Fantastic Four's New Reboot Is Here, And It's The Darkest Version Of Marvel's First Family Yet

Published Oct 11, 2026, 11:18 PM EDT Mark has been a comic book journalist for over 15 years and has interviewed comic book creators like Gail Simone and Caspar Wijngaard. And when he's not writing, he's working on beating his record of 1,200 comics read in a year. Marvel’s Midnight Fantastic Four may have been the series from the new universe that comic book fans were least excited about. It has nothing to do with the amazing creative team of writer Benjamin Percy (Deadpool), artist Kev Walker (New Avengers), and colorist Frank D'ARMATA (Venom). People might have thought it would be impossible to make Marvel’s First Family as disturbing as a Spider-Man with an arachnid popping out of his chest, or as cool as vampire mutants. If anyone had those thoughts, they were wrong. Midnight Fantastic Four is the most interesting of the three series from Marvel’s newest universe. It doesn’t have the creepiness or popular monsters as the other titles. What it does have is a lot of mystery behind what the villain is, and a reason to hate Reed Richards more than when he was fighting alongside Tony Stark in Civil War. Midnight Fantastic Four Completely Redefines Reed Richards In the new series set in a new reboot universe, Reed was fired from his job at the New York Institute of Technology. Instead of getting a new gig, he waits until night and returns to the campus to continue experimenting on his doorway to the Negative Zone, where his research assistant (and NYIT grad student) was waiting. This isn’t any ordinary student. It’s Victor Von Doom, and he believes in Reed’s work. Unlike the Victor Von Doom fans know, he’s excited to work with Reed. This enthusiasm leads to him getting badly burned because Reed is taking pills he's addicted to. Because of this, he didn’t notice Victor was at the gateway when he opened it. This left Victor’s body burned and mangled. Instead of being concerned, Reed asked what Victor saw on the other end. He simply replied, “Hell.” This version of Reed Richards is addicted to drugs that appear to enhance the way he sees the world and improve his calculations. So far, it’s unclear if the latter is true. The former is confirmed because something from beyond his world is communicating with him. However, it may not be the pills alone. Something has plans for him, and it’s likely not friendly. Marvel Is Doing So Much More Than Reinventing Reed Richards The damage the explosion caused puts Reed in prison. The NYIT later drops the charges when the owner of Storm Systems (Susan Storm) bribes the university by paying for a new building. The condition was that Reed had to work with her on a project. Later, Reed admits he's hesitant because he doesn’t want to make her rockets work so she can send rich people to space. Sadly, her needs are more disturbing than that. The rocket testing takes place at the first nuclear explosion of the Manhattan Project. During one of the failed flights, photos were taken where the mushroom cloud hit its max height. The images show something disturbing that looks very much like a purple Cthulhu. Most people would see this and think that it was time to stop experimenting. Instead, Sue wants Reed to open the gate to the Negative Zone. Furthermore, what if Sue Storm somehow sabotaged the experiment? Yes, Reed's negligence would have prevented Doom's accident, but something more nefarious could be going on here. In alternate realities like this, it's wise to pay attention to everything, and something is off about Sue. She's a genius and seems to be up to something. Midnight Doom In the original Fantastic Four lore, Victor Von Doom blames Reed for the accident that literally blew up in his face. What really happened was that he tried to warn Doom that his calculations were wrong. Instead of checking his notes, Victor does what he always does and allows hubris to make him a loser. In this universe, Doom’s scars are Reed’s fault. After the accident, Doom is brought to Latveria, where his mother (who’s wearing an iron mask) uses a machine to wake her son up. She apologizes because she knows he's in pain, but she needed to know what he and Reed were up to in the laboratory. If Victor's mother is the Dr. Doom of the Midnight Universe, it would be a cool twist on the original story. Especially since no one is more vengeful than a mother getting revenge for their child. However, what if it's not vengeance she wants? Maybe she knows about the Negative Zone. Sue says others are aware of it, and maybe Vic's mother is who Sue was talking about. What Evil Is Coming? The reports say that Galactus is behind the wall of the Negative Zone, and that should be scary enough. Except that isn’t the only mysterious being that was mentioned. While Reed Richards was recovering from his pill withdrawal, something called the Lightkeepers recited an oath to him. The Lightkeepers could be the Heralds of Galactus, with the purple lights Reed sees representing the Power Cosmic. That being said, what if they’re something else, like the Inhumans or the Watchers trying to get in contact with Reed? Maybe they're trying to warn him about an upcoming disaster or threat. Regardless, the mystery behind what’s coming helps make Midnight Fantastic Four the best of the recent Midnight releases. Marvel