The Fantastic Four have beaten Doctor Doom after he sent them to different timelines, and yet they still can’t topple him. Even with the might of all of Marvel’s heroes, he persists. A villain the FF have personally defeated many times before, Fantastic Four #3 delves into how Doom keeps winning, and there’s a definitive reason that could turn the tides of One World Under Doom for good!
As usual for Ryan North’s run of Fantastic Four, if there’s a problem, you’re undoubtedly going to get a science-y reason for how to solve it. Of course, a little magic thrown into the mix makes things more fantastical, but North doesn’t disappoint in this issue when all is revealed.
Fantastic Four #3 opens on a scene that takes place in Fantastic Four #28, which came out back in January. They lose. We then cut to a scene that took place in One World Under Doom #3. They lose. It seems there’s a recurring theme here, which leads the FF to figure out how to stop Doctor Doom from having an unfair advantage. This leads to some clever analysis and thinking from the team, complete with Reed stretching his eyes into a grotesque microscope. It’s informative, and it’s weird!
Time to do some investigating.
Credit: Marvel
From there, the story shifts into a kind of heist mode, as the team infiltrates a location to get answers. North is great at infusing a bit of comedy and character color throughout, while Humberto Ramos leans into Reed’s powers being really freaky more than once. Ultimately, what turns out to be a secret mission ends up being a full-on fist fight with Doctor Doom, which is a rare sight to see. A fight comic with problem-solving and good character bits is a win any day for the FF.
The most striking scene takes place in the final moments, utilizing a single panel over and over, possibly thousands of times. It’s not only a neat way to visually convey a serious moment of Doctor Doom’s failing, but it plays with time travel in a way we haven’t seen before. Bravo to the team for that.
If there was a gripe to be had, it’s that the plotting is a bit janky, going from flashbacks to a heavy dialogue investigative scene, then the final showdown in Antarctica. The general pace is up and down.
Fantastic Four #3 leans into science, weird visuals, and inventive storytelling to deliver a fun, brainy showdown with Doom. Even if the pacing stumbles, the payoff is clever and rewarding.
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