CASSANDRA 4
Earth-21766

Classification: Alternate reality (Earth-21766) terrestrial rocket (pre-modern era)

Creator: Reed Richards

User/Possessors: Ben Grimm, Reed Richards, Johnny Storm, Susan Storm

First Appearance: Fantastic Four: Life Story#1 (July, 2021)

Powers/Abilities/Functions: The Cassandra 4 rocket was a craft capable of traveling into space using an experimental, subatomic antimatter fuel.

History:
(Fantastic Four: Life Story#1) - In 1961, following a series of three failures in the Cassandra rocket program, Pres. John F. Kennedy met with and recruited Reed Richards into the Cassandra 4 program, hoping that his reputation would bring a successful space launch to the United States as the country rushed to get ahead in the so-called "Space Race." Dr. Ricardo Jones argued against Richards being put in charge of the project but Kennedy placed Dr. Jones in charge of ground control for the rocket's ultimate launch. Richards worked hard designing the new spacecraft and designed it to use a newly discovered and experimental subatomic fuel.

Jealous that Richards had been placed in charge of a project he was originally the head of, Dr. Jones shelved the Cassandra 4 project, claiming that Richards' subatomic fuel was too experimental and could not be tested for a safe launch. Convinced to test the Cassandra 4 rocket before it could be dismantled, Richards, his girlfriend Sue Storm, her brother Johnny and pilot Ben Grimm returned to the project and tricked the security guard Cliff to let them onto the base by claiming Richards needed to pick up some personal belongings from his former lab. Once inside the project hangar, the foursome stole the Cassandra 4 rocket and launched it into space. Once in space, the Cassandra 4 rocket's antimatter fuel reacted with cosmic radiation and transformed the foursome, forcing Reed Richards to hit the abort button and causing the Cassandra 4 to parachute back down to Earth.

(Fantastic Four: Life Story#3 - BTS) - In 1984, after Franklin Richards got in trouble at school due to his uncontrollable superhuman powers, he asked Johnny Storm if he ever got into trouble like that and Johnny reminded Franklin that he once extorted Reed Richards and helped him steal the Cassandra 4 spacecraft.

Comments: Created by Mark Russell and Sean Izaakse.

    Cassandra 4 was also the name of the program that created the rocket.

Profile by Proto-Man.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Earth-21766's Cassandra 4 has no known connections to:

Cliff

Cliff was a security guard for NASA's Cassandra 4 rocket program. After the project was canceled and the rocket ordered to be dismantled, Cliff watched those coming onto the base and when Dr. Reed Richards arrived at the base with Sue Storm and two others, Cliff informed Richards that no one was allowed on the base until the dismantling team arrived. Richards managed to convince Cliff to let them pass by claiming he had some personal belongings to pick up and Cliff warned that if anything turned up missing, it would be his "bacon on the griddle." When the foursome subsequently stole the Cassandra 4 rocket and launched it into space, Cliff witnessed the launch and yelled "Aw, flapjacks!" in exasperation.





--Fantastic Four: Life Story#1

images: (without ads)
Fantastic Four: Life Story#1, p10, pan1 (Cassandra 4 in space, main image)
Fantastic Four: Life Story#1, p4, pan1 (Cassandra 4 being built)
Fantastic Four: Life Story#1, p9, pan3 (Cassandra 4 launching)
Fantastic Four: Life Story#1, p8, pan2 (Cliff)

Appearances:
Fantastic Four: Life Story#1 (July, 2021) - Mark Russell (writer), Sean Izaakse (art), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Fantastic Four: Life Story#3 (October, 2021) - Mark Russell (writer), Sean Izaakse (art), Tom Brevoort (editor)

First Posted: 10/13/2022
Last updated: 10/13/2022

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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