Fantastic Four Officially Debut Their Most Creative Costumes Yet

The Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards and Johnny Storm are ditching their classic uniforms. Apart from being the genius mind behind the team, Reed Richards is the team’s lead creative designer, having created the unstable molecules that revolutionized the concept of superhero attire. The Fantastic Four’s iconic uniforms are sophisticated pieces of laboratory equipment designed to harmonize with their specific biological mutations, capable of stretching thousands of feet without tearing, becoming completely invisible, and resisting the supernova temperatures of Johnny Storm’s flame.

The deep cerulean blue and the bold, circular “4” insignia have become universal symbols of the Space Age, but the Fantastic Four have cycled through a diverse array of aesthetic variations that reflect the family’s evolving mission. The classic blue-and-black, the Negative Zone blue-and-white, and the Future Foundation’s sleek, monochromatic white-and-black uniforms are definitely the team’s most famous looks. Other notable variations include the 1990s era of armored suits and Sue Storm’s infamous cut-out costume, as well as the bold red-and-black uniforms debuted during the James Robinson run.

Like Sue Storm’s Malice overhaul and the countless outfits worn by the Council of Reeds, some of the most interesting Fantastic Four costume redesigns look nothing like the team’s classic uniforms.

Reed Richards And Johnny Storm Travel Back To Ancient Rome

Fantastic Four #12; Written by Ryan North; Art by Pat Boutin; Cover by Humberto Ramos; Variant Cover by Phil Noto

The Fantastic Four have faced one of their biggest challenges in the form of one of their own, as an evil version of Susan Storm threatens to destroy them, starting with Galactus himself. Skip a few issues to June 3’s Fantastic Four #12, and Marvel’s First Family finds themselves in a brand-new adventure. The first cover for Ryan North’s Fantastic Four #12 reveals Reed and Johnny in Ancient Rome, wearing togas and posing like emperors.

The variant cover illustrated by Phil Noto depicts Reed Richards, back in his traditional Fantastic Four uniform, fighting gladiators in the Colosseum alongside a flamed-on Human Torch. Why Johnny and Reed are in Ancient Rome is yet to be revealed, but Sue and Ben’s absence raises several questions. The Invisible Woman and the Thing might be on Earth watching, or they could be in their own time-traveling adventure elsewhere in human history.

The Fantastic Four Are Expert Time Travelers

Ancient Times Are A Familiar Place For The Fantastic Four

The Fantastic Four’s history is inextricably linked to some of the greatest time-traveling threats in Marvel lore, most notably their perpetual chess match against Kang the Conqueror and his myriad personas. Whether facing Immortus, the Scarlet Centurion, or Rama-Tut, the Fantastic Four have consistently showcased their ingenuity outmaneuvering time-manipulating warlords. A definitive example occurred in Fantastic Four #352, where Reed engaged in a time duel with Doctor Doom that saw the two geniuses hopping through seconds and centuries, pursued by the TVA.

Their expertise was established as early as 1962’s Fantastic Four #5, where the team used Doctor Doom’s Time Platform to travel to the 18th century, a mission that famously introduced the concept of historical intervention to the Marvel Universe. This mastery was further solidified in 1963’s Fantastic Four #19, during their first encounter with Rama-Tut in Ancient Egypt. In Road Trip, the Fantastic Four embark on an excursion to the Ides of March in 44 BCE Rome, where they find themselves navigating the tension of the Roman Senate on the day of Julius Caesar’s assassination.

Earlier in Ryan North’s run, set during One World Under Doom, Doctor Doom thrusts the Fantastic Four into different eras of world history. Sue is thrown seven billion years into the past and Reed is sent to 1266 while Ben and Johnny are sent to prehistoric eras. Before that, Reed and Sue had traveled together to the trenches of World War I, where they met Doctor Doom disguised as Dane Whitman aka the Black Knight. Now, after seemingly overcoming the threat of Malice a.k.a. the Invincible Woman, the Fantastic Four’s time-traveling adventures will certainly continue.

Which is your favorite Fantastic Four time-travel story?

Fantastic Four #12 is available from Marvel Comics on June 3, 2026.