Fantastic Four (Vol. 3) #70
Unthinkable: Part Three
The Fantastic Four have come to Latveria to confront Doctor Doom one-on-one in a bid to rescue Franklin from the pits of Hell, however, the team's scientifically based powers and weapons have no effect on Doom who has completely abandoned science for magic. Sending the thing away with Valeria, the rest get some ground when Reed adapts his weapon to negate the anti-gravity that Doom is using to hover in the air. Finally gaining an advantage, the Fantastic Four begin to pour it on, with Reed defending the merits of science. However, Sue eventually notices that Doom has actually been playing Reed with an illusion and points out that "Reed's" gun is nothing more than a pile of bone and intestines. Doom drops the ruse confirming that he was indeed faking it. Doom then demonstrates the full extent of his power by casting a spell that strips the three members of the Fantastic Four of their powers. Doom tells them that he sees the world in new eyes before sending out mystical energy around the entire area.
Elsewhere in the woods, the Thing is running for cover when the mystical energies catch up with him and teleport Valeria away. The infant appears in Doom's hands much to the horror of Sue who demands that he give back her baby. When the Thing arrives and lands a blow strong enough to not only snap Doom's neck but twist his head all the way around, their long time foe simply shrugs it off, repairing the damage in mere moments. When the Fantastic Four refuse to stop fighting, Doctor Doom summons Mindless Ones from the Dark Dimension to battle his foes. When the heroes refuse to surrender Doom calls up an image of Franklin in Hell and tells them that he will release a child to them if they just surrender. The Mindless One soon overpower the Fantastic Four knocking Sue, Johnny, and Ben out. Seeing his downed teammates and Franklin's eternal suffering forces Reed to agree to give up and surrender. However, Doom didn't specify which child he was releasing and instead of freeing Franklin from Hell, he turns Valeria back over to them before teleporting away.
With the Fantastic Four as his prisoners, Doom decides to torture them in his own unique ways. While he has the Mindless One’s pound on the Thing for hours on end, Doom uses his magics to swap the Fantastic Four's powers to torture them. While Johnny is stretched out with Reed's powers, Sue is trapped in a pentagram and forces to burn like Johnny. Meanwhile, Reed is locked in a room. Doom explains that he wanted to finally prove himself Reed's superior and have proven it by defeating Reed in the only field in which he knows nothing of magic. However, Doom wants to give Reed a sporting chance and so he has locked him in a massive library of mystical tomes to try and find a way to defeat Doom and free his son. Reed spends hours pouring over mystical texts and eventually gives up in frustration, admitting that he cannot figure out anything and knocks a candle off the table. As he laments over the fate of his son, Reed notices as the fire from the candle etches out a phrase: "Knowledge isn't everything."
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Franklin Richards, Valeria Richards, Doctor Doom, Mindless Ones
Continuity Notes
Doom made Valeria his familiar when he helped Sue give birth to the child back in Fantastic Four Vol 3 #54 a fact that was revealed in Fantastic Four Vol 3 #68.
