Fantastic Four #126

THE WAY IT BEGAN! Ben and Alicia arrive at the Baxter Building and see what appears to be Doctor Doom standing over the dead body of Sue. When Ben tries to attack "Doom," he learns that it is a life like illusion cast by Reed's Thought-Projector Helmet. Reed explains he was testing it out by coming up with the most repulsive image he could think of. Suddenly, the Human Torch melts through the wall to see what all the noise was about, thinking it was an attack. Sue enters the room and then scolds Johnny for melting through the wall. She then turns her anger toward Reed, as they are running for their trip to Whisper Hill to spend time with their son Franklin.   When Ben makes a crack about putting off marrying Alicia, Johnny takes the opportunity to put down Ben for the way he appears. This angers the Thing and the two almost come to blows when Reed and Sue intervene. After Reed and Sue leave, Ben accidentally makes reference to Alicia, upsetting her that he still views her blindness as something to pity, decides to show herself out. When Ben tries to confide in Johnny how he feels about his appearance, Johnny -- still sore about having to let Crystal go back home -- gets angry at him for being so stubborn about his relationship with Alicia and storms out. Reed and Sue watch Johnny leave in a hurry and Sue wonders if Johnny is taking Crystal's departure from the group too hard.   Back inside, Ben decides to distract his mind and decides to put on Reed's Thought-Projector Helmet. Conjuring up an image of himself when he first mutated into the Thing, with a thick leathery hide, and then as he is now with a rocky exterior, the Thing soon begins remembering himself after the faithful trip into space that led to his transformation.   This in turn leads to a visual recollection of the events that gave birth to the Fantastic Four. Ben recalls how Reed asked Ben, Sue and Johnny to assist him in a commandeering his space ship before the government could shut down the project. How Reed ignored Ben's warnings about cosmic rays. How they succeeded in sneaking onto the base and blasting off in the rocket without being captured. Then comes the memory of Ben's warnings coming to life: cosmic rays bombarding the ship. He recalls how Johnny was complaining about his body feeling like it was on fire, and how he himself could not lift himself off the floor. Ben then recalls how when their ship landed, Sue suddenly vanished from sight. Ben himself mutated into his Thing form and when he tried to start a fight with Reed, they were similarly shocked when he was able to stretch out of the way and then subdue Ben with rubber-like arms. Johnny suddenly burst into flames and was able to fly, inspired by the comic book hero, Johnny decides to call himself the Human Torch. Lastly, Ben recalls how Reed got them all to pay attention and suggested that they used their new found powers to the benefit of mankind. Calling themselves Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Girl, the Human Torch and the Thing, the Fantastic Four were born.   Ben then recalls how shortly after they gained their powers, they ended up crossing paths with the Mole Man, an ugly man who hide below the Earth after being shunned by society because of his appearance. He also recalls their first battle with the Mole Man, wherein they battled his creatures and prevented him from unleashing his minions through various tunnels he dug beneath the Earth. How that battle ended with the Fantastic Four seemingly vanishing the Mole Man, trapping him in his underground kingdom.  Ben then recalls the group's most recent encounter with the Mole Man, wherein Sue had bought a bizarre metal home to the newly born Franklin in. They soon discovered it was the staging ground for the Mole Man's latest scheme to blind everyone on the surface. Force to fight the Mole Man without their eyesight, the Fantastic Four were still able to foil these plans, but the Mole Man had escaped and then destroyed the metal construct he had created.   Inspired by this recollection, Ben believes that the Mole Man may have the key to curing Alicia of her blindness and decides to go and find their oldest foe. Because of the racket Ben has caused in making this revelation, the Baxter Building's landlord, Walter Collins comes to once more try and evict the Fantastic Four. Unwilling to stop, Ben abruptly hangs Collins from a coat rack and leaves, determined to cure Alicia of her affliction.