Marvel Genesis Fantastic Four #2 RATED T FOR VIOLENCE AND THEMES 

Page 1:

Panel 1/

A blonde female news reporter is standing in front of the wreckage that was Cosmic Industries.   We are watching her on a television screen.

REPORTER: It was three weeks ago that the world suffered a great tragedy, the death of Reed Richards, and Victor Von Doom; two of the greatest minds to have ever lived. At the current time, authorities have found no traces of either scientist, and they are presumed dead.

Panel 2/

Show the television (same shot of the reporter), is in a cramped dorm room. In front of the television is a hunched, bespectacled student with dishevelled hair. He is holding a screw driver over a smart-phone and appears to be modifying it.

STUDENT: Idiots. They were working on Portal Tech, you find no bodies, and yet you still assume they’re dead? How were you the sperm that got through?

Panel 3/

The Student is standing up, he is clearly very agitated and is swinging his arms around wildly.

STUDENT: I mean, these are the two greatest minds on the planet. On any planet. And you think they’d just blow themselves up? Death cannot comprehend the minds of Richards and Doom. They are beyond death.

Panel 4/

Close up on the student’s face, there is a shadow covering most of it, save for his eyes and glasses. His eyes should reflect the madness that only comes from supreme intelligence.

STUDENT: They’re not like you worthless creatures. They’re Thinkers. Like me.

Page 2:

Panel 1/

Angled topographic view of a small house in a suburban street. Think Brooklyn more so than Manhattan.   A man in a black trenchcoat with a wide-brimmed hat is knocking on the door. He is carrying several folders.

REED (OP): Hello honey, I’m home!

Panel 2/

Bender, Su-Xan and the youth from last issue are standing at the doorway. We see a back-shot of them as Reed is entering the house.

SU: Who is honey? And is she a threat?

REED: What? No. It’s just an expression.

Panel 3/

Back shot as Reed is fumbling around with the folders in his hands, having placed the bag on the ground. Su has an agitated look on her face, while Bender just appears bored and the youth quizzical. The youth is around 12 years old.

SU: Well how about you express us back home?

YOUTH: What’s in the folders?

BENDER: Did you get any food?

Panel 4/

Reed drops all the folders and looks up at Su-Xan, exhausted.

REED: Su, I can’t get you back home yet, you know that, I’m sorry, I’m doing everything I can.

Panel 5/

Reed rummages through the folders and removes a clipboard with attached papers; giving it to the youth.

REED: Here, this is what I was doing, and what’s in the folders.

Panel 6/

Reed looks toward Bender.

REED: Bender, in the bag, food for you.

BENDER: Thank you, my friend.

REED: Any time, Bender.

Page 3:

Panel 1/ Splash.

A confused look on the face of the youth.

YOUTH: Who is Jonathan Storm, and why does he have my face?

Page 4:

Panel 1/

Reed is stretching his arms, giving both Su and Bender a clipboard as well.

REED: These are your new identities. I made them, so that you’ll be able to, you know, go outside. I had to make your names more...human, though.

SU-XAN: Susan? What a ridiculous name.

JONATHAN: Thanks, Mister Richards. I really like the name. Jonathan Storm. It sounds like the name of a warrior.

Panel 2/

Shot of Jonathan, standing in front of Reed.

REED: Yeah, Jonathan is kind of the most common name around here. I’m not all that imaginative in areas that don’t involve physics.   I thought that you could go by Johnny though, you are a kid, after all. And call me Reed.

JOHNNY: Sure, that sounds great... Reed.

Panel 3/

Close up on Bender and Su-Xan’s annoyed face.

BENDER: Ben Grim? Why grim? Are you saying I’m unpleasant?

SU-XAN: And why is my secondary moniker the same as the child’s.

Panel 4/

Reed, flustered is standing in the doorway.

REED: OK, Ben, you’re the only one of your species on this Earth, your situation is grim. Su, your last name is the same as Johnny’s because you both have blonde hair and I thought it would make sense to have the two of you be siblings. I mean, why else would a twelve year old be living with us?

Panel 5/

Su leans in close to Reed, glaring.

SU: That makes sense.

REED: It does? Oh thank God.

Panel 6/

Ben is smiling.

BEN: Heh, my situation is grim, heh, that’s clever you thinly specaldom friend.

REED: Thanks. Specaldom..?

BEN: It is from my world’s tongue. It means small and weak, and not of warrior form.

Panel 7/

Side on shot of Reed and Ben shaking hands.

REED: Well, thanks for the friend part. Ow, my hand.

Page 5:

Panel 1/

A large University room, a lecturer is standing in front of a full room.

LECTURER: OK, students, who amongst you can tell me what it is that the late Doctors Victor Von Doom and Reed Richards were working on?

STUDENT (OP): They’re not dead!

Panel 2/ Same shot.

LECTURER: Regardless, it is their work which we are here to discuss.

ANOTHER STUDENT: Excuse me, who were Victor Doom and Red Richards?

Panel 3/

 Close up on the student from earlier, he is glaring at the young woman who was just speaking.

STUDENT: Are you serious?   You’re taking Theoretical Physics, and you don’t even know the names of the greatest minds of our time?! You stupid @#$&^!

LECTURER: EXCUSE ME! How dare you use that kind of language in my classroom.

Panel 4/

The Student is now standing vertically, he is clearly psychologically unhinged.

STUDENT: How dare I? This moron doesn’t know who Reed Richards is? And you’re telling me off? Are you out of your miniscule mind?

Panel 5/

Close up on the lecturer, he is visibly angry, saliva flying from his mouth as he yells.

LECTURER: GET OUT! GET OUT, NOW!

Panel 6/

The student is leaving the room, enraged.

LECTURER: Now, as you know, Richards and Von Doom started Cosmos Industries.

Panel 7/ The Student stops dead.

STUDENT: Cosmic Industries

Page 6:

Panel 1/

The Student is holding a pistol in his hand.

STUDENT: It was Cosmic Industries. Not Cosmos, you damn Philistine. They died for Science, and you didn’t even know the name of their company.

Panel 2/

The Student shoots the lecturer in the head, pulls out another gun, and begins firing randomly into the crowd.

STUDENT: I’m sick of it. I’m sick of all of you. You’re all so stupid. You don’t understand. You never did. And I’m done with you.

Panel 3/

Close up on a guy who’s lying on the ground.

 GUY: What the Hell, man? Why?

Panel 4/

Close up on the Student’s face.

STUDENT: I'm not like any of you. I'm not some quasi-intellectual sack of blood and organs who derives purpose from reality television and the next person you screw. But more than that, I'm not about to be tortured mercilessly by a higher being. I'm a Thinker, and you've made me Mad. Let the cleansing begin.

Page 7:

Panel 1/

Exterior shot of the Richards’ home.

Panel 2/

Ben is playing catch with Johnny in the background. Ben is throwing underarm for obvious reasons. Reed and Sue are talking sombrely in the foreground.

SU: Reed, tell me, honestly; do you think you can get us home?

REED: Honestly... No. Not at the moment. But you have to believe me, Su, I will do everything I can to get you back to your Earth.

Panel 3/

Same shot, only now Su is standing with her back to Reed.

SU: I believe you Reed Richards, I just don’t know if I can trust you yet. Your partner was insane, and you couldn’t see it. I don’t know how I can place my faith in a man who could be so blind.

REED: They do call it blind faith for a reason.

Panel 4/

Same shot. Only Su is off-panel.

SU (OP): Another expression exclusive to your world, I’m afraid.

Panel 5/

Ben is facing Reed.

BEN: She’ll come around, specaldom, don’t worry.

REED: Worrying is what I do, Uluru.

BEN: Uluru?

Panel 6/

REED is winking.

REED: Just a word from my planet.

Page 8:

Panel 1/

Reed wanders over to the couch and turns on the television.

REED: Just check if there’s any word on Victor.

Panel 2/

Close up on TV. The same reporter from earlier is out the front of a University.

REPORTER: ...University where tragedy has struck.

Panel 3/

Ben walks over behind the couch.

BEN: What’s a University, Reed?

REED: It’s a school.

BEN: Like where children go.

REED: Young adults, but yeah.

Panel 4/

Close up on the television reporter again.

REPORTER: And as this tragedy continues to unfold, we’ll have further details. All we know is that this terrorist, calling himself “the Mad Thinker” has no plans to release the 75 hostages he has within the Niels Bohr Building.

Panel 5/

Reed’s head has rotated 180 degrees to see Ben standing behind him.

Panel 6/

Close up on Ben’s face. He has a terrifying look on his face, one of pure determination.

BEN: Where is that?

Page 9:

Panel 1/ Splash.

Reed, Ben and Su are clothed in black trench coats. Johnny is just wearing a regular T-Shirt and shorts. Reed is looking at Ben.

REED: Thank God for “Men’s Big and Tall”.

BEN: You sure about this, Suzy?

SU: It’s Su-Xan, and yes. You’ll need my help. Reed’s got no combat experience, and you’re a giant, both totally ineffective in a stealth situation.

JOHNNY: Let’s go save people!

BEN: You’re not coming.

JOHNNY: I can fly and make fire. You are a big rock. I’m more useful than you.

REED: Guys, calm down. It’s time I show you something.

Page 10:

Panel 1/

The foursome go outside and face the front of the house.

REED: Before Victor and I...parted ways, we built something for transportation. It’s still relatively untested, but we know that the basic transport systems work fine. You

Panel 2/

Topographic view of the roof sliding open. A pill-shaped shuttle, with two rows of bucket seats. There are two huge vents underneath, and a windshield in the front and Two large booster rockets appearing at the end begins rising out of the house.

REED: Vic and I, we were good at space conservation.

Panel 3/

The vehicle is appearing behind an elated Reed.

REED: Say hello to the Fantasticar.

SU: That’s the worst name I’ve ever heard. For anything.

Page 11:

Panel 1/

The Mad Thinker is kneeling in front of a crying girl. He is holding the smart-phone from earlier in front of him.

THINKER: See this, Daisy? Your name is Daisy, right? You know what? It doesn’t matter. See this? This is my Magnum Opus. This is my Android. Isn’t it Awesome?

Panel 2/

The Mad Thinker is now standing upright. He’s staring at the phone in his hand.

THINKER: I modified it. Once I realised that I’m smarter than anyone else in this school, and I mean, A LOT smarter, I was scared at first. I mean, if you realised you could solve any Physics problem, relating to force and movement, simply by looking at it, you’d be scared too.

Panel 3/

He’s waving his hands around.

THINKER: I mean, it’s amazing how different my life became when I discovered that I was just better than all of you. I had to act dumb; of course, look at this place, a single intelligent person here is likely to be lynched.

Panel 5/

Side on shot of the Thinker pushing his face up against Daisy.

THINKER: I knew that people would come after me, and so I modified my Android, into an Awesome weapon. Like right now, I could literally hit you with 500000 volts of electricity.   I bet you’re thinking that the size of the phone makes that impossible, but that’s because YOU’RE STUPID!

Panel 6/

Close up on the Thinker, who’s now crying.

THINKER: I see things differently to you, and I’m sick of seeing things differently. I’m sick of seeing...you. Goodbye, Daisy.

Page 12: Splash.

Panel 1/

Side on shot of Su flying through the window in a cone-like force-field, the Fantasticar, carrying Reed and Ben is visible in the background. Johnny is flying beside them.

SU: LEAVE HER ALONE.

Page 13:

Panel 1/

Shot of Reed and Ben in the Fantasticar.

REED: It’s lucky we went with the Stealth option, ey?

Panel 2/

Su lands, rolling, in front of the Thinker.

Panel 3/

Su punches him in the throat, then backlip-kicks him in the jaw, landing in a crouched position. The Thinker falls backwards.

Panel 4/

The Thinker, vomiting blood, points his Android at Su.

THINKER: You #$%@^!

Panel 5/

A stream of electricity jets out from the end of the Android toward Su, who rolls out of the way.

Page 14:

Panel 1/

Su stands vertical, and turns herself invisible. In the back ground, we see that Reed is still piloting the Fantasticar, as Ben and Johnny help students evacuate.

REED: Keep it up, Su!

SU: Try that now.

Panel 2/

The Mad Thinker connects an earphone to his Android and then puts it in his ear.

THINKER: That’s amazing. You can turn your entire body invisible. I’d love to cut you open and have a look around.

Panel 3/

Su uppercuts the Thinker in the jaw (the outline of her form is visible to the reader, but not the Thinker).

SU: I’ve been an experiment before. And I promise you; it will never happen again.

Panel 4/

The Thinker blasts Su back with an electrical shockwave emitted from his phone.

THINKER: See that’s the thing about being invisible, you still make noise, and I can hear where you are, with the help of my Awesome Android, of course.

SU: Nnngh!

Panel 5/

Over the shoulder shot of the Thinker staring down at Su, who is laying on the floor. A blade springs from his phone.

THINKER: So, what else you got, beautiful?

BEN (OP): SHE’S GOT ME!

Page 15:

Panel 1/

The Thinker stands in front of an enraged Ben.

BEN: Give up. Now.

THINKER: What the Hell is this thing?

Panel 2/

The Thing punches throws a punch at the Thinker.

BEN: THIS IS THE THING THAT’S GOING TO CLOBBER YOU.

Panel 3/

Show The Thinker analysing the Thing’s punch in mid-air, gauging the speed and force, then ducking it.

THINKER: She surprised me, you didn’t. You’ll never lay a hand on me.

Panel 4/

A ball of fire hits Ben in the back of the head.

JOHNNY (OP): I missed! Sorry!

BEN: Stay back, little one, I don’t want you getting hurt too.

Panel 5/

Close up on the Thinker’s Android as a series of small robotic spiders begin crawling out.

THINKER: In a few minutes, anything organic inside your thick skull will be chewed up and spit out by my Awesome Ants. Unless I call them off that is.

REED (OP): My word, you’re worse at naming things than I am.

Panel 6/

Close up on the Thinker’s face. He looks surprised.

THINKER: I know that voice...

Page 16:

Panel 1/

The Thinker runs up and hugs Reed. It is evident that all of the students have now been evacuated.

THINKER: Did you see what I did, Reed? I did it to honour you and Victor! I was so sick of stupid people, I wanted a world free of them, then maybe you two would come back!

Panel 2/

Close up on a crying Thinker. He’s sunk to his knees.

REED: Whatever your reasons, you’re sick. And you need to turn yourself in.

Panel 3/

The Thinker’s eyes are opened.

THINKER: What? I thought you’d understand. We’re better than them...

Panel 4/

Close up of Reed, who’s looking down at the Thinker.

REED: No, we’re not. We’re different. And we have a lot more potential than the average person, but we’re no better.

Panel 5/

Several spiders have gathered over Reed’s head. He is unaware. The Thinker is looking up at him smiling.

THINKER: I so wish you hadn’t said that. I moved my spiders from the thing, to you. Goodbye, Dr Richards.

Page 17:

 Panel 1/

Reed punches the Thinker in the face, his fist enlarged to three times the size of the Thinker’s head.

REED: Yes, I’d hope you would. I’m not like you anymore. I’m not human...

Panel 2/

Reed crushes the phone with his foot.

REED: And I’m a lot smarter.

Panel 3/

Ben is helping Su to her feet.

SU: So, we saved everyone?

BEN: Yep, you did good, lady.

SU: Thanks, Thing.

Panel 4/

Su, leans off Ben, wanders over and kicks the unconscious Thinker.

Panel 5/

Reed looks at her disapprovingly.

SU: What? He was, as your Television says, a “@#^%*$”.

Page 18:

Panel 1/

A huge gathering of news crews and voyeurs have gathered around, as the foursome exit the building, with Ben dragging the unconscious body of the Thinker.

Panel 2/

Close up of a reporter at the scene, with the foursome in the background, as groups of people clamour around them.

REPORTER: It’s been a tragic day here, but amazingly, it would appear that something good has come out of it, aside from proving that Dr Reed Richards is alive, it seems that New York has gained a few superheroes.

Panel 3/ Same shot.

REPORTER: Yep, this Fantastic Foursome. Fantastic Foursome? Stewart, seriously? That sounds like a porn film. We’re still live? Damnit. This Fantastic Four have brought the insane terrorist to justice.

Page 19:

Exterior view of San Quentin.

CAP: 3 Weeks Later. San Quentin State Prison

Panel 1/

Back shot of a man in a green cloak entering the prison. A guard is visibly startled.

GUARD: Woah, man, what’s wrong with your face?

Panel 2/

Explosion. With the man in the green cloak walking from it, unscathed. The guard’s head dangling by the spine in his left hand.

Panel 3/

The man in the green cloaks’ shadow is visible over the Thinker, who is crouching in his cell, reading a book.

Panel 4/

Same shot, only the Thinker looks up in shock and awe.

THINKER: OhmyGod... You’re...

Page 20:

Panel 1/ Splash.

Full body shot of Victor Von Doom, whose body and face are completely covered in the Doombot armour as seen last issue. He is wearing a green tunic over chest armour and hip-area.

DOOM: So boy, I hear you’re a fan.  

END.