ride with her mom!
Read these issues and more on Marvel Unlimited now! The pick up FANTASTIC FOUR #11 at your local comic shop!
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