Fantastic Four

The Fantastic Four (FF) are a team of adventurers who accidentally received powers from "cosmic radiation" during a short trip to space. The team originally consisted of Reed Richards ("Mister Fantastic"), Reed's girlfriend Sue Storm (the "Invisible Girl"), Susan's brother Johnny Storm (the "Human Torch"), and their good friend Ben Grimm ("The Thing"). Since gaining their powers, the group has stuck together and through many adventures, exploring new frontiers of the universe, defeating villains, and defending Earth from intergalactic threats.

Throughout the years, the group evolved with Reed and Sue getting married, and multiple members coming and going, but the original 4 are still the face of the team.

The brilliant aeronautical engineer Reed Richards inadvertently created the Fantastic Four after deciding to make an unauthorized test flight into space using an experimental faster-than-light rocket named the Marvel-1 of his own design. Reed's plan was to use the ship to visit an Earth-like planet in a star system 44 lightyears away. When Reed's financiers began to lose interest in the project, Reed's girlfriend Susan Storm and her younger brother Johnny insisted on joining Reed on the flight. Reed's old friend Ben Grimm was convinced to pilot the rocket.

Once in space, the rocket passed through a storm of cosmic radiation. Although prepared for them, the ship was met with an unexpected intensity from the radiation and its shielding couldn't contain it. The craft crashed back down to Earth. Emerging from the ruins of the spaceship, they discovered the radiation had mutated their bodies and had given them remarkable new abilities. Reed gained the ability to stretch his body and limbs, Johnny was able to fly and become engulfed in flames he could control, and Sue was able to bend light around her body and become invisible. Ben gained incredible strength and durability, but his body was tragically transformed. He now had a muscular orange, rock-like hide.

All four decided to use their powers to better humanity and founded the Fantastic Four. Individually they call themselves Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing. They are not superheroes in the traditional sense, but rather explorers, facing whatever challenges that may arise as a family. The profits from Richards' patents and royalties fund the team's activities.