The Fantastic Four are famous for getting their powers from a stunning act of recklessness, essentially going in a joyride in an experimental, untested rocket. Which, as every space agency on Earth has learned the hard way, is usually a thing that leads to massive explosions. The Four got lucky in that their heat shields were up to snuff, unlucky in that their radiation shields weren't, and really lucky in that the cosmic radiation they were exposed to gave them superpowers instead of cancer.
But what if Reed had a sudden burst of common sense and didn't allow the rocket to launch until he'd confirmed the radiation shields were effective? Well, reality would happen. The flight has actual astronauts crew it, lands smoothly, and is eventually used to jumpstart a new era of space exploration. Reed and his friends remain normal humans, but just because the Fantastic Four aren't heroes, doesn't mean their Rogues Gallery aren't villains.
Mole Man shows up and starts causing trouble, but soon learns that just because Reed's friends aren't the Fantastic Four, doesn't mean they're not still heroes. They confront Mole Man on his island, and get his atomic bomb set off, destroying it and sealing him underground.
What If... The Fantastic Four Never Got Their Tropes?
- Badass Normal: The Fantastic Four may not have powers, but they don't let that stop them.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Reed doesn't let his non-astronaut friends help fly an untested rocket, instead doing what any sane person would do and getting astronauts for the job after the rocket has been double-checked for issues. As a result, the test goes well and the rocket can be mass-marketed.
