As they experienced the cosmic rays that forever changed their fates and navigated the aftermath, the Fantastic Four of Earth-616 were always able to rely on the unconditional love that came with being a family before they were radically transformed. But in the horror-inspired Midnight Universe, there never was a First Family.
The series reimagines Reed Richards as an obsessive, haunted scientist working at Storm Systems. When an experimental breach into forbidden realities warps Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben in grotesque and terrifying ways, the four find themselves altered by dimensional forces humanity was never meant to comprehend. But Percy has revealed a major twist that fundamentally altered the concept of the Fantastic Four.
“At the start of the story, none of these people they aren’t together,” Percy said. “Reed Richards has no idea who Sue is, who Ben is, who Johnny is.” In the Midnight Universe, Marvel’s First Family isn’t a family at all. But the big changes don’t stop there.
“These are not heroes,” revealed Percy. “And they don’t have powers. These are people who are facing horrors within that help them battle back against the horrors without.”
“These so-called powers that they have…are actually curses,” Percy explained. And given Percy’s description of how Reed Richards uses his powers, it does indeed seem anything but fantastic. The writer described a scene in which Richards uses his stretchy powers to open a locked door from the other side. Such a display of powers was depicted in 2005’s Fantastic Four, though it’s likely Ioan Gruffold’s version will be your favorite.
In Percy’s new book, Richards’ flesh will “dribble down” as he attempts to unlock the door. “You start to see these green and red tendrils from veins and flesh work their way downward beneath the crack at the door and up the other side, unlocking it so that he could then get in,” Percy said.
If that makes you feel sick, it’s done it’s job. “You should feel absolute revulsion when looking at him transforming,” Percy said.
With creators like Percy at its forefront, the Midnight Universe is sure to be more than an another All-New, All-Different effort.
Midnight Fantastic Four #1 will hit stores on October 7 as part of Marvel’s unprecedented launch of the new imprint.
