X-Men Fantastic Four # 4 (of 4) Review & Spoilers

[Huntsman Spider]

To me, the truly outrageous thing is that Marvel put out a really badly thought out, badly characterized, overly melodramatic (of bad daytime soap melodrama quality) mini-series that is meant to pit fan-bases against each other... and we're falling for it. Divide and conquer, get controversy going, blah blah blah.

Who are the real villains of the mini? The company and creators that sold us this waste of time and made all the characters act horribly.

Or, maybe I'm just too old for superhero comics... it's seeming more likely with each new week's releases.

Pretty much this, just like Avengers Vs. X-Men and Inhumans Vs. X-Men. I'd even go further and cite the MU Civil Wars, because honestly, they're all in the same boat --- event miniseries designed to pit Marvel fandom against itself by making all the principal characters act like jerks at best and outright monsters at worst over conflicts that could be more amicably settled if everyone involved was acting according to their standard characterization. But since controversy is part of the hype . . .

[Wolverine12]

Much better ending than I expected from this series, especially the last bit in Reed’s lab. Art was pretty bad in this issue. Overall I’d give the mini a C-. Last issue saved it from a D.

[Synch340]

Has anyone ever gone after the High Evolutionary for his technology that can erase the X-Gene?

Nobody but Domina from The Neo went after Mr. Sinister for his main role in the death of her folks, daughter and most of her clan.

[Ichijinijisanji]

But it is that the device even in the best of cases Reed planned to use it in an unethical way. There are very very few legitimate reasons to want to use that. If you are human, practically none.

If Reed didn't waste so much time on those things and a little more on others, maybe humans wouldn't need Flowers of Krakoa.

He used in an unethical way, in that he did not ask for franklin's consent, but his intent is not unethical. This isn't just about humans vs mutants, but about humans who have mutant families and care for them. Wanting to protect your mutant family is not bad because you mistrust a shady country with full blown supervillains at the highest positions is not bad (or any mutant specific and targeted threat)

Also, Reed could do all that, but it also comes down to reducing influence by releasing things publicly. For example, anything he does release publicly can be easily coopted for evil, or ruin entire industries making millions jobless

We saw how krakoa is basically controlling the world economy through their things by making entire industries obsolete and just to survive and be economically competent everyone has to agree to their terms. We hope they use their new found power well, but its still a precarious situation.

[braddocks]

Yeah, this device absolutely is not a good idea, and shouldn’t exist.

But Reed was using it in a misguided attempt to protect his son, and he’s not the first parent upset about his son growing up and potentially moving away.

It’s not intended to harm mutants, or eradicate them. Reed mentions that potentially the device could, if it was further developed, and he showed no sign of doing that.

Xavier’s move makes sense, but it’s still not great to tamper with an ally’s mind and let them know that you’re willing to do that whenever.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

He used in an unethical way, in that he did not ask for franklin's consent, but his intent is not unethical. This isn't just about humans vs mutants, but about humans who have mutant families and care for them. Wanting to protect your mutant family is not bad because you mistrust a shady country with full blown supervillains at the highest positions is not bad (or any mutant specific and targeted threat)

Also, Reed could do all that, but it also comes down to reducing influence by releasing things publicly. For example, anything he does release publicly can be easily coopted for evil, or ruin entire industries making millions jobless

We saw how krakoa is basically controlling the world economy through their things by making entire industries obsolete and just to survive and be economically competent everyone has to agree to their terms. We hope they use their new found power well, but its still a precarious situation.

It's similar to Batman's "contingency plans" against the Justice League in Tower of Babel and Infinity Crisis. Batman didn't intend his anti-JL measures would be hijacked by supervillains and having a right idea to defend in case anyone gets brainwashed was fine...but he went ahead and wrote detailed notes and plans to basically torture his co-workers and friends, and failed to take into account that there are bad guys out there who know his secret identity and resources to hack his stuff.

You know that story about the guy who's so smart that he outsmarted himself...Reed Richards meet Bruce Wayne, Reed and Bruce, this is Ozymandias.

[Glio]

I think Xavier did the right thing in at least telling Reed that he was going to erase his memory. Because now Reed can understand why it was so wrong to have designed that device.

If he had forgotten everything, he could have ended up creating something similar or not learning a lesson.

But I think if Xavier had asked Reed to do it with his consent, Reed would have agreed. That is where Xavier has been wrong. Neither of them has done well at all.

[ExodusCloak]

Scott and Emma working together again such nostalgia

[braddocks]

I think Xavier did the right thing in at least telling Reed that he was going to erase his memory. Because now Reed can understand why it was so wrong to have designed that device.

If he had forgotten everything, he could have ended up creating something similar or not learning a lesson.

But I think if Xavier had asked Reed to do it with his consent, Reed would have agreed. That is where Xavier has been wrong. Neither of them has done well at all.

Yeah, especially since Reed was apologising about it, and I think he recognised he’d done wrong. I’m sure he would’ve agreed.

It feels like an odd move because Xavier had said to Sue that they should’ve maybe approached Franklin differently, and his actions at the end is not exactly good for progressing a relationship.

[Ichijinijisanji]

It's similar to Batman's "contingency plans" against the Justice League in Tower of Babel and Infinity Crisis. Batman didn't intend his anti-JL measures would be hijacked by supervillains and having a right idea to defend in case anyone gets brainwashed was fine...but he went ahead and wrote detailed notes and plans to basically torture his co-workers and friends, and failed to take into account that there are bad guys out there who know his secret identity and resources to hack his stuff.

You know that story about the guy who's so smart that he outsmarted himself...Reed Richards meet Bruce Wayne, Reed and Bruce, this is Ozymandias.

Here's the thing. Almost anything can be coopted for an evil purpose. Xavier simply existing? Red skull uses brain surgery and tissue grafting to make himself the most powerful telepath.

Fritz Haber was a jewish chemist who made ammonia based fertilizers and process for creating it on an industrial level. He won a nobel prize for it. However it was eventually used to gas Jews with Zyklon B. It also helped prolong the war effort on the german side by allowing them more food supplies, and nitrogen compounds for explosives.

Should he have not made it?

[misty101]

I believe that Reed, Xavier and Magneto are wrong. Franklin is destined to be more than a mutant if you know what i mean

No. Explain please?

[ExodusCloak]

That's nonsense, there is absolutely no good reason for the creation of this device. Its akin to a device that destroys melanin permanently

[Glio]

No. Explain please?

In theory he is destined to be the Galactus of the next universe.

If Devil Hulk doesn't kill him before, of course.

[Chris0013]

Franklin's "you didn't listen to me" is nonsense...he did not give them a chance to listen to what he wanted. They had the confrontation with the X-Men, Kitty sneaked him out and meandered him towards the gate and after he couldn't go thru he went to his room and sulked before he ran away. Yes they should have talked about it...but at the end of the day his parents are his parents and if they say "no" the answer is "no".

As far as wiping Reed's mind...I want that to come back and bite Xavier in the butt. So what if he can built tech like that...he would not use it. And did Xavier do the same thing to Forge? He built a power remover that was used on Storm. Or does Forge get a pass because he possesses the holy mutant gene?

This whole series was a goat rope from the jump...the characters were written to fit the story and not the other way around.

[Ichijinijisanji]

That's nonsense, there is absolutely no good reason for the creation of this device. Its akin to a device that destroys melanin permanently

No. Its akin to a device that cloaks you from devices that detect melanin like, say, facial recognition