The Fantastic Four is the first Marvel Comics superhero comic book series, making them literally the First Family of Marvel Comics. The original team saw Reed Richards flying his family into space, only to pass through cosmic rays, turning him and his family into superheroes: Mister Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Thing, and The Human Torch. However, those four are not the only members of the team. There have been numerous individuals who have been members of the Fantastic Four, but only 16 can claim to be actual members of the team for more than just a brief call for assistance. However, not all the Fantastic Four members match the power of others.
From the main Fantastic Four, to heroes who substituted for original members, to the two times that all four members were replaced with a new team, here is a look at everyone from the Fantastic Four, ranked by power.
16) Miss Thing
In 2012, the Fantastic Four headed off planet on an exploratory mission. While their stories in space unfolded in the main series, a team remained behind to serve as the protectors of Earth and to watch over the children in the Future Foundation. Out of these new members, the least powerful by far was Darla Deering, also known as Miss Thing. She was dating Johnny Storm and replaced The Human Torch because he forgot to look for a replacement member until it was too late. She had no powers, but she wore “Thing Rings” that gave her an exoskeleton-like skin, similar to The Thing’s. However, the exoskeleton was destroyed more than once, rendering her powerless whenever it happened.
15) Valeria Richards
Valeria Richards is the daughter of Reed Richards and Susan Storm. She was conceived while the two were in the Negative Zone, but her “uncle,” Doctor Doom, saved her with science and magic. Even with the unusual birth, she differed from her brother Franklin Richards, and Valeria was born with no superhuman powers. However, she did have one thing going for her that made her a hero. Valeria Richards has a genius-level intellect, and Reed Richards says that his daughter is even smarter than he is. She can help win with her brain, but is powerless in every other way.
14) Ant-Man (Scott Lang)
When the FF was formed to take over for the Fantastic Four and watch over the Future Foundation, Reed Richards chose Scott Lang to serve as the team leader. Ant-Man was not initially interested in the role, but he eventually agreed to accept it. However, Ant-Man’s powers are mostly to shrink himself, and he has never even been the most powerful hero to serve as Ant-Man.
13) Medusa
Medusa has been a member of the Fantastic Four twice. First, she took over for The Invisible Woman when Sue was pregnant with Franklin. However, she had a more pronounced role with the FF when the original members were off-planet. Medusa has a lot going for her. She is an Inhuman and is overwhelmingly confident as the Queen of the Inhumans, having fought in and won significant battles throughout her career. That said, her powers involve being able to control her almost indestructible hair to use as a weapon, which is not as powerful as that of other Fantastic Four members.
12) Reed Richards
The leader of the Fantastic Four has been Reed Richards since the group first formed. Known as Mister Fantastic, Reed’s main power is to stretch his body into almost any shape and form, but the further he stretches, the weaker he becomes. That said, Reed’s power does not come from his stretching. Reed is one of the most intelligent people on Earth, and it is his brain that gives him the power to defeat almost any enemy. However, Reed Richards’ arrogance and sometimes reckless decision-making lessen his overall power levels.
11) Spider-Man
Spider-Man has joined the Fantastic Four more than once. He was part of the group when they called themselves the Future Foundation. He then later took a role on the team called the New Fantastic Four, which included brand-new members. Of the four new members, Spider-Man was the least powerful member of the team, although he is still extremely powerful. He has superhuman strength and agility and can beat most Marvel characters, but still falls below 10 other Fantastic Four members.
10) Black Panther
Black Panther and Storm joined the Fantastic Four to replace Reed Richards and the Invisible Woman when they took time away from their active superhero roles to focus on other matters. Black Panther is extremely powerful, and his use of Vibranium makes him even stronger. He has the mythical powers of the Balck Panther to increase his strength, durability, and agility, and he has the training and skills to take on any threat. However, compared to the upper-tier Fantastic Four members, he still falls slightly short.
9) Wolverine
Wolverine was a secondary member of the New Fantastic Four, and ranks ahead of Spider-Man in power. It might be debatable if he is more powerful than Spider-Man, as Peter has proven in a fight that he can dislocate Logan’s jaw. However, if the two men went head to head, Wolverine has as much of a chance of beating Spider-Man as anyone. He also has his healing factor, and the Adamantium claws are a weapon most other Fantastic Four members don’t have.
8) The Thing
When it comes to pure brute strength, there are only two other Fantastic Four members who are more powerful than The Thing, and he has proven he can stand up to both of them in a fight, although they usually come out on top. The Thing is an original Fantastic Four member, and his powers are simply a powerful rocky exterior. He is not completely invulnerable and has had parts of his body chipped away before, but it takes a great deal to hurt him, and The Thing possesses superhuman strength that surpasses that of most Marvel heroes and villains.
7) The Human Torch
At one time, The Human Torch ranked below The Thing when it came to power levels. Honestly, in most cases, Johnny Storm’s great powers wouldn’t bother Ben Grimm at all. However, over time, Human Torch’s powers have received massive buffs. While he initially could turn into fire and shoot fire blasts, this is plasma generation, and he can let loose with a Nova Burst that can burn up to 1,000,000 degrees F. That is the heat pulse of a nuclear warhead, and he can devastate an area up to 900 feet in diameter with this power.
6) She-Hulk
She-Hulk joined the Fantastic Four twice in her career. The first time came after the events of the original Secret Wars when The Thing decided to remain on Battleworld, and she replaced him. The second time was with the FF with Ant-Man as the team leader. Many fans might debate who is stronger between She-Hulk and The Thing, but in All-Out Avengers #2 (2022), The Beyonder said that She-Hulk has the strength to match that of The Hulk, “but applied judiciously.” If that is true, she is stronger than The Thing.
5) The Invisible Woman
For many years, Susan Storm was considered the weakest member of the original four members of the Fantastic Four. She possessed the power of invisibility and could create force fields that protected her and her family. However, Sue is no longer just the invisible team member. The Invisible Woman’s powers are far more deadly than most people understood. Sue can send her force fields into people’s bodies, causing severe internal damage to those people. She holds back most of the time, but she could instantly kill someone without a second thought if she wanted to.
4) Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider joined the New Fantastic Four with Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Hulk (who was Joe Fixit at the time). Of course, Ghost Rider is one of Marvel’s most powerful characters as he is a demon and the Spirit of Vengeance, assigned by Mephisto to Johnny Blaze, before finding his freedom to act on his own. He has superhuman strength and abilities, is invulnerable, can regenerate from injuries, and can generate Hellfire. He also possesses magical powers, can travel across dimensions, and can manipulate souls. His self-doubt at times limits him, but almost no one can touch Ghost Rider power-wise.
3) Hulk
The Hulk has always been one of Marvel Comics’ most powerful characters. While he was in the New Fantastic Four, he was nowhere near as powerful, as he was in his Joe Fixit form. However, when looking at everyone who has been in the Fantastic Four, no one is stronger than The Hulk. The angrier he gets, the stronger that Hulk becomes, and there is no limit to his overall powers. Hulk once destroyed the entire universe in a fight with Onslaught when he had mentally suppressed his Bruce Banner side. Marvel has also shown that, eventually, Hulk will outlive everyone and end up as the last being alive on Earth.
2) Storm
Storm joined the Fantastic Four with Black Panther after he was banished from Wakanda, and they took refuge in the FF’s headquarters. They replaced Reed and Sue and served in significant roles with Ben and Johnny. Unlike Black Panther, who has superhuman strength and durability, Storm is a mutant who can control all aspects of the weather. Storm is an Omega Level mutant, meaning there are no known limits to what she can do with her powers. Storm was also made into a vessel for Eternity, and with that upgrade, there might not be anyone who can beat her in battle.
1) Franklin Richards
The most powerful member of the Fantastic Four is, without any competition, Franklin Richards. The young man was born with immense cosmic powers, and he has proven that he can destroy and create entire universes without even trying. He has created several pocket dimensions, including brand-new races that never existed before he created them, making him their “God.” He saved the entire world after Onslaught by creating a pocket dimension and then re-creating Earth. Marvel has also hinted that Franklin Richards is the reason that the 616 has a sliding timescale, which is why there have been over 60 years’ worth of stories, but the timeline keeps shifting, keeping everyone mostly the same age.
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