Are The Fantastic Four Adding [SPOILER] To The Team?

Kaila, the alien superhero Sky from the distant planet of Spyre — and soulmate to Johnny Storm by spiritual decree — looks set to join the ranks of Marvel’s First Family in the latest Fantastic Four. “Welcoming Party,” from writer Dan Slott and artist Paco Medina introduces the winged Sky to the FF’s Baxter Building and a new home on Earth, as well as new foes emerging from beneath the surface. With the maniacal Mole Mole terrorizing oilfields on the Keewazi Reservation and Wyatt Wingfoot’s desperate call for aid, will the alien Sky survive her first day earthside with the foolhardy Human Torch and the Fantastic Four?

“Welcoming Party” follows the six-part “Point of Origin” story arc and caps off the volatile introduction of Kaila, the high-flying heroine Sky from 44 light-years across the stars, destined to be soulbound to superhero Johnny Storm. When the Fanatic Four constructed the Marvel-2, a rocket modeled after the ship that launched their ill-fated voyage years ago, and traveled to their original destination, the far-flung planet of Spyre, they encounter the isolationistic Overseer and his strikeforce of enhanced beings, the Unparalleled. Misunderstanding and misadventure on Spyre bring the FF into a perilous conflict with the Unparalleled and Sky must choose between her fated soulmate, the Human Torch and the unwavering allies of her homeworld bent on expelling the earthlings. The birdlike Sky’s remarkable abilities of flight, avian communication, and sonic blasts are a result of the same transformative radiation that empowered the Fantastic Four, and, whether through cosmic kinship or her pledge to her sworn soul mate, she boards the Marvel-2 rocket and joins the explorers on their journey back to Earth.

In the latest installment of Dan Slott’s Fantastic Four, Earth’s newest resident alien Sky introduces herself to Johnny Storm’s longtime friend Wyatt Wingfoot in no uncertain terms as “His intended. Chosen by the Great Eye to be his one true soul mate.” Yet, Sky is not the first superpowered paramour of the Human Torch, nor would she be the first to join the extended family of the Fantastic Four. Johnny’s former loves, Frankie Ray, the woman who would become Nova, Herald of Galactus, and Crystal of the Royal Court of the Inhumans have been as much a part of the Fantastic Four as affiliate-members the regal Medusa, Crystal’s Inhuman sister, Jennifer Walters, the sensational She-Hulk, and the time-traveling warrior Thundra. Even as the Fantastic Four and Sky arrive at the Baxter Building and meets Johnny’s nephew, Franklin for the first time, Powerhouse asks, “Is she one of the team now?”

Winged Sky’s sonic scream and power of flight are complemented by her extraordinary ability to communicate with birds of Spyre and even the avian creatures of Earth, striking up a friendship with a flight of pigeons nesting at the headquarters of the Fantastic Four. While Sky’s awesome abilities certainly put her on par with superheroes known as the Fantastic Four and her whirlwind romance with the Human Torch seems innocent enough, the alien warrior’s tongue-in-cheek question at the end of the previous issue about “how easy it would be to break” our world resonates far beyond the pages of the last story arc. With a new apartment in New York City, courtesy of Alicia Masters-Grimm, and a new world outside her window, it’s clear Sky is here to stay. But are the Fantastic Four adding a new hero to the team? Or, are the birds finally coming home to roost for Marvel’s First Family?

Fantastic Four issue 20, “Welcoming Party” is available now, online from Marvel and Comixology and from a comic shop near you.