Fantastic Four #257
Fragments
Galactus has come to wonder if he is dying now as he stands before the Skrull throneworld. Once again he finds himself caught in the moral conundrum of consuming a world teeming with life in order to prologue his own existence. Retreating to the interior of his vessel he continues to ponder this as he continues to grow weaker. Suddenly, Galactus is visited by the embodiment of Death, who reminds him that he has a purpose in the universe to serve and that his time has not yet come. Death tells him not to shirk that great duty before disappearing once again. When Galactus is reunited with is herald Nova, she senses that something is wrong and that he was visited by something that has troubled him in the past. But before she can think on it further, she is sent out to face the Skrull armada. As she destroys the ship, the former Frankie Raye wonders if she is falling in love with Galactus. While on the Skrull throneworld, Empress R'Klll chastises her subordinates for failing to erect the planetary screen that has been previously used to hide their world from Galactus in the past. However one of her aids tells him that there was no hiding their planet from Nova, who seemed to see their planet even with the screen up. R'Klll is joined by her daughter Princess Anelle who asks what is going on. R'Klll informs her that it is the end of their world. Even as she speaks, Galactus arrives on the surface of the Skrull planet. Shrugging off his attackers, Galactus then sinks into the core of the planet, turning into a bubbling cauldron of death that consumes all life and decimates the entire planet. With his hunger sated, Galactus goes into a deep slumber, leaving Nova to collect him up and return him to his ship.
Back on Earth, Johnny Storm had decided that it is time to move out of the Baxter Building and find a place to call his own. He meets up with his friends Julie Angel and Sharon Selleck to try and find an apartment. Along the way, he tells the two girls about his recent battle with Annihilus and how the trip back from the Negative Zone inverted the colors of their uniforms. They meet up with their classmate Norm Tobin who is seeking someone to rent out a loft apartment. After taking a look at it, Johnny is convinced it will make a suitable home for him. After signing the deal they all go to a nearby diner to celebrate with a meal.
While at the Mercy General Hospital, Reed, Sue and Ben are still in the hospital where Ben's uncle Jake is looking after Alicia and Franklin following their battle with Annihilus. Reed tells Ben that he and Sue are going to look for a new home for themselves and Franklin so that he has a normal life. He also announces that Sue is pregnant again. When Ben asks if this is the end of the Fantastic Four, Reed assures his friend that the team will continue to go on, just without his family living at their headquarters. Ben is happy to hear this news and while Ben goes to check on Alicia, Reed and Sue go to see their son who is recovering from his injuries. Two days later, Sue puts on a disguise and takes a portion of the Fantasti-Car out to Connecticut to begin house hunting for the new home she and her family will share. While Sue is gone, Reed heads off to do his own business to assist the Scarlet Witch in reviving her husband the Vision. However, when the Scarlet Witch leaves Reed alone for a moment, suddenly the alarm goes off. When she goes into the room where the Vision is being stored, she is shocked to find that Reed has gone missing and that something has melted through the outer wall of Avengers Mansion to capture him.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, Thing), Nova, Franklin Richards, Julie Angel, Sharon Selleck, Jacob Grimm, HUBERT, Galactus, Death, Princess Anelle, Empress R’Klll, Vision, Scarlet Witch
Continuity Notes
The destruction of the Skrull homeworld is expanded upon during the events of Uncanny X-Men #370 & X-Men (vol 2) #90 when a group of time-displaced X-Men try to convince Galactus to spare the Skrulls but to no avail.
R'Klll mentions a screening device that hides their world from Galactus. It was used the last time Galactus passed through their galaxy in Fantastic Four #48.
Johnny mentions their battle with Annihilus and the inversion of the FF's costumes. This happened simultaneously in Avengers #233 and last issue.
Sharon mentions her allergy to dairy products. This comes into play in Fantastic Four Annual #17.
Reed, Sue and Ben's appearance in the hospital occurs simultaneously with the events of Thing #2.
This issue announces that Sue and Reed are going to have a second child. Sue became pregnant after a romantic interlude between her and Reed in Fantastic Four #254. The baby will come to term in Fantastic Four #267.
The events of Fantastic Four Annual #17 take place between the events at the hospital and the before Sue goes off to Connecticut to house hunt. The town that Sue goes to visit is Belle Porte as revealed in Fantastic Four #259. Sharon and Julia are next seen in that story.
HUBERT is seen repaired here after being destroyed by Franklin back in Fantastic Four #244.
The Scarlet Witch mentions that her brother Quicksilver is living with the Inhumans on the moon. This happened in Fantastic Four #240.
She also mentions that their father is the mutant terrorist Magneto. Both Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch were led to believe this in Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4. However unknown to anyone at the time this was part of a long-running deception on the part of the High Evolutionary who experimented on the twins as they were infants. Their real biological parents are really Django and Marya Maximoff as revealed years later in Uncanny Avengers (vol 2) #4-5.
Reed's disappearance here is the work of a group of alien races that have survived the destruction of their homeworlds by Galactus as revealed in Fantastic Four #261.
The destruction of the Skrull throneworld has long sweeping consequences later on. As seen in the Secret Invasion event, its was prophesized that the destruction of their homeworld would lead to the eventual Skrull conquest of Earth. See Secret Invasion #1-8.
