As far as "don't try this at home!" methods of gaining superpowers goes, the Fantastic Four rank up there with getting bitten by a radioactive spider and accidentally drinking super-plastic fluid. Having commandeered an experimental rocket the powers-that-be don't think is "safe" - pfft, squares - Reed Richards flies his best friend, the love of his life and her brother into space, only for them to be bombarded by comics rays and crash-land back on Earth with the ability to stretch really far, turn invisible, be a big rock monster and set on fire, respectively. In reality, exposing yourself to cosmic rays would just kill you (as most superhero origin stories would end), but the results are very different if you turn the rays on vegetables instead. In China they've been experimenting with sending seeds up through the atmosphere to suck up some of that sweet sweet space juice, planting them when they return to Earth, and then growing themselves some humungous pumpkins. They might not be able to take down Doctor Doom, but it's suggested the giant veg could help with dwindling food supplies, so maybe they'll say the world in their own way. Minus a Fantasticar.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
