[[quoteright:235:http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Fantastic4.gif]]
Classic Main/MarvelUniverse superhero team, consisting of:
* '''[[color:blue:Mr. Fantastic]]''' (Dr. Reed Richards), Main/OmnidisciplinaryScientist who [[Main/RubberMan can stretch and bend any part of his body at will]].
* '''[[color:gray:The Invisible Woman]]''' (Susan "Sue" Richards [née Storm]), who can become [[VisibleInvisibility invisible]] and has secondary powers involving [[Main/BarrierWarrior force fields.]]
* '''[[color:red:The Human Torch]]''' (Jonathan "Johnny" Storm), who can transform into a [[Main/PlayingWithFire human-shaped ball of flame]] and [[Main/{{Flight}} fly.]]
* '''[[color:orange:The Thing]]''' (Benjamin "Ben" Grimm), who is superhumanly big and [[Main/SuperStrength strong]] -- but also [[Main/ReluctantMonster remarkably monstrous,]] and unlike the others, ''[[Main/ModeLock can't switch it off]]''.

The four were connected even before the same Main/NegativeSpaceWedgie gave them all their powers -- Reed and Sue were sweethearts and eventually got married, Johnny is Sue's younger brother, Ben is Reed's best friend since college -- and are as much a [[{{Nakama}} family]] (if occasionally a dysfunctional one) as a team.

Reed is the World's Smartest Man, and his genius is often at least as useful as the powers he got from the accident. The royalty payments from all his inventions fund the Four's adventures, [[ReedRichardsIsUseless despite the fact that they never get implemented in the world around them]], and lets them live in high style in the time between.

Their number one recurring enemy is Victor Von Doom, better known as '''[[color:green:Doctor Doom]]''', who was at college with Reed and Ben and holds an almighty (and unwarranted) grudge against Reed for sabotaging one of his experiments: the experiment actually failed because of Doom's own error, which Reed noticed and tried to warn him about, but Doom's pride will not permit him to accept the truth. Reed may have Doom (narrowly) beat for the title of World's Smartest Man, but Doom is well ahead for the title of World's ''Vainest'' ([[FridgeLogic though he's not the one calling himself "Mr. Fantastic"...]]). It really didn't help that the experiment in question literally blew up in Doom's face, [[Main/MinorInjuryOverreaction marring his previously flawless good looks]]. These days he wears an iron mask at all times, usually as part of a full suit of battle armor.

Their book kickstarted the success of Main/MarvelComics, and led to Comicbook/{{Spider-Man}}, the Comicbook/{{X-Men}}, and all the others. It also [[Main.TropeMakers created many tropes]]; the FF were the first [[Main.SuperHero superheroes]] without a Main/SecretIdentity, the first super-team where the members fought each other as much as the villains, and the first place that Main/KirbyDots appeared, among others.

There have been several TV adaptations of the family, all [[Main/AnimatedAdaptation animated]]; ''The Fantastic Four'', a 1967 Main/{{Hanna-Barbera}} series with many episode plots taken straight from the comics, ''Series/TheFantasticFour'', the 1978 series with H.E.R.B.I.E the Robot in place of the Human Torch, ''Series/FantasticFour'', a 1990s series that aired along with ''Iron Man'' as part of the "Marvel Action Pack", and ''[[Main/FantasticFourWorldsGreatestHeroes Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes]]'', a 2006 Main/{{animesque}} [[Main/InternationalCoproduction French co-production]]. Ben also appeared in his own show in the late 1970s as part of ''Main/FredAndBarneyMeetTheThing''; on that show he was reimagined as a mild-mannered teenager, who had the power to turn back and forth from the comic-book alter ego with the help of a magic ring. ("Thing Ring, do your thing!")

In 1994, ''Film/TheFantasticFour'', a low-budget movie never intended to be released, was made by RogerCorman. Eleven years later, ''Film/FantasticFour'', a big-budget movie, was released; it was followed in 2007 with a sequel, ''Fantastic Four: Rise of the SilverSurfer''.
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!!Their series contain examples of:

* Main/ActionGirl: Invisible Woman, and there have been ''two'' female stand-ins for [[TheBigGuy Ben Grimm]]: SheHulk, and Sharon Ventura, who was transformed into a DistaffCounterpart of The Thing.
* Main/ActionMom: Invisible Woman, mother of two and still telekinetic butt-kicker supreme.
* Main/AlliterativeName: Reed Richards, Susan Storm.
** In fact, StanLee has commented that he used this to help keep the names straight. Eventually, Sue's name would cease to be alliterative.
* Main/ArtifactOfDeath: The Ultimate Nullifier.
* Main/BadassBookworm: Reed Richards happens to be not only elastic, but the biggest nerd on Earth.
* Main/BarrierWarrior: Invisible Woman pretty much ''is'' the archetype.
* Main/BlessedWithSuck: The Thing, who has been permanently transformed into a superstrong, hideous rock monster.
* Main/CanonImmigrant: Several robots based on HERBIE from ''Series/TheFantasticFour'' have shown up from time to time.
* CatchPhrase: "IT'S CLOBBERN TIME!" "FLAME ON!!"
* Main/ChestInsignia
* Main/ClockKing: The Mad Thinker.
* DetachmentCombat: The Fantasti-car separates into four smaller vehicles for each of its passengers.
* Main/DidntSeeThatComing: The Mad thinker's main flaw, Reed and Doom are occasional sufferers as well.
* Main/DisproportionateRetribution: Considering that Reed had absolutely nothing to do with Doom's experiment failure or his injuries, Doom's grudge is completely unwarranted in the first place; but the sheer lengths that Doom goes to in his search for vengeance frequently go way beyond 'excessive'.
** What's amazing is Doctor Doom's quest for revenge is often as petty as it is insanely over the top. For instance, he's actually tried to break up Reed Richard's marriage as often as kill him.
* Main/DoomyDoomsOfDoom: '''DOOM!'''
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: Franklin's special dreams.
* Main/ElementalBaggage: For Johny's power source in creating flame. Occasionally justified by him feeling tired or very hungry after using extremely hot flames.
* EnsembleDarkhorse/BreakoutCharacter: Doom has arguably become just as popular, if not more so, than the FF themselves, due in no small part to his {{MemeticBadass}} status amongst fans (which is not that inaccurate, as it turns out).
* Main/FauxActionGirl: The Invisible Girl, originally; though she slowly got better over time, it wasn't until the John Byrne run in the 1980s that she toughened up into a real Main/ActionGirl.
* Main/ForgottenFallenFriend: Doctor Doom's motivation is rescuing his mothers soul from hell (among others). Writers rarely remember this one.
** This is largely because he succeeded (with the help of Doctor Strange) years ago.
* Main/FourTemperamentEnsemble
* Main/GameOfNerds: Reed Richards makes the occasional baseball analogy
* Main/GeniusBruiser AND Main/GentleGiant: The ever-lovin', blue-eyed Thing, Ben Grimm, although his smarts are [[CastSpeciation usually overshadowed]] by super-genius Reed. Ben lampshades this as he assembles a cosmic ray device, musing that he's watched Reed long enough to play MadScientist himself.
* Main/GooGooGodlike: Franklin Richards.
* Main/HeroicSpirit: Thing saves the world once just from showing how he wouldn't give up.
* Main/HiddenDepths: Johnny generally acts like a teenager on hormonal overdrive, but he's generally portrayed as a skilled mechanic at the very least, and a competent planner at his best.
* Main/HiddenElfVillage: The Fantastic Four discovered Attilan, a hidden city, which was the retreat of the Inhumans.
* Main/HonoraryUncle: Ben Grimm, to Franklin
* Main/IGaveMyWord: Doom.
* Main/JustIgnoreIt: The first time they fought the Impossible Man.
* Main/KirbyDots
* Main/LargeHam: TREMBLE WITH FEAR BEFORE DOOM'S TITANIC MONOLOGUES!
** Ben and Johnny tend to ham it up when they're bickering, particularly Johnny's fire-based pranks, Ben's threats that he hardly ever follows through with, and his endless fire-based insults (match-head, flame-brain, etc.)
* Main/LegacyCharacter: The Human Torch is loosely based on the Main/GoldenAge Human Torch.
* Main/MarvelUniverse
* Main/MinorInjuryOverreaction (Reed and Dr. Doom, as explained above.)
* MistakenAge
* Main/MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Dr. Doom never actually finished his doctorate, but he sounds scarier with a "Doctor" in front of his name. Reed Richards, who finished ''several'' doctorates, chooses to go by Mr. Fantastic.
* Main/MostCommonSuperPower: For a time during the [[Main/DarkAge mid-90s]], the Invisible Woman wore a skimpy costume with a cut-out "4" on her cleavage.
* Main/MysteriousParent: Nathaniel Richards
* {{Nakama}}: One of the canonical examples.
* Main/TheNotableNumeral: The titular heroes and their enemies The Frightful Four
* Main/NotWearingTights: For the first two issues. They only started wearing them because of fan demand.
* Main/OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Reed Richards is this trope incarnate.
* Main/PalsWithJesus
* Main/PersonalityPowers: Especially noticeable with the hot-headed Human Torch and the solid and stubborn Thing.
** {{Justified}} via Retcon when it's revealed that [[spoiler:their powers were, in fact, based on their personalities, as Reed gave them their powers.]]
* Main/PresidentEvil: Doctor Doom, who seized control of the {{Main/Ruritania}}-esque Eastern European nation of Latveria.
* Main/PsychicNosebleed: Often, when Sue Storm is holding a forcefield against a particularly strong opponent.
* Main/ReedRichardsIsUseless : [[Main/TropeNamer Where do you think they got the name?]]
** Not completely, however. If it weren't for [[MagicPants unstable molecules]], 3/4 of the Fantastic Four would be running around like [[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix4/earthnounstable1.jpg this]].
* Main/StevenUlyssesPerhero: Victor Von Doom.
* Main/StatusQuoIsGod: The Thing gets turned into a human about once every few years, but always gets turned back, usually because he needs to help someone out.
* {{Main/Stripperiffic}}: Unusual for a comic series in that the team's main female member only rarely falls under this trope, preferring a modest blue bodysuit identical to the ones Reed and Johnny wear, but it does happen - like when she wore [[http://www.newmoanyeah.com/2003-plugs/062303_comic_babes_at_wizarduniverse.php this costume]] for a few years in the 1990s.
* Main/SuperHero
* Main/SuperpowerLottery: Franklin Richards.
* Main/TeamMom: Sue.
* Main/TeenGenius: Reed already had doctorates when he was ''twenty''. Valeria, his and Sue's daughter, is currently building rooms that are BiggerOnTheInside. At the age of ''four''.
** What do you expect from the daughter of Doom ''and'' Reed (long story).
* Main/TheyDo: Reed and Sue.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Ben and Johnny.
* Main/WhatHaveIBecome: Ben Grimm.
* Main/WhatIf: Marvel's ''What If?'' comic line does have stories of these kinds about the Fantastic Four, but most interesting is ''What If?'' Vol. 2 #11, which told four stories about the team all having the ''same'' power. These stories are designated in the Marvel Encyclopedia Vol. 6 as [[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/earthffgotflamepowers.htm Earth-9031]] (all flaming), [[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/earthffhadstretchingpowers.htm Earth-9032]] (all stretchy), [[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/earthffweremonsters.htm Earth-9033]] (all monsters), and [[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/earthffwereinvisible.htm Earth-9034]] (all with invisibility powers).
* Main/WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway: Susan used to have only invisibility in the early stories until Lee and Kirby realized that it was next to useless compared to the male members' powers. As a result, they gave Susan her force field powers, but it was only later under John Byrne's period that she learned to really make it a kick ass power set, using it with a new aggressiveness in battle. Since then, different writers have her being considered not only the most powerful member of the team, but one of the most powerful heroes, period.
** To give an example, she's used those forcefields to ''knock out the [[{{Comicbook/IncredibleHulk}} Hulk]]''. (And according to [[{{Exiles}} her fellow superheroes]], [[RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun she never shut up about it]].)
*** Of course, most of the time Hulk is able to break her force fields, so only being able to knock him out once isn't that impresive.
*** Its pretty damn impressive. It means she can do it if she has to.
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