Fantastic Four #57
Enter... Dr. Doom!
While attending a parole hearing for the Sandman and the Wizard; Reed, Sue and Ben walk in on the two villains making an escape attempt. The Sandman creates chaos by splattering his sandy body around and between Reed, Ben and Sue. Reed tells Sue to trap the Sandman with her force field, but the Invisible Girl soon finds herself unable to do anything. The Wizard grabs Sue from behind and covers her mouth so the blonde girl cannot cry out for help.
With the Invisible Girl helpless, Sandman makes his escape. Now that the Sandman has eluded the three heroes, Wizard boasts of how he planned the escape attempt. While in Latveria, Dr. Doom invites the Silver Surfer to his castle to learn more about his powers and to show him his many technological inventions.
While back in New York, Reed, Sue and Ben begin searching for the Sandman, however the Sandman comes to them. He brilliantly slips in through an open window and wraps his rock-hard arm of sand around the Invisible Girl. He tells Reed that as long as he holds onto this chick of his, he won't stop him. Ignoring the very real danger to his wife of disobeying the Sandman's threat to harm her, Reed turns himself into a giant disc and frees Sue from Sandman's deadly grip. Soon the Sandman manages to escape, but not before sifting into Reed's lab and stealing a number of devices.
Back in Latveria, Dr. Doom distracts the Silver Surfer long enough to use a device on him that steals the Surfer's power cosmic and transfers it to Dr. Doom. While elsewhere, Lockjaw, Johnny and Wyatt are transported to a world full of dinosaur-like creatures and that they are transported away before getting stomped on. While in the Hidden Land, Maximus boasts that the only power capable of destroying the Negative Zone barrier is Black Bolt's own voice. Back in Latveria, Dr. Doom decides it's time to use his new found powers to strike at his old foes, the Fantastic Four, and the world itself.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, Thing), Wyatt Wingfoot, Silver Surfer, Sandman, Wizard, Doctor Doom, Inhumans (Black Bolt, Medusa, Crystal, Gorgon, Karnak, Triton, Maximus, Lockjaw)
Continuity Notes
The equipment stolen by the Sandman were used to construct his new costume, as seen in Fantastic Four #61.
Maximus hints at the fact that Black Bolt's voice is powerful enough to free them from the Negative Zone barrier, which he does next issue. Black Bolt has had this destructive power since birth as revealed in Thor #148.
The Thing is watching the television show "Marvel Superheroes" which aired on television in 1966. The appearance of this television show on Earth-616 is exempt from the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616 as in this universe those shows were produced during the Modern Age. The events of this cartoon are part of the Marvel Multiverse existing in Reality-600026.
