The wedding of Reed Richards and Sue Storm of The Fantastic Four marked the first major cross-over event in Marvel history.
The idea of a massive crossover event isn’t brand new or unique to the Marvel Universe; in fact, it is a regular occurrence in comic book storylines with shared universes. This was not always the case, though. The release of 1961’s Fantastic Four #1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby was a milestone because it introduced the first major crossover event in Marvel history. This was a particularly notable event because it was not a multiverse spanning battle royale; rather, it was the intimate wedding of two of its biggest heroes, Reed Richards and Sue Storm.
This particular crossover was important for Marvel for many reasons. First, it was anchored to Marvel’s flagship title, The Fantastic Four, and acted as a culmination of years worth of characterization and world-building. Secondly, it was a chance to prove that Marvel could plan, script, and sell an effective crossover event; the failure of such an issue would have been a large blow to Marvel’s editorial team. Finally, the sheer number of characters involved demanded an expert ability to write an engaging story without flooding the issue with a cavalcade of characters.
The annual begins with a supremely sinister revelation. The Fantastic Four’s archenemy, Doctor Doom, is furious with the knowledge that Reed and Sue are to be married. Doom decides to utilize an emotion charger to increase the anger within the world’s supervillains and ruin the impending nuptials. Incensed beyond reason, the villains are directed to attack the wedding being held at The Fantastic Four’s base, the Baxter Building in New York City. The Puppetmaster attempts to kill Reed by directing a mind-controlled man to poison him on contact; Red Ghost and his Super Apes launch an attack on Sue in her dressing room; Mole Man erupts from the ground alongside his legion of monsters. Many of these villains date back to the very first issues of The Fantastic Four and harbor some of the oldest and deepest grudges against the superhero team. The endless barrage of attacks by the villains is repelled by the multitude of heroes in attendance at the wedding; being fellow heroes, the X-Men, Doctor Strange, and Captain America, and many more all share similar motivations in helping their friends become married.
While the wedding of Reed Richards and Sue Storms was monumental, and the ensuing battle the largest Marvel had ever written at the time, not everyone in the Marvel pantheon was in attendance. Heavy hitters such as The Hulk and Namor were absent in the issue, and for good reason. In Tales to Astonish #72 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Adam Austin, Namor was at the bottom of the ocean searching for the legendary Trident of Neptune while Hulk was entangled in a plot conjured by The Leader. It wasn’t a simple adventure that prevented Hulk and Namor from attending the wedding. However, the presence of either of these heroes would have created such drama that the wedding may have had to be canceled. Reed even ponders whether Hulk would have helped him fight off the villains or fought against him. Namor’s history with Sue, compounded by his arrogance and inflexibility, would have caused another major fight at the altar.
As more and more evildoers begin to attack The Fantastic Four, more and more heroes arrive to help fend off the unexpected assault. As Reed frets over how evenly matched the opposing forces are, Uatu the Watcher appears and whisks Reed away. He provides Reed with a Sub-Atronic Time Displacer, a device capable of warping the villains back to the immediate past with no knowledge of what they had been doing. Using the machine, Reed ends the chaotic battle and returns order back to the world. The wedding proceeds without a hitch, and he and Sue are finally married.
Fantastic Four Annual #3 was more than just a wedding and more than just a giant brawl. It was a celebration of Marvel as a unified company and concept. The joy and excitement that readers must have felt as they turned each page, seeing more and more of their favorite heroes appearing in a true time of need, must have been palpable. It is that same excitement and joy that helped shape the same style of crossover events that are created today. Listening to audience members gasp and cheer at the finale of Avengers: Endgame as eleven years worth of storytelling came to a gripping climax is a natural extension of what kind of thrills that Fantastic Four Annual #3 gave. At the end of the day, that’s what matters most: inspiring and touching your audience in such a manner that they come to truly care for the characters and the worlds that you’ve created. The heroes in the Marvel universe are so much more than just “superheroes”: they are among the earliest friends we make, the mentors and guides that teach us right from wrong, and the flashes of light that help illuminate the darkness that can surround us in our lives.
Success from films such as Spider-Man: No Way Home and the excitement for the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness proves that there is still plenty of joy and excitement in seeing unexpected characters stand side by side against a common threat. What could have been a cheap and gimmicky marketing ploy to sell more copies of the comic turned out to be a cherished and beloved moment in Marvel history. A marvelously merry battle counterbalanced with one of the most meaningful and emotional moments in comic books set the stage for many more events to come.
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