Contains Spoilers for Fantastic Four (2022) #12!In the Fantastic Four’s newest adventure, Reed Richards has revealed the Iron Man-level tech that’s stored in his costume. They might look like simplistic blue bodysuits, but the FF’s costumes have always been super advanced, and this new upgrade takes Reed’s to the next level. Sure it might not be as ostentatious as something Tony Stark would come up with, but it’s every bit as advanced as Iron Man’s tech.
The Fantastic Four’s costumes have always been high-tech, even if they haven’t looked it. As first explained in Fantastic Four (1961) #6 (written by Stan Lee, penciled by Jack Kirby, inked by Dick Ayers and Joe Sinnott, colored by Stan Goldberg and lettered by Artie Simek) the FF’s costumes are made of unstable molecules. These are an invention of Reed’s that allow the suits to react to the FF’s powers.
For example, Mr. Fantastic’s suit can stretch, while the Human Torch’s is fireproof. Later stories would also expand the powers of unstable molecules to include the ability to change a costume’s design simply by thinking. Now, Reed has revealed in Fantastic Four (2022) #12 (written by Ryan North, penciled and inked by Iban Coello, colored by Jesus Aburtov and lettered by VC’s Ariana Maher) that he’s woven computer technology into his very costume, essentially turning it into a less obvious version of Iron Man’s armor.
Reed’s Suit is Also a Computer
The issue finds the FF trapped in an alternate universe populated by dinosaur versions of Marvel characters. Thankfully, the computer tech Reed has woven into his costume allows him to translate between English and Dinosaur on the fly, stopping the FF from fighting the dino Avengers. Unfortunately, it seems that Reed’s dino counterpart, trapped in the main Marvel Universe, doesn’t have this tech, causing chaos on Earth-616.
This isn’t the first time that data has been stored on unstable molecules either. Daredevil (2011) #6 (written by Mark Waid, penciled and inked by Marcos Martín, colored by Muntsa Vincente and lettered by Joe Caramagna) introduces the “Omega Drive.” This is a piece of a Fantastic Four costume that has been converted into a giant hard drive containing data on different Marvel Universe criminal and terrorist groups, including A.I.M. and HYDRA. The fact that unstable molecules have the potential to encode huge amounts of data, not to mention their regular adaptable properties, makes them hugely valuable, so it’s no wonder that Reed isn’t always forthcoming with his technology.
Reed Has Had an Iron Man Suit of His Own Before
Reed’s also had his own Iron Man armor in the past. In Empyre #4 (written by Al Ewing and Dan Slott, penciled and inked by Valerio Schiti, colored by Marte Gracia and lettered by Joe Caramagna) Reed is given a custom Iron Man suit by Tony Stark to help fight the invading alien threat of the Cotati. Giving another hero their own Iron Man armor is Tony’s go-to move, so it’s honestly surprising it took so long for Reed to get his own. However, this new upgrade to the Fantastic Four’s costumes means Reed Richards and the rest of the FF might not need Iron Man’s help in the future.
Fantastic Four (2022) #12 is out now from Marvel Comics.
