When it comes to versatility, few superhero teams can match the Fantastic Four. The first family of Marvel Comics superpowers naturally complement one another, proving handy in a variety of situations. However, a recent tie-in with the Blood Hunt event showcased why the team has little to fear from an army of vampires.
Written by Ryan North, with art by Ivan Fiorelli, Fantastic Four #21 finds the team split into two groups as the Blood Hunt begins. Reed Richards is in Manhattan as the crisis starts, assisting Alicia Masters with setting up an art display. The rest of the family are left defending the Grimm family farmstead in Arizona. Despite the tense situation, however, there is little sense of danger for the heroes themselves.
Fantastic Four powers protect them from vampires
Individually, the Fantastic Four are either immune to vampire bites or likewise well-protected by their unique powers. This is most obvious in the case of Ben Grimm. As ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing, his rocky skin would chip the fangs of any vampire foolish enough to bite him. The same is true of the rubbery hide of Mister Fantastic. This fact enables Reed to turn the museum into a safehouse by wrapping himself around the building.
Susan Storm’s powers offer the most obvious defense against vampires. The Invisible Woman’s force fields are more than capable of holding off a small army. However, her powers are pushed to the limit fighting against the Darkforce energy blocking out the sun.
Ironically, it is the Human Torch’s powers that offer the best passive defense against vampires. Since vampirism in the Marvel Universe is spread through a blood-based enzyme, Johnny Storm can purge any infection by raising the temperature of his blood. Despite this, Reed Richards calculated that the most likely scenario in which any Fantastic Four member became a vampire was Johnny getting careless and forgetting to do this. Even then, Reed guessed the rest of the team could easily trick a Vampire Johnny into activating his powers, thus accidentally curing himself.
Fantastic Four #21 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
