Warning! Spoilers ahead for Fantastic Four #30
In the latest issue of Marvel's Fantastic Four, the Thing is failing his newly adopted children, as he hasn't been setting a good example as of late. Ever since Ben Grimm and his wife Alicia Masters adopted the Kree boy Jo-Venn and the Skrull girl N'kalla in the fallout of Empyre, The Fantastic Four have been jumping from one major conflict to the next such as the Dark Harvest, the Griever, and now the symbiote legions of Knull the Symbiote God in Marvel's King in Black. Seeing as how all Jo and Nicki have ever known is violence, it's unfortunate that the Thing hasn't been able to show them another path.
Fantastic Four #30 comes from writer Dan Slott with art by Zé Carlos, taking place in the midst of Knull's invasion. Thus far, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm have already been corrupted by the symbiote forces, and they're headed to claim Reed and Sue, assimilating them into Knull's dark army as well. However, many more symbiote besides are trying to breach the FF's HQ on Yancy Street, leading Jo and Nicki to spring into action to protect their adoptive mother Alicia.
However, being blind, Alicia can only hear the sounds of her children waging war and great violence to the symbiote hordes that were once people, and she's not quite sure what's happening until the children emerge victorious with help from the Invisible Woman. Once the coast is clear, Alicia tries to correct her children, but the kids are logically confused by her insistence that violence is not the answer. In their minds, being a part of the Fantastic Four family is all about being clobberers like their dad The Thing, as that's all they've seen thus far.
It should be noted that Jo and Nicki were both bred from birth to be warriors, fighting each other for the enjoyment of paying customers and cosmic gamblers thanks to the Profiteer. Thankfully, the pair were saved and adopted by Thing and Alicia, and have even started to get along with one another, though their shared predilection for violence hasn't been corrected...until now. While Ben Grimm might not be the best example, he thankfully has Alicia to help show their kids a new path, determined to teach them art and new ways of handling challenges.
The problems Ben and Alicia are having with their alien children is actually a reflection on the entire Fantastic Four family as a whole. They're meant to be scientists and explorers, and yet they've recently been caught in a loop of major battles, and it seems as though Sue is in agreement with Alicia. It's time for Marvel's First Family to get back to form. While they are superheroes and should protect the world, they should likewise be more intentional in the future to find non-violent ways of approaching situations, returning back to form in future issues of Marvel Comics.
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April 24, 2021 at 04:30AM
