Fantastic Four ages

[Iron Maiden]

I'd have to find that part about Johnny needing to find his high school diploma but he did finally go to college right after he saved the day in the confrontation with Galactus in FF #50. The Watcher sent him to find the Ultimate Nullifier to stop Galactus. Then a few pages he was off to college in that same issue. Things happened pretty quickly in comics back then. But unfortunately no one did much with this in the years that followed. The only other time I remember Johnny being on campus was when he caused part of the university to catch fire during the DeFalco run. I wish they would give us an update on his status on that. As far as we know, he never completed a degree.

[Anthony Shaw]

Back in the 1980's Marvel released a book called the "Marvel Saga". It was a book that placed several stories of different characters in chronological order during the silver age.

You may not find the reference in an actual FF book, but in the Marvel Saga Series, (I assume it was written by Peter Sanderson) it was noted that Johnny received his high school diploma in secret when the team lost their powers, for safety reasons. The FF went underground until Reed could create devices to duplicate their lost powers (like the Thing exo-suit). Also around that time, Balder came to Earth to defend Jane Foster from the Enchantress & Executioner. The Frightful Four was circling the Baxter Building when Balder arrived. He looked like a large ball of flame which caused the evil FF to think it was Johnny (and fled). This happened before Doom invaded the Baxter Building.

Johnny getting his diploma might be considered "behind the scenes" of FF #38-#39.

I wish I could remember which issue of the Marvel Saga stated that. It could be issue #18, or #19.

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/the-m...vel/4050-3490/

[CaptCleghorn]

Back in the 1980's Marvel released a book called the "Marvel Saga". It was a book that placed several stories of different characters in chronological order during the silver age.

You may not find the reference in an actual FF book, but in the Marvel Saga Series, (I assume it was written by Peter Sanderson) it was noted that Johnny received his high school diploma in secret when the team lost their powers, for safety reasons. The FF went underground until Reed could create devices to duplicate their lost powers (like the Thing exo-suit). Also around that time, Balder came to Earth to defend Jane Foster from the Enchantress & Executioner. The Frightful Four was circling the Baxter Building when Balder arrived. He looked like a large ball of flame which caused the evil FF to think it was Johnny (and fled). This happened before Doom invaded the Baxter Building.

Johnny getting his diploma might be considered "behind the scenes" of FF #38-#39.

I wish I could remember which issue of the Marvel Saga stated that. It could be issue #18, or #19.

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/the-m...vel/4050-3490/

We have Peter Parker starting college during the Master Planner story which was just about concurrent with the Galactus trilogy. Doesn't seem like a big jump to assume Johnny and Peter are the same age. As to Johnny's HS graduation, I believe all of his HS stuff was back in the earlier Strange Tales stories which gradually shifted to pure superhero stuff. One might conclude he graduated a year earlier and was a year older than Pete, but took a year off. Or one may assume Johnny's HS years fell into disrepair and some diploma deal was set up because they are the FF.

I'm perfectly fine with Johnny getting a GED and getting into school on Reed's say-so. Outside of his mechanics, it's hard to imagine what Johnny would have been doing at college at that point in his life.

[Anthony Shaw]

We have Peter Parker starting college during the Master Planner story which was just about concurrent with the Galactus trilogy. Doesn't seem like a big jump to assume Johnny and Peter are the same age. As to Johnny's HS graduation, I believe all of his HS stuff was back in the earlier Strange Tales stories which gradually shifted to pure superhero stuff. One might conclude he graduated a year earlier and was a year older than Pete, but took a year off. Or one may assume Johnny's HS years fell into disrepair and some diploma deal was set up because they are the FF.

For me, I do consider Johnny & Peter to be the same age (along with Scott Summers, Warren Worthington, & Jean Grey). I think Johnny completed high school, as normal. Having a public graduation without powers would have been suicide, given the FF's many enemies. Plus, it would have endangered the other graduates. No way Sue would have allowed that. He may have missed some days after becoming the Human Torch, but it is easy to assume Reed may have provided some home schooling behind the scenes.

I'm perfectly fine with Johnny getting a GED and getting into school on Reed's say-so. Outside of his mechanics, it's hard to imagine what Johnny would have been doing at college at that point in his life.

I'd love to read a Mark Waid written series of Johnny trying to get through college. Johnny written by Waid was just hilarious to me.

[Ogrebear]

I like the world building people do, it really helps me as a Marvel RPG GM as unlike the comics world ‘resetting to status quo’ I like my characters to age, grow, have jobs and loves etc.

There was a great article on the old FF Plaze site about this, but it seems to have gone now.

[Iron Maiden]

I like the world building people do, it really helps me as a Marvel RPG GM as unlike the comics world ‘resetting to status quo’ I like my characters to age, grow, have jobs and loves etc.

There was a great article on the old FF Plaze site about this, but it seems to have gone now.

You might be able to find it on Sean's blog, Kleefeld on Comics. I sort of know him, as much as one knows someone on the internet. He was one of the original moderators of the Fantastic Four MB. He sometimes saved some of that stuff. Off topic a bit but one of my favorite features was that he tried to keep track of all the Fantastic Four #1 cover homages.

[Mutant God]

Reed - 46
Sue - 39
Ben - 51
Johnny - 34
Franklin - 16
Val - 10
Doom - 44
Lumpkin - 76

[runguy]

Reed - 46
Sue - 39
Ben - 51
Johnny - 34
Franklin - 16
Val - 10
Doom - 44
Lumpkin - 76

reed , doom and ben were in college at the same time, so close in age by 1-2 years. i would take 10 years off for the adults

[Mutant God]

reed , doom and ben were in college at the same time, so close in age by 1-2 years. i would take 10 years off for the adults

Well I think Doom was so smart he went to college before he hit eighteen so I could see a him being a few years younger then Reed, and Ben I could see taking a few years of work (and maybe the army) before he could afford college so I see Ben as an older guy then the rest.

[Flash Gordon]

I think they should all be time displaced astronauts from the late 1960s.

I would imagine they'd age now in 2019land, but they'd arrive from 1969 the age they were in 1969.

[CaptCleghorn]

Well I think Doom was so smart he went to college before he hit eighteen so I could see a him being a few years younger then Reed, and Ben I could see taking a few years of work (and maybe the army) before he could afford college so I see Ben as an older guy then the rest.

Every origin story has had Reed and Doom starting college at the same age as everyone else. Also, Ben was probably there on a football scholarship. Reed MIGHT have know Ben was the "Touchdown King" otherwise, but it seems unlikely.

[jsg2295]

This is all a moot point as they were de-aged in FF 214...when they were aging rapidy....except the human torch ....a skrull robot had a metabolic booster that Johnny was able to acquire and get Reed to make the three members young again...maybe even younger than before!!! A wonderful Marv Wolfman Story.
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20080907161134

[CaptCleghorn]

This is all a moot point as they were de-aged in FF 214...when they were aging rapidy....except the human torch ....a skrull robot had a metabolic booster that Johnny was able to acquire and get Reed to make the three members young again...maybe even younger than before!!! A wonderful Marv Wolfman Story.
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20080907161134

That story does a lot to alleviate any "too old" argument for the FF. It does a good job of keeping them active at an age when most are starting to slow down. We're left to work Ben out with the Hickman immortality development and Ben's aging in the Wolfman story. But it's comics. I pick and choose which dichotomies I worry about.

[Iron Maiden]

Every origin story has had Reed and Doom starting college at the same age as everyone else. Also, Ben was probably there on a football scholarship. Reed MIGHT have know Ben was the "Touchdown King" otherwise, but it seems unlikely.

I don't recall anything in Stan or Jack's stories about their college days where a specific age was given for anyone to tell the truth. It's probably a moot point these days after SW.

[Crimz]

Didn't Johnny also age during his time in the Negative Zone with Annihilus?