10 Lies You Always Believed About The Fantastic Four
9. The Fantastic Four Got Their Powers Accidentally
Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm obtained their powers after being struck by cosmic rays while in space. This incident transformed them into Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing respectively. For the longest time, the team assumed this encounter was a freak accident.
But in Fantastic Four Vol 6 #14, they discovered this wasn't the case. On that fateful day, Reed and his company ventured to space, hoping to find an Earth-like planet. However, an entity called Overseer learned of Reed's voyage and deduced his ship would eventually arrive on his world, Spyre.
Terrified the four explorers' arrival would jeopardise his harmonious society, Overseer blasted the ship with cosmic rays, forcing it to return to Earth. As a result, Overseer is indirectly responsible for creating the Fantastic Four.
Weirdly, this revelation contradicts Fantastic Four #530, when an entity called... The Entity told the FF he created the cosmic rays that struck their ship. The Entity claims the rays served as a beacon to help him find others who sought the secrets of the universe. It's not certain if the Overseer story is a retcon or the creative team forgot about The Entity's backstory, but either way, those cosmic rays were deliberately intended.