The Fantastic Five first appeared inWhat If #105 (February 1998), an issue that focused onSpider-Girl, the daughter ofSpider-Man.Spider-Girl became popular and was given her own series, along with the other characters in the MC2 universe (including the Fantastic Five). The Fantastic Five's series lasted only five issues, but they remained recurring characters in theSpider-Girl title, which lasted for 100 issues in its first volume.
In the first series, "Big Brain" is a drone controlled from theNegative Zone, whereSue Storm is held in stasis, with her powers holding back a breach in reality. When this problem is corrected, Reed and Sue return to Earth.
InSpider-Girl andLast Planet Standing, additional children of the original Fantastic Four are shown as members of the Fantastic Five, including Super-Storm (Torus Storm, son of Lyja and Johnny Storm, who possesses the powers of both parents), Grim (Jacob "Jake" Grimm, son of Ben Grimm, stuck in a rock-like form like his father), and Rad (Alyce Grimm, daughter of Ben Grimm, sister of Jacob, appears to have radiation-oriented powers, including flight). Doom, akaKristoff Vernard, is also a member of the "young" Fantastic Five; he wears armor similar toDoctor Doom's.
A new Fantastic Five mini-series was published in 2007, after the success of two mini-series events set in the MC2 line. In this series, the titular characters battle Dr. Doom.
Johnny Storm, theHuman Torch - While Reed and Sue were in the Negative Zone, Johnny took command of the team. On their return, however, Johnny would clash with Reed over leadership techniques, even considering whether to form his own team.
Ben Grimm, theThing - Badly injured in a final battle withTerrax, Ben was outfitted with mechanical implants. His injured flesh has shown signs of regeneration.
Lyja Storm, Ms. Fantastic - Johnny's wife, a member of the shape-shiftingSkrull race.
Franklin Richards, Psi-Lord - Son of Reed and Sue, and master of telepathy and telekinesis. After absorbing a large amount of cosmic radiation, his head now has the appearance of a glowing skull, and he must wear a helmet to protect others from the excess energies.
Jacob Grimm, Grim - The son of Ben Grimm andSharon Ventura, he is similar in appearance to his father, and also possesses his strength levels. He joins the F5 in Reed's absence.
Sue Storm, theInvisible Woman - Badly injured during a battle withHyperstorm, she too was occupied in the Negative Zone until recently. She decides to remain inLatveria and care for her catatonic husband.
Alyce Grimm, Rad - Jacob's sister, she is able to control and project cosmic radiation. She decides to forgo the superhero life and returns home with her mother Sharon Ventura.
Torus Storm, Super-Storm - Johnny and Lyja's young son. Whilst he is not an actual member of the team, he insists on leaping into the fray whenever he can. He has his father's fire powers and his mother's shape-shifting abilities. In battle, he regularly takes the form of an older version of himself wearing an F5 uniform with a "6" on its chest.
What If..? #1 is set in an alternative universe whereSpider-Man joins the Fantastic Four (rather than leaving when he learns there isn't a salary, as happened inThe Amazing Spider-Man #1), and they become the Fantastic Five. This universe is revisited inWhat If..? #21, by which timeSusan Storm has left the team and chosen to marryNamor ofAtlantis.
What If..? (vol. 2) #27 showed Namor joining the Fantastic Four, briefly making it the Fantastic Five until Reed Richards left to found Richards Technology.
InExiles #44, theWeapon X team—led byHyperion—began their conquest of the actual world they were on, by killing its superhero teams. At the beginning of the issue, they began killing the members of the Fantastic Five, which consisted ofMister Fantastic, theInvisible Woman, theHuman Torch, theThing, and Spider-Man as a fifth member.
InExcalibur #51, the Fantastic Five was theEarth-99476 counterpart of the Fantastic Four, consisting ofdinosaur versions of the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man.
"The All New Fantastic Five?!?" also appears inSpider-Girl #87. Co-creatorTom DeFalco states that the new F5 were to appear inFantastic Five #6 had the series continued.[citation needed]
Fatal Five - Due toSeth's return to action,Spider-Girl andAmerican Dream travel to an alternate universe that was last seen inA-Next #11 to recruitThunderstrike. During their trip, they encounter an evil version of the Fantastic Five consisting of:
Reed Richards (he and that world'sBaron Zemo first appeared inA-Next #10-11 as assistants to Victor von Doom)
