10 Dumbest Decisions Marvel Heroes Have Ever Made
9. Reed Richards Ventures To Space In An Untested Vehicle - Fantastic Four #1 (1961)
Fantastic Four #1 takes place during the Space Race when the Russian and US governments were trying to be the first to send a manned spacecraft into orbit. Aeronautical engineer, Reed Richards, designed America's spaceship, the Marvel-1, and was confident it would be operational before the Soviets completed theirs.
But when Reed learned the Russians were mere hours away from launching their ship, Reed panicked and decided to go into space himself, despite the fact the vessel was untested. Because the ship couldn't function without a full crew, he convinced his partner, Sue Storm, her brother, Johnny Storm, and Reed's best friend, Ben Grimm, to help him pilot it. Because Reed was worried about America coming second in the Space Race, he underplayed the danger of the mission, insisting that nothing could go wrong.
When the four flew into space, their ship was bombarded with a cosmic rays, endowing the quartet with superpowers, turning them into the Fantastic Four. Even though the superheroes have saved the world umpteen times with their abilities, Reed was still reckless to put his friends' lives at risk for the sake of his own ego.