9/11 Caused by the FF?

[jackolover]

I was doing research on an article on aspects of the 9/11 attacks and I was looking into why in particular the Human Torch and Iceman (who could both absorb the fires in the buildings) were never utilised. I found out Johnny Storm was in the desert in the west doing a movie as the Rawhide Kid, while the Iceman was in the middle of a secondary transformation and away from the New X-Men, who just had Genosha destroyed. But then this came up :-

One thing I didn’t realize about this time when 9/11 happened in Marvel continuity was that in the Fantastic Four book, a completely new reality was created in that book, that could have changed every aspect of Marvel from then on, (and one of those things was the devastating attacks of Terrorists in a world that could easily defeat these pests). But the scenario of real life was even so much more dramatic, it defeated even the superheroes in this case. But more creepily still – the events in FF could have caused 9/11 in the MU, because it completely changed how Marvel stories were going to go from 9/11 onwards. It is almost like the use of the Ultimate Nullifier in FF #49 had created this dystopian Earth 616 in which it got totally changed by a seemingly impossible attack, destroying NY buildings that never were destroyed before. From this moment forth, buildings began toppling in NY at a fantastic rate, in World War Hulk TPB, Fear Itself TPB, and ultimately in the destruction of NY, at Secret Wars HC.

By shear accident, the editors of the FF magazine had used a device of such complete devastation in a way that mimicked the events of 9/11, or even predicted 9/11. A story that predated 9/11 by 2 months with the start being FF #46, the Abraxus arc running till #49. 9/11 happened the month #47 was published. In the book, as a result of the change made by the Ultimate Nullifier, Sue became pregnant with Valeria again, and the Silver Surfer reappeared again, (after some absence supposedly. Aunt May also discovered Pete was Spider-Man that same month).

What do people think?

[Michael Watkins]

[Agent Z]

This image was always tasteless and petty.

[Digifiend]

Was that page published before 9/11? I get the feeling they'd have changed that if it was afterwards.

[Thor-Ul]

I don't think so. If anything, that story is just a coincidence. These stories are prepared months before, so any publication story is coincidendce with real ligfh facts. In fact in DC, in a Superman book that september, an issue of Superman had an image of two towers destroyed by an alien invasion.
And any change in the narratives is obviously writers and readers reacting to a traumatic event. One which still is felt today.

Was that page published before 9/11? I get the feeling they'd have changed that if it was afterwards.

No, that page is from an issue of Punisher, where the cast of Fantastic 4 (yes, the 2015 movie) was killed. Let's say the people from Marvel were not happywith the movie, if they left the page to be published.

[Digifiend]

That Superman issue (Adventures of Superman #596) ended up being made returnable. It was released on 12th September, so was already being delivered to the shops when the attack happened.

[Snoop Dogg]

bruhhhhh how did this get printed imao

[jackolover]

I was not aware a Superman issue showed the Twin Towers destroyed, around that time of 9/11.

I was not on these forums in 2001, and never took any interest in Marvel comics till 2006 to get on cbr. What do people remember on the cbr forums when 9/11 happened? I only collected the many honorary 9/11 comics at the time, but never considered what was happening over in DC or Marvel on September 11. The comics were rather blaze’ around that time. But revisiting the time period when publications came out, gives a more “impending disaster” feel to the books, and the creators writing the content. People may be right it was a coincidence the Superman book showed the Twin Towers destroyed, and, Fantastic Four letting off the Ultimate Nullifier completely changing continuity. But I’m superstitious. I feel something was telling us, even subconsciously, that something was about to happen, and giving us messages.

[Ultimate Captain America]

There's also Ultimate X-Men, where a terrorist leader had just declared war to the US, laid waste to Wasington DC and the White House, and had the president naked and helpless under his boot before his gives his "new era" speech.

Nothing specific about 9/11, but a taste of what is terrorism all about.

[jackolover]

I can’t say Abraxus was bad, or Reed Richards 2001 Dystopia was bad. It was forced on both of them to behave the way they were. Abraxus was a force of nature. Richards was a reaction of the psyche to the shock of possible Annihilation. No one can judge either of them. Myself? I don’t put blame on either of them for what happened after 9/11. 9/11 had a force of its own. If 9/11 didn’t happen, the reaction to Abraxus wouldn’t have created Civil War to Secret Wars 2015. It would have either disposed of Marvel altogether, or, it would have turned into ANAD 14 years earlier, in 2001.

9/11 had one effect on the MU. It created fear in writers to force them out of their cosy magazine writing bubble, and put that fear into their stories. And it produced the possibility of the MCU because Marvel survived. The MCU had Winter Soldier, Civil War, Age of Ultron, and Infinity all as a result of 9/11. No Avengers movies could have had the impact as the MCU unless 9/11 happened.

[jackolover]

I have since received this Abraxus story in Hard Cover and re-read it. It portends so much about Secret Wars 2015 and it’s Alternative Realities. It shows the thread of Valeria as the pregnant new Rebirth-realignment after the Nullifier changed reality. Everything at the snap in FF#49 resembled what happened at the snap at Secret Wars #9. What was supposed to be a new, fresh, start in FF #49, 2001, was a nightmare reality, until ANAD changed reality again.