Fantastic Four: 40th Anniversary Wedding Special #1
The Life Fantastic
Central City, Years Ago
Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Sue Storm and her brother Johnny are preparing for the unauthorized space flight that is fated to turn them into the Fantastic Four. Johnny is looking for the others until he is quieted by Ben Grimm, lest they are discovered. Reed tells Ben that it's okay and tells them to prepare for launch. This gives him a moment alone with Sue. The two begin flirting until Sue begins to legitimately talk about how gracious she is that Reed shows her such fantastic things. Reed interrupts and tells her that it's probably best she doesn't accompany them due to the risks they might encounter in space. Sue refuses to stay behind and reminds Reed that if he goes into space without her, he will have to deal with Johnny alone. Realizing this situation, Reed gives in and begs her not to leave her brother alone with him....
The Present:
Reed and Sue return home to the Baxter Building to find Ben and Johnny trying to find Valeria's favorite toy so she can stop crying. Reed saves the day when he is able to find the Rubix Cube that Valeria is crying for. When they discover that dinner has been burnt, an exasperated Sue decides to retire to her room and take a bath. Alone in the room, she shares with Reed, Sue finds a strange button marked "press me". When she does so a message, apparently from Reed, tells her that she has earned a much deserved night out. The idea delights her. Soon, Reed and Sue leave Johnny, Ben, Valeria, and Franklin with the Inhumans on the Moon.
Back on Earth, Reed and Sue arrive for their dinner date at the Tavern on the Green. That's when they both realize that neither of them came up with the idea to come here. Suspecting a trap, the couple change into their Fantastic Four uniforms and enter the restaurant. There they are greeted by the doorman who takes them into the main banquet room. There they are shocked to see various versions of themselves from the past, the future and alternate realities who have all been gathered around for a reason. A group of Sue's are talking to a younger version of herself that is still tied up between her love of Reed and her love of Namor the Sub-Mariner. A pregnant version of Sue recounts the moment when she made up her mind over the two. It was during one of Namor's early planned invasions of Earth via New York City. She recalls how after the fact she was spoken to by the Thing who asks her if she wishes to be the queen to a kingdom or a wife to a man that loves her. This resulted in Sue deciding that she wanted to be with Reed. The conversation is then interrupted by a version of Reed how Johnny convinced Reed to get over his fear of proposing to Sue. The youth pointed out that Sue refused to go with Namor to Atlantis, but followed Reed into space.
It's at this moment that a version of Reed who is upset with Reed mentions that he has left her alone to raise their son by herself. Before the two can get into an argument, their counterparts assure the troubled couple that the will sort out their differences and remind them that not every relationship is perfect all the time. Hearing all this, the younger versions of Reed and Sue are all excited to learn of the path their lives are going to take. It's then future versions of Reed and Sue -- in their senior years -- inform all gathered that they will eventually have grandchildren as well.
Just when the guests begin to ask too many questions regarding the future, they are interrupted by the arrival of the Reed and Sue who have just got married. This gets everyone reminiscing about how hectic the wedding was with all the super-heroes in attendance and an impromptu super-villain attack orchestrated by Doctor Doom. When the newlywed Sue asks about her honeymoon, the Reeds explain that they found the perfect place. Needing utmost privacy, Reed arranged for their honeymoon to take be at the Watcher's citadel on the moon. The Watcher offers his home to them and promises that of all he will observe, what they do that night will not be observed by him.
With the recollection finished, the elder Reed and Sue announce a special treat for the rest of them. Opening a door, they all walk out and find themselves at State University at the very moment that Reed proposed to Sue. After witnessing the historic moment, the elder Reed and Sue announce why they have drawn all their past selves together: To help celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. They then propose a toast to the life fantastic. When the modern-day Reed and Sue drink they suddenly begin to feel spacey, and suddenly find themselves back in modern-day New York with no memories of what just happened. Thinking that they had a great dinner, Reed and Sue stop to allow to have a picture taken by a street photographer.
In the distant future, the elderly Reed and Sue look over this very same photo. As they remark on the experience while packing they are informed by their robot that the photos of the event have been taken. The elderly couple thank the robot and then step through a portal, off to have another adventure into the unknown.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Franklin Richards, Valeria Richards, Black Bolt, Medusa, Watcher
Continuity Notes
The scene at the beginning of this story happens just before the rocket launch seen in Fantastic Four #1. Per the Sliding Timescale of the Earth-616 universe, at the time of this story, the birth of the Fantastic Four happened roughly 11 years ago and Reed and Sue's marriage in Fantastic Four Annual #3 happened roughly 10 years ago.
There is a conversation about the "New" Attilan constructed on the moon. The Inhumans originally relocated their home to the moon in Fantastic Four #240. However, it was later shrunk down to size and returned to Earth and re-enlarged in the Atlantic during the events of Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising #1-2. It was later relocated yet again in the Himilayas in Inhumans Vol 2 #12 and ultimately the Inhumans returned to the moon to rebuild there in Fantastic Four Vol 3 #54.
Since Fantastic Four #4 Sue has had an uneasy attraction to the Sub-Mariner. Based on the pregnant Sue's testimony, she made up her mind about Reed and Namor following the events of Fantastic Four Annual #1.
The Sue who talks about having to raise Franklin on her own is from around Fantastic Four #147. Reed and Sue had separated around this time (circa Fantastic Four #130 over Reed's lack of attention to his family life. When Reed was later forced to shut down Franklin's mind in Fantastic Four #141, Sue left him seemingly for good and filed for divorce. However, Namor and the Inhumans convinced the couple to get back together in Fantastic Four #149.
Reed first proposed to Sue in Fantastic Four #35.
The reason why the Sue in a revealing outfit is crying is that at that point in her history, Sue believes that Reed is dead after he was seemingly killed in a battle against Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four #381. However, it is revealed that he was actually a prisoner of Hyperstorm in Fantastic Four #407.
An odd inclusion among the attendees is the Reed Richards and Sue Storm from Earth-1610, aka the Ultimate Universe. Why they are here when they are not connected to Earth-616 (not even a possible future) is unexplained, maybe they crashed the party and nobody noticed, sounds like the kind of dick move someone from the Ultimate Universe would do.
