#openfanfour

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JOHNNY STORM --- a.k.a. the HUMAN TORCH --- OPEN!

“Johnny Storm... The Human Torch... ...not a thief... not a spoiled kid... not a quitter... ...a hero.“

Johnny’s life started out uneventfully, until his mother died in a car crash.  His father Dr. Franklin Storm took her death hard.  He took up gambling and drinking eventually ending up in jail for murder.  Johnny and his older sister Sue were taken in by their aunt Marygay in Glenville. Despite his mother’s accident, Johnny found himself drawn to cars.  In a short time he developed his skills in order to be an expert mechanic.

He didn’t need super-powers to start his career as a hero.  While a teenager he rescued two of his friends from a burning building.  His adventures really started when he evaded being taken over as a human host for the demonic Zarathos.  It took the help of his teenage crush Cammy Brandeis’s Uncle archeologist Max Parrish to escape that fate.

What really changed Johnny’s life was not the connection he made with his young crush, but the one Sue did with hers. Their Aunt had a boarder, a Reed Richards that Susan Storm developed a crush on.  Her feelings persisted as they grew older.  When Reed faced opposition to his plans to launch the experimental starship he built into space, Sue and Johnny helped him along with Ben Grimm.  They launched the ship before funding could be completely withdrawn.  

The flight was successful, with one very vital error.   Reed failed to adequately shield the main cabin against cosmic radiation.  A Solar flare caused a chain reaction that led the ship to being bombarded with it.  The ship crashed to earth and the four found themselves changed in all sorts of fantastic ways.  Johnny’s new abilities gave him the ability to be covered in flame.   He could fly and have various forms of control over fire.  He took the name Human Torch in tribute to a WWII hero.

The four joined together as a team called the Fantastic Four.  Between Reed’s expertise in dimensions and dimensional travel, plus having their own spaceship, many of their battles occurred not on Earth.  Some occurred on Earths of different dimensions.  This put them off world for many of our Earth’s fights. That does not preclude them from getting involved when needed.   Their fights on earth often dealing with Victor Von Doom’s intense hatred for Reed, and infatuation with Sue, that caused trouble for the team.

With the Accords focusing on the Avengers, they don’t currently cover the Fantastic Four. However many have their sights on the team to put them under global regulation as well.  Johnny and his sister Sue falling on the anti-accords side of the argument, causing some tension in the team.  Attending college in New York City, Johnny continues to work as a mechanic for the Fantastic Four.  

Abilities: 

Pyrogenesis: The Human Torch possessed the mental ability to control ambient heat energy and the physical ability to transform his entire body, or portions of his body into a fiery, plasma-like state of will. 

His fired based abilities give him flight, pyrokinesis, nova flame, plasma form, and thermokinesis.

Expert mechanic, since his teens, Johnny was able to totally overhaul a car's transmission by the age of 15.   His design and mechanical acumen go into the creation of the FF’s vehicles and he is an expert driver.

FC: Lucas Till

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BENJAMIN GRIMM --- a.k.a. THE THING --- OPEN!

     “Stop bellyachin', creep! I don't tell ya my problems! But don't worry, pal! Soon all your problems will be over, 'cause--it's clobberin' time“

Born on Yancy Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Benjamin J. Grimm grew up in poverty.   His alcoholic father unable to hold a job, most of the family’s income came from Ben’s older brother Daniel who led a gang.  At age eight, his beloved older brother was killed in a battle between rival gangs.  Ben succeeded his brother as the leader of the gang within ten years.   After his parents died, Grimm was taken in by his uncle.  Jake also born into poverty managed to rise above it and became a successful physician. Ben resented his new guardian’s kindness but eventually came to love his uncle.  He left his life with the gang, got into high school and became a football star.  Through his skill on the field, he received a scholarship to State University in Hegeman NY.   On the field, they dubbed him the “Grimm Reaper.”  

During his freshman year, Ben started rooming with a brilliant science student Reed Richards, a man who would eventually cause a dramatic change in his life.   Reed quickly became his closest friend, in part likely due to Richard’s early disclosure of his desire to build a starship for interstellar travel.  Grimm jokingly promised that he would pilot the ship if it ever got built.  Upon graduating, the former football star went into the Air Force, becoming a highly skilled fighter pilot, test pilot, and an astronaut.

On the day Grimm left the military, his old friend Reed came to him to remind him of the promise to pilot his starship.  Richard’s project was based in Central City California and was in danger of having its funding pulled by the government.  Reed wanted to take the starship on a test flight himself, as soon as possible.  Against the idea, Grimm pointed out that the shielding might prove to be inadequate from intense radiation storms.   Eventually, Reed’s persuasive skills won out and the two, joined by Susan Storm and her teenaged brother Johnny, a skilled mechanic, snuck into the installation and launched the starship into space.

Reed only intended to take the starship through hyperspace to another solar system and back to prove to the government the project was worth funding.   Unfortunately, a solar flare caused the radiation belts to be temporary and unprecedented ultra-high levels of cosmic radiation.  The ship's shields, like Ben feared, weren’t enough to protect the crew from that degree of intensity.  It also caused damage to the instruments, forcing Grim to abort the flight and bring the ship back to earth.

The cosmic radiation affected the four in very different ways; Ben’s being a very visually dramatic change. He was transformed into a heavily muscled, super-humanly strong, thick skinned orange ‘thing’.  Reed managed to convince the group they should band together and use their new abilities to help protect humanity, naming the group The Fantastic Four. Morose over his new appearance, Grimm adopted the name Thing. Unhappy with his change, and unable to hide his abilities unlike his other teammates, Grimm has struggled with acceptance of his abilities.  Richards has attempted to change him back, but none of his efforts could permanently change him back into his normal human self.  He does enjoy the good that they do, protecting people and the planet. That helps him balance out his feelings about his appearance.

The Fantastic Four has become Ben’s surrogate family, and he is deeply uneasy about how the Accords might affect them.  He tentatively is in support of them, appalled by the civilians that got hurt in the conflict between the two sides of the Avengers.   He is uneasy about the idea of someone else trying to gain control over their family.  Even more disturbing is the tension inside of the team itself as Reed supports them, while Johnny is against, with Sue becoming disillusioned against them.  

Abilities:

The Thing possesses a smooth, rock-like hide as a result of exposure to cosmic rays.

His abilities include superhuman strength, stamina, and durability.

An expert pilot, master combatant, and indomitable will.

FC: Jason Statham

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REED RICHARDS --- a.k.a. MR. FANTASTIC --- OPEN!

“ You might have a few billion years on me and mine, sure... But I'm Reed Richards. Nobody's smarter than me.“

Child prodigy Reed Richards was born to wealthy physicist Nathaniel Richards and his Wife Evelyn in Central City California.  At an early age, Reed showed a special aptitude for mathematics, physics, and mechanics.  Unfortunately for Reed, his mother died when he was seven.  His father encouraged and guided young Reed in his studies.  At age fourteen Reed started college at CalTech. He also attended Harvard, MIT and studied abroad at the University of Vienna in Austria.  At the age of eighteen, he already had obtained four degrees in fields such as engineering, math, and physics.

Working on his fifth degree at State University in Hegeman New York that two of the most individuals in Reed's life met him.  The first person he roomed with was a foreign student, Victor von Doom.   Victor took an almost immediate dislike to Reed and got himself transferred to a different room.  Former high school football star Benjamin J. Grimm became his roommate instead, and soon his closest friend.  Already thinking ahead, Richards had started planning to build a starship for interstellar travel.  Grimm jokingly said that if Reed built it, he would pilot it.

Obsessed with developing a machine that could project the astral form of a being into other directions, Doom arrogantly ignored Reed’s warnings when he pointed out a flaw in the calculations.  Victor believed that Richards simply wanted to upstage him.  Unfortunately for Victor, the flaw caused the machine to explode badly scarring his face, shortly after Doom was expelled for conducting unethical experiments.  He blamed Reed for what happened and continued to carry out this grudge throughout his life.  Though they battled many times, almost always Richards triumphed.

While attending Columbia University, Reed rented a room at a boarding house owned by the aunt of a girl named Susan Storm.  Much to his embarrassment, the teenaged Sue developed a crush on the older Richards. Three years before he tested his starship, Reed’s father disappeared, leaving his son two billion dollars. Most of the money spent on Richard’s project to build and launch his starship.  This project based on Central City California received further funding from the government.  Recruiting his old friend Benn Grim, who had become a successful test pilot and astronaut to be his pilot.   

Shortly before the ship was due to be launched Reed defeated an extraterrestrial being Gormuu, who wanted to conquer earth.  The encounter strengthened his resolve to finish the starship as a first step to defending against extraterrestrial threats.  However, the government viewed the incident with alarm and threatened to withdraw their funding.  Reed recruited Ben, Sue and her teenage brother Johnny also joined into preemptively launch his starship.  They stole into the facility, successfully launching the ship.  In order to convince the government to reconsider withdrawing their funding, they intended to take the ship into hyperspace to travel to another system and back. 

Unfortunately a solar flare caused buildup of cosmic radiation in an asteroid belt.  The ship only shielded against ordinary levels of radiation, couldn’t protect its crew.  This forced Grimm to land the ship back on Earth.  The cosmic radiation changed each of the four in different names.  Reed discovered his body had become malleable. He could stretch his body at will. Convincing the others they should team up to use their powers for the good of humanity he called their team the Fantastic Four and took the name Mr. Fantastic for himself.

Mostly wrapped up in his science, Richards left many of the diplomatic and political matters in Sue’s capable hands.  However, Reed strongly believes in the Accords, if not all the individuals that are trying to use them.  This has put some tension in the team as Sue and her brother Johnny disagree with how the Accords are being managed.

Abilities: 

Mister Fantastic possesses the ability to convert the mass of his entire body into a highly malleable state at will. 

Dr Richards is one of the most intelligent beings on the planet. Reed possesses a mastery of electrical, mechanical and aerospace engineering, electronics, chemistry, all levels of physics, and human and alien biology as well as being one of the few to be an expert on other dimensions.

Reed has a Universal Translator that can decipher and interpret languages, both alien and terrestrial, into the native language of the user

FC: Daniel Gillies

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SUE STORM --- a.k.a. the INVISIBLE WOMAN --- OPEN!

     “We of the Fantastic Four did not choose to be "super-heroes".   We are just ordinary people who fate selected to be more than human.   Unfortunately, or fortunately, we did not lose our human foibles when we gained our powers.”

Susan Storm’s childhood remained relatively peaceful until the death of her mother in a car crash. When her father Dr. Franklin Storm failed to save Mary Storm he didn’t take it well.  Despondent his life fell into a world of gambling and drinking. Eventually this led him to be incarcerated for murder.   Sue and her younger brother Johnny ended up being taken in by their Aunt Marygay.  Sue did her best to look out for her younger brother, often mothering him.

While under the care of their Aunt, Sue met someone that would eventually change her life completely. A boarder studying for his PhD named Reed Richards.  Though only twelve, she developed a rather large crush on Reed, much to his embarrassment. Eventually she made the move out to California, making a halfhearted start in the movie business.  

Sue’s real big break came when she and Johnny stepped in to help Reed Richards.   Reed had been working on a star ship with the help of Ben Grimm.  Unfortunately Reed’s funding was being threatened.  So he hurried to get his ship launched prior to it being pulled completely.  Sneaking on to the base, the four launched the ship despite Grimm’s reservations.  A solar flare during their flight triggered a build-up of cosmic radiation.  The ship ended up being bombarded by it.  Unfortunately Ben's reservations proved to be all to correct, as the main cabin of the star ship proved not to be sufficiently shielded against it. 

Exposed to the radiation, the ship crashed back to earth, each member deeply affected in different manner. While at first Sue’s abilities seemed somewhat subtle, they prove to be incredibly powerful.  Not only can she turn herself invisible, she can turn others with her invisible as well. She also has the ability to create and manipulate force-fields using them both defensively and offensively as weapons.  The group bands together to fight, calling themselves the Fantastic Four.

As the Invisible Woman, Sue becomes a spoken person for the group.  He experience in show business actually aiding her in developing her own diplomatic abilities.  Sue’s empathy and common sense something sorely needed on the team.  Her charm and kind nature often winning people’s hearts, in some cases bringing attention that she doesn’t seek out.  Either to try and disrupt the burgeoning relationship between Sue and Reed and try to take something away from his rival, or merely seeing the value of Sue, Victor Von Doom retains an interest in her. Unfortunately the side effect of gaining the attention of the ruler of Latveria would be the number of doom bot attacks the group has to fend off.

As the spoke person of the group, Sue is intently aware of the political manoeuvrings and ramifications of the Accords.  While the FF’s fights are primarily off world, enough of their activities on Earth have drawn attention to them.  Many feel the Fantastic Four need to be added to the provisions of the Accords.  Deeply uncomfortable by some of the leading proponents of the Accords, namely Ross, Sue has deep reservations about coming under their purview.  She also sees Ross’ past in trying to re-create super soldiers deeply alarming in light of how the FF gained their powers.  

Abilities:

Invisibility: The Invisible Woman has the mental ability to manipulate ambient cosmic energy for a variety of effects, including the rendering of herself and other objects invisible, and the construction of solid, invisible force fields. 

Psionic Force Fields: Through concentration, she is able to project a field of psionic force which she can manipulate into a number of relatively simple forms

Shock Waves: Sue is capable of using her force fields as shock waves hitting her opponent. She is capable of generating and manipulating multiple psionic force fields simultaneously.

FC: Rosamund Pike

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