Originally Posted by
CaptCleghorn
A couple of points here. The FF were created in 1961 and although it "would have been nice" to see societal advancements shown then, it's more unrealistic than men stretching or bursting into flames or a woman turning invisible. My usual rant is that the FF took the freaking exact cast of Sea Devils, Rip Hunter Time Master, and Cave Carson. The scientist, the GF, her little brother (although with Cave Carson, the pesky kid wasn't actually the brother), and the scientist's big tough brawny buddy. The FF cast was based on a model focused on the leader role. Unlike the Challengers of the Unknowns, it was designed to be Batman and three Robins.
As for the Reed/Ben friendship. Lee and Kirby had originally designed Reed to be a far more affable guy. But as time whet on, Reed's idiosyncrasies came out. Originally, the two weren't as far off. But with the development of Reed's personality, he and Ben did seem unlikely buds. But, Ben has been a guy to never put up with "specialness". He's down-to-earth and a brainy kid deserves the same treatment. Reed's undoubtedly noticed how people treat him differently because of his academic status. Ben didn't care. Conversely, Ben was a football hero and got the same fake attitudes from people. Reed, conversely, didn't care about Ben's athletic records. Seems like a pair that should go together.