Warning! This article contains spoilers for X-Men: Days of Future Past – Doomsday #3 The Fantastic Four were recently murdered in perhaps the most gruesome ways imaginable, not by one of their regular supervillains like Doctor Doom or Super-Skrull, but by a member of the X-Men. Specifically, they were killed by perhaps the most underrated mutant on the X-Men to date. Someone so powerful, in fact, that even the Sentinels found a use for her rather than killing her outright.
The reality in which the Fantastic Four were just murdered wasn’t the prime Marvel Comics continuity, but rather the alternate future of Days of Future Past. As fans have known since the original iconic storyline, the Days of Future Past reality is one of dystopia and horror, where Sentinels effectively wiped out every mutant on the planet, and imprisoned the others within concentration camps. While this future was wiped from possible existence following that original storyline, one new comic series delves deeper into how the world rotted so quickly, outlining every major event that led to the total fallout of Days of Future Past. This includes the bravery of non-mutant superheroes who stood up against the Sentinels, heroes such as the Fantastic Four. In the end, however, no amount of bravery could save Marvel’s First Family from the mind-controlled wrath of one ultra-powerful mutant: Rachel Summers.
Rachel Summers Killed The Fantastic Four In Days Of Future Past
In X-Men: Days of Future Past – Doomsday #3 by Marc Guggenheim and Manuel Garcia, readers are shown the events surrounding the birth of Kate Pryde and Piotr Rasputin’s twin children, and it’s not ideal. Moments after the delivery, Kate Pryde is on her feet running from a group of incoming Sentinels led by Rachel Summers. Given Rachel’s plethora of god-tier powers including telepathy and telekinesis, she was brainwashed and used as a ‘Hound’ – slang for mutants who hunt other mutants on behalf of the Sentinels. While the situation initially looked grim for Kate and her family, they weren’t alone, as the Fantastic Four showed up to lend their fellow heroes a helping hand – and Rachel tore them apart like it was nothing.
Technically, Rachel only killed two of the four Fantastic Four members, as Johnny Storm had already met his end at this point, and Sue was killed by Ahab moments after Rachel murdered Reed and Ben. Using the inherent powers of her mutation, Rachel ripped the Thing to bloody bits before expanding and contorting Reed’s impossible body in horrific ways that resulted in his grisly death. However, despite how thoroughly Rachel took out one of the most prominent superhero teams in the Marvel Universe, she’s still incredibly overlooked as a prime heavy-hitter for the X-Men. Sure, she’s been featured more heavily within the Krakoan era, and there have been storylines centered around her in the past (most notably involving the Phoenix Force), but it can’t be denied that Rachel Summers has yet to gain the A-list recognition of other X-Men like Wolverine, Cyclops, or Jean Grey.
Rachel Summers is easily the X-Men’s most underrated powerhouse, and if the general description of her absolutely insane power-set isn’t enough to prove it, then the Fantastic Four’s R-rated deaths unquestionably settles the matter.
X-Men: Days of Future Past – Doomsday #3 by Marvel Comics is available now.
