EARTH-1228 (EARTH-THE ORIGINAL MARVEL BULLPEN HAD BECOME THE FANTASTIC FOUR)

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Type: Divergent Earth

Environment: Earth-like

Usual means of access: Presumably vibrational attunement

Dominant Life Form: Atlanteans, Humans, Skrulls

Significant Inhabitants: Dragon Man, the Fantastic Four (Human Torch (Sol Brodsky), Invisible Girl (Florence Steinberg), Mister Fantastic (Stan Lee), Thing (Jack Kirby)), Doctor Murrow, Johnny Romita, Marie Severin, Skrulls, the Sub-Mariner, Roy Thomas

First Appearance: What If? I#11 (October, 1978)

History: (What If? I#11 (fb)) - During a typical day at Marvel Comics, Flo Steinberg brought a package to Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Sol Brodsky. Upon opening the package, they found a strange box that suddenly began emitting deadly cosmic rays. Eventually, Jack Kirby destroyed the box with his shoe and when he tried to put his shoe back on, he discovered that he had transformed into a rock-like thing. Stan and Sol soon turned to have Flo call the hospital when they realized that Flo had apparently disappeared. When she started talking, the others realized she had somehow turned invisible just as Sol caught on fire. In order to save the issues were being destroyed by his fire, Sol flew outside of the Marvel offices, only to flame off and start falling. Stan Lee saved him by stretching his arm and hand outside to catch the falling torch. Once they had calmed down, Stan read the note attached to the box, stating that they should open the box and live the ultimate fantasy, signed by the S People. The group soon decided that they would find the S People and get themselves transformed to normal, taking the name of the Fantastic Four for the time being. Marvel Comics soon began publishing the Fantastic Four comic book that became so popular that people were shrugging off school to read the books, never realizing that the adventures told within the comic were adaptations of real adventures had by Marvel's own bullpen. After returning from a battle against the Dragon Man, Jack Kirby decided that he wanted to quit the team but the others talked him out of it after they got him to temporarily transform back into his human form. Knowing that he could transform back at will was enough to keep Kirby with the Four.

(What If? I#11) - The bullpen doubled their normal workload to cover for themselves before they left to battle a cave giant on an island belonging to Doctor Murrow. After Flo defeated the giant by using a force field, the Fantastic Four discovered that the giant was Doctor Murrow himself. Realizing that Doctor Murrow could have been transformed the same way they had been, the Four began a search of his laboratory, soon discovering a box similar to the one that transformed them. After destroying it, the Four boarded their private submarine, bound for a new domain, that of Atlantis. As they neared Atlantis, the Sub-Mariner had their submarine shot down and the team captured, claiming that they had returned to the scene of the crime. Having no idea what he meant, the Fantastic Four demanded to be set free but the Sub-Mariner revealed that he had been given a box by the S People as well. As the Sub-Mariner destroyed the box, claiming that Stan Lee had created it, Jack Kirby used his massive strength to bust the team out of their prison. The Sub-Mariner and the Thing erupted into a battle that was broke up when the Four explained that they were the first victims of a similar box. The Sub-Mariner then activated a device to identify aliens to Earth and located one in their presence. One of the guards then revealed his true colors, knocking everyone in the room out using a vacuum capsule. Once they were out cold, the guard transformed back into his true form of a Skrull. He then escaped Atlantis as the Sub-Mariner and the Fantastic Four came to. The heroes soon traced the Skrull back to his ship, where the Sub-Mariner and the Thing ruptured the central section, causing a chain reaction that destroyed the entire structure, along with their supplies of cosmic ray-emitting boxes. As they departed, they lamented that the Skrulls would never have helped them return to normal anyway. 

Comments: Created by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer.

This reality was designated Earth-1228 in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol.2

Roy Thomas was never to referred to by his first name, just as "a new kid named Thomas." Also, Marie Severin and Dragon Man were never seen, only mentioned.

Profile by Proto-Man.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Earth-2812 has no known connections to


The Fantastic Four

The Fantastic Four were group of superheroes that gained powers after being exposed to cosmic rays emitted from a box sent to them by Skrulls. After gaining superpowers, they dedicated themselves to finding those responsible for their transformations and demand they transform them back. Tracing the boxes to an island owned by scientist Doctor Murrow, the Fantastic Four discovered that Murrow himself had been transformed by cosmic rays into a cave giant. Once Murrow was defeated, the Four followed the trail to Atlantis where they had a brief battle with the Sub-Mariner before discovering that the S People who had sent their box were actually Skrulls. The Four then teamed with the Sub-Mariner to destroy the Skrulls' entire operation.

Human Torch (Sol Brodsky) had the same flame-manipulating powers that Earth-616's Human Torch (Johnny Storm) had.
Invisible Girl (Florence "Flo" Steinberg) had the same invisibility and force-field generating powers that Earth-616's Invisible Girl (Sue Storm) had.
Mister Fantastic (Stan Lee) had the same stretching powers that Earth-616's Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) had.
Thing (Jack Kirby) had the same rock-like skin, super strength, and durability that Earth-616's Thing (Ben Grimm) had.

--What If? I#11 (fb) (#11,


Doctor Murrow

Doctor Murrow was a famed scientist who owned his own island to use for his experiments. After the Fantastic Four traced a box from the S People to Murrow's island, they visited the island only to be attacked by a cave giant wielding a futuristic weapon. Once the Invisible Girl had defeated the giant, the Four discovered that the giant was actually Murrow himself, who had been mutated by the cosmic ray-emitting box.

Doctor Murrow had superhuman strength.

--What If? I#11







Johnny Romita

Johnny Romita was a creator hired by Marvel Comics when Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Flo Steinberg, and Sol Brodsky kept leaving town for unknown reasons.

--What If? I#11






Skrulls

The Skrulls were the same as their Earth-616 counterparts up until they started masquerading as the S People and sending cosmic ray-emitting boxes to various people in an effort to turn the world into mindless zombies. After one of their boxes mutated some of the Marvel Comics bullpen into the superheroic Fantastic Four, the Fantastic Four began tracing the boxes in an effort to find their creators. Tracing the boxes to Atlantis, the Fantastic Four were knocked out by an Atlantean guard, who revealed himself as a Skrull. The Skrull then escaped back to the Skrull ship, only to have it destroyed by the Fantastic Four and the Sub-Mariner when they came to. The explosion of the Skrull ship also destroyed the other cosmic ray boxes, putting an end to the entire Skrull operation.

All of the Skrulls could change their shape at will, just like Earth-616 counterparts.

--What If? I#11




The Sub-Mariner

The Sub-Mariner was the same as his Earth-616 counterpart up until he was sent a box by the S People. When the Fantastic Four arrived in Atlantis searching for the box, the Sub-Mariner mistook them for the box's creators and attacked them. After a brief fight, the Sub-Mariner agreed to help them locate the box's creators. He then activated a device that would reveal any alien presence within Atlantis, exposing one of the Atlantean guards as a Skrull. The Skrull then knocked them all out and escaped back to the Skrull ship. The Sub-Mariner and the Fantastic Four gave chase, eventually destroying the ship and all cosmic ray-emitting boxes within.

The Sub-Mariner could breathe underwater, had superhuman strength, durability, and flight like his Earth-616 counterpart.

--What If? I#11



images: (without ads)
What If? I#11, front cover (The FF vs. Dr. Murrow, main pic)
 p1, pan2 (Fantastic Four)
 p7, pan1 (Doctor Murrow)
 p25, pan5 (Johnny Romita)
 p42, pan1 (Skrulls)
 p45, pan1 (Sub-Mariner)


Other Appearances:
What If? I#11 (October, 1978) - Jack Kirby (writer, artist, editor), Mike Royer (inker)


Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Last Updated: 08/16/04

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