Fantastic Four (1994 TV series)

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Fantastic Four
The cover for the DVD release.
Genre	animated television series
Running time	22 minutes
Creator(s)	Jack Kirby Stan Lee
Starring	Beau Weaver Lori Alan Quinton Flynn Chuck McCann Stan Lee Brian Austin Green Simon Templeman
Country of origin	United States
Original channel	Syndication
Original run	September 24, 1994–February 24, 1996
No. of episodes	26
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Fantastic Four is an animated series based on Marvel's comic book series Fantastic Four.

In the mid-1990s, Marvel Productions syndicated a new Fantastic Four animated series as part of The Marvel Action Hour. The first half of the hour was an episode of Iron Man; the second half an episode of Fantastic Four (many episodes of which were direct recreations of episodes from the original 1960s series). During the first season, Stan Lee was featured speaking before each show about characters in the following episode and what had inspired him to create them. Both the Fantastic Four and Iron Man were radically retooled for the second seasons, sporting new opening sequences, improved animation, and more mature writing, though noticeably having fewer introductions by Stan Lee, with several of the new shorter intros being used more than once. The Marvel Action Hour lasted two seasons before being cancelled.

Following the release of the 2005 live-action film, The Walt Disney Company released the entirety of the series on Region 1 DVD, now featuring new introductions by Stan Lee for all 26 episodes, replacing the original introductions which were removed for network broadcast. Additionally, pieces of footage from the episodes themselves were later removed for network broadcast, and it is these cut episodes that comprise the DVD set. Region 2 received only a DVD comprising of the first four episodes.

1 Voice Cast
2 Episode list
3 DVD releases
4 External links

[edit] Voice Cast

Beau Weaver - Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards
Lori Alan - Invisible Woman/Susan Storm Richards
Quinton Flynn - Human Torch/Johnny Storm (Season 2)
Chuck McCann - The Thing/Benjamin J. Grimm
Brian Austin Green - Human Torch/Johnny Storm (Season 1)

[edit] Episode list

[edit] Season One

Title	Writer(s)	Original Airdate(s)	#
"The Origin of the Fantastic Four"	Ron Friedman	September 24, 1994 October 1, 1994	1 & 2
Part 1 As guests on a Dick Clark charity telethon, the Fantastic Four tell the story of their origin, describing how cosmic rays caused the mutations which gave them their fantastic powers -- powers which brought them to the unwanted attention of the Puppet Master, a bizarre and evil scientist, who controls people by making dolls in their likeness. Part 2 Continuing as guests on Dick Clark's telethon, the Fantastic Four go on with their story of manipulative menace of the Puppet Master who fashions a doll of the Thing, thus controlling him and sending him to destroy the Fantastic Four. But the Puppet Master's blind step-daughter, Alicia, seeing the goodness within the Thing, assists him, Reed, Johnny, and Sue in defeating the mad Puppet Master.

"Now Comes the Sub-Mariner"	Ron Friedman	October 8, 1994	3
Namor, Prince of the Undersea Kingdom of Atlantis, vows vengeance against the air breathers of Earth for polluting his kingdom and falls in love with Sue Richards at first glance. When he kidnaps Sue, taking her to Atlantis, Lady Dorma, a lady in waiting who loves Namor, is furious and convinces Namor's warrior general, Krang, to attack the Earth.

"Incursion of the Skrulls"	Ron Friedman	October 15, 1994	4
Using a hand held video game of an alien invasion of the Earth as their "spy," the Skrulls, an evil shape-shifting alien race bent on conquering the Earth, attempt to neutralize the Fantastic Four, by assuming their forms and committing crimes which bring about the arrest of the real Fantastic Four.

"The Silver Surfer & the Coming of Galactus"	Ron Friedman	October 22, 1994 October 29, 1994	5 & 6
Part 1 The Watcher contacts the Fantastic Four and warns them that the dreaded Silver Surfer is on his way to Earth. If he manages to send his homing signal to his master, Galactus, the Earth will be destroyed! The FF try and stop the Surfer, but are too late. Galactus has arrived and prepares to feed on the Earth! Part 2 Galactus begins to setup his equipment to feed on the Earth, while the FF try to reason with him. He dismisses them, and they try to come up with a new plan. The Watcher has a suggestion, but it may cost the Torch his life! Meanwhile, the Silver Surfer visits Alicia Masters, and begins to see how wonderful the Earth really is.

"Super Skrull"	Ron Friedman	November 5, 1994	7
The Skrulls have come up with a way to exact revenge on the Fantastic Four, and his name is Super Skrull! He has the powers of all members of the FF: strength, fire, invisibility, and stretching. Plus, he has a special, secret power! How can the FF fight that?

"The Mask of Doom"	Ron Friedman	November 12, 1994 November 19, 1994 November 26, 1994	8, 9, & 10
Part 1 Doctor Doom has finally arrived on the scene, and he's kidnapped Sue! Will the rest of the team be able to make their way through his castle and rescue her? Sure. Part 2 Doctor Doom tells Sue about his past while the rest of the team struggle through his traps. They finally reach Doom, but it seems he wants to bargain. Doom tells them to go back in time and find an ancient casket for him, or else Sue will die! Part 3 Reed, Johnny, and Ben have travelled back to ancient Greece to find the casket. They only have 48 hours until Doom sends for them, but they get caught up in the Battle md Thermopalye! Will they make it? Yes.

"Mole Man"	Ron Friedman	December 3, 1994	11
Famous monuments are disappearing all over the world, and no one seems to be able to explain these occurances. While at a charity function at Rockefeller Center, the building seems to go underground! There they meet the Mole Man, the recluse who intends on taking over the world! Can they stop him?

"Behold the Negative Zone"	Ron Friedman	December 10, 1994	12
Reed investigates a cosmic disturbance in his lab, when all of a sudden, a beast known as Annihlus bursts through the monitor! A minute later, someone called Blaastar comes through as well! Can the FF stop the mortal enemies and return them to the Negative Zone? Of course they can.

"The Silver Surfer & the Return of Galactus"	Ron Friedman	December 17, 1994	13
The Fantastic Four investigate one of Galactus' abandoned pods, and rencounter Doctor Doom! The Silver Surfer appears and Doom steals his power! Will the FF be able to stop the power cosmic energized Doom? Of course they will.

[edit] Season Two

Title	Writer(s)	Original Airdate(s)	#
"And a Blind Man Shall Lead Them"	Steve Granat & Cydne Clark	September 23, 1995	14
After being exposed to radiation resulting from Doctor Doom's nuclear bomb, the FF find themselves powerless. Reed discovers a way to artificially reinstate the FF's powers, but not before Doctor Doom takes over the Baxter Building. With the help of the blind lawyer Matt Murdock (alias Daredevil), the Fantastic Four are able to infiltrate the building and reinstate their power. They let Doom escape, and in the process Doom destroys the Baxter Building.

"Inhumans Saga"	Glenn Leopold	September 30, 1995 October 7, 1995 October 14, 1995	15, 16, & 17
Pt. 1: And the Wind Cries Medusa The Frightful Four are in town, and the FF take off to battle them. The Frightful Four, by the way, consist of the Wizard, Medusa, the Trapster, and Hydro-Man. Anyway, the FF battle the Frightful Four, and the Frightful Four decide to take control of Ben's mind, so that he can be used to attack the remaining Fantastic Three. The FF eventually overcome this obstacle, and capture the Frightful Four, all except for Medusa, who Johnny lets escape. In the end, a mysterious figure appears, and he seems to be tracking Medusa. Pt. 2: The Inhumans Among Us Gorgon comes to town! Anyway, he is in search of Medusa, so that he may return her to the Great Refuge. Medusa forces Johnny to help her flee the city, but Gorgon catches her anyway. The FF later find the hideout where the Inhumans have been staying, Johnny finds a new girl (Crystal), and the FF get to fight with the Inhumans: Karnak, Black Bolt, Trition, etc. Pt. 3: Beware the Hidden Land This episode introduces Maximus, the mad brother of Black Bolt, who is currently king of the Inhumans. When the Inhumans escape back to Attilan (the Great Refuge) via a convinient teleport type thing, Johnny jumps in after Crystal and gets sent to Atillan as well. Turns out the Inhumans don't like humans much, and for that Johnny is attacked by the royal family. The FF go off in search of Attilan and Johnny, find him, help Black Bolt regain his rightful position as king, and they all live happily ever after. Except for the fact that Maximus has created a nearly impenatrable negative barrier surrounding Attilan, separating Crystal and Johnny.

"Worlds Within Worlds"	(Story by Steve Granat & Cydnee Clark) (Written by David Ehrman)	October 21, 1995	18
Reed discovers a new element, tenatively named "Reedium", which turns out to be "goop" from the Micro Verse which affects emotions. It belongs to the Psycho Man, ruler of the Micro Verse who has the power to control emotions. He uses the Hate Monger to capture Sue, and turns her into Malice, Mistress of Hate (Guess what _she_ does). Reed, Ben, and Johnny travel to the Microverse to battle the Psycho Man and hopefully get Sue back. The remaining three have to battle Sue (who overwhelmes them), until Reed cleverly overloads Sue's mind and undoes the Psycho Man's damage.

"To Battle the Living Planet"	(Story by: Steve Granat & Cydnee Clark) (Written by: Jan Strnad)	November 4, 1995	19
Ego, the living planet has come to Earth, and he is causing earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, etc on Earth. The Fantastic Four can only think of one way to defeat Ego: call on Galactus. Galactus agrees to do away with Ego if the FF agree to allow Galactus to feast on the Earth sometime in the future. Reed sees that this is the only way to protect the Earth against immediate destruction, and agrees. Thor guest stars.

"Prey of the Black Panther"	Glenn Leopold	November 11, 1995	20
The Black Panther comes to attack the Fantastic Four in an attempt to test his powers. He then retreats to Africa, and the FF follow him back there. They battle some more, and the FF finally try to talk to the Black Panther. Turns out that the Panther is the leader of an African tribe, and that his father was killed by Klaw, the master of sound. Klaw comes back to attack the Panther, and he is undone by the Vibranium that is native to the area of the Panther's tribe.

"When Calls Galactus"	Jan Strnad	November 18, 1995	21
They tried to cram a lot of stories into this one, and well, they did... In the beginning, Johnny is depressed about Crystal, so, while they are signing autographs, he meets a girl named Frankie Raye, who happens to be a human torch too! (In the comics, Johnny doesn't meet Frankie until after Crystal marries Quicksilver. Oh well.) Anyway, Terrax, who happens to be Galactus' new herald after the Silver Surfer defected, attacks Earth (Manhattan). Galactus isn't terribly pleased to learn that his herald has defected, so he comes back to Earth to do away with Terrax. One problem, Galactus needs to feed, and the only planet in the vicinity is Earth! Since Galactus no longer has a herald to search out planets for him, he attempts to devour Earth. Thor and Ghost Rider arrive on the scene, but their efforts are useless. As a result, Frankie Raye offers to become Nova, Galactus' new herald, and Johnny is heartbroken once more.

"Nightmare in Green"	Glenn Leopold	November 25, 1995	22
Bruce Banner, the Incredible Hulk, the alienated super hero, comes to New York. The Thing gets in the way of his destructive streak, and the two duke it out. The rest of the FF comes to Ben's aide, and the Hulk can't help but ask, "Why pretty girl help ugly rock monster?"

"Behold, A Distant Star"	Cydne Clark & Steve Granat	February 3, 1996	23
The Invisible Woman requires delicate surgery to save her life, but the operation can only be performed by one person - her father, Franklin Storm. The only problem is that he is in hiding, after being accused of murder many years ago. He comes out of hiding to operate on his daughter, only to be arrested immediately following the operation. While in jail, Super Skrull (who, incidentally, has all of the combined powers of the Fantastic Four) kidnapps Franklin Storm and takes on Storm's appearance, only to attack New York. The real Franklin Storm is killed in the process, and the FF travel to the Skrull galaxy to exact vengence, only to find out that "revenge only keeps the hurt alive."

"Hopelessly Impossible"	Greg Johnson	February 10, 1996	24
The Impossible Man is here. Johnny still longs for Crystal. This is basically a clip show. There is _some_ plot, but I think Iron Man's clip show was done much better. The Impossible Man is being chased by Super Skrull, Johnny encounters Lockjaw (Crystal's teleporting dog), and Johnny agrees to protect the Impossible Man if he will tell Lockjaw to take him to the Great Refuge. They eventually get there, but they can't penetrate the field.

"The Sentry Sinister"	Glenn Leopold	February 17, 1996	25
It's vacation time at Four Freedoms Plaza! Anyway, Sue insists that the FF get a little time off for a vaction. Johnny, still longing for Crystal, decides that he doesn't want to go. So Reed, Sue and Ben load up the Pogo Plane and take off for Tee Vu island in the south Pacific. Too bad that Tee Vu island also happens to be the home of the Kree Sentry. A couple of unwiting archaelogists activate the sentry, who quickly attacks the Fantastic Three. In the meantime, Black Bolt has spoken, unleashing a huge destructive force which breaks the negative barrier. Thus, Johnny and Crystal are reunited at long last. Not a moment too soon, however, as Sue sends out a distress signal to Four Freedoms, requesting assistance. Johnny and Crystal teleport into the South Pacific, and battle the menacing sentry.

"Doomsday"	Cydne Clark	February 24, 1996	26
Doctor Doom captures the Silver Surfer and steals his power cosmic (again). Doom uses the power cosmic to battle the FF. The Fantastic Four eventually defeat the good doctor by getting him to cross the cosmic ray barrier which Galactus left surrounding the earth so that the Silver Surfer could not escape.

[edit] The Incredible Hulk Crossover

Main article: The Incredible Hulk (1996 TV series)

Title	Writer(s)	Original Airdate(s)	#
"Fantastic Fortitude"	Bob Forward	November 10, 1996	8
Banner and She-Hulk go to New York hoping to find Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, so he can help cure Banner of the Hulk. However, the Fantastic Four is on vacation, except for the Thing, who She-Hulk immediately takes a liking to. Will the Thing, Hulk, and She-Hulk be able to take down the Ogress and the Leader's Gamma Warriors?

[edit] Spiderman Crossover

Main article: Spider-Man (1994 animated series) Episode List

Title	Writer(s)	Original Airdate(s)	#
*"Secret Wars, Chapter I: "Arrival""*	John Semper & Karen Milovich	November 7, 1997	61
Spider-Man, Storm, Captain America, Iron-man, and the Fantastic Four must liberate the people of an alien planet that has been destroyed and conquered by five criminal masterminds. The whole thing has been set up by a mystical being known as "The Beyonder" to determine which is stronger, good or evil. Part 1 of 3.

*"Secret Wars, Chapter II: "The Gauntlet of the Red Skull""*	Virginia Roth	November 14, 1997	62
The Black Cat joins the heroes as they attempt to launch an attack against the Red Skull who is assisted by Smythe and Dr. Octopus. Meanwhile, the Fantastic Four are off to battle Dr. Doom. Part 2 of 3.

*"Secret Wars, Chapter III: "Doom""*	Ernie Altbacker, John Semper & Mark Hoffmeier	November 21, 1997	63
The heroes face Victor Von Doom, who seems to have created a paradise in the alien planet, known as "New Latveria". His inventions have even been able to help Ben Grimm to change back to his human form. Spider-Man and the others have a hard time believing that Doom isn't acting selfishly, and try to put an end to his dictatorship. Part 3 of 3.

[edit] DVD releases

A four disk DVD featuring all 26 (edited) episodes, including episode introductions by Stan Lee, was released on July 5, 2005 by Buena Vista Home Entertainment in Region 1 [1].