The Mister Fantastic's stretching powers - and his powers can get awfully disturbing.

In Annihilation: Scourge - Fantastic Four #1 by Christos Gage, Diego Olortegui, Cam Smith, Scott Hanna, Juan Vlasco, Erick Arciniega, and Travis Lanham, the Fantastic Four investigates a dimensional tear, only to find themselves pitted against the Ftaghn Four, the corrupted FF of the Cancerverse, transformed by the Many-Angled Ones. This dark version of Marvel's favorite heroes is not just a connected family, but a mass of flesh held together by demonic tendrils.

But it gets even darker than that, as it turns out that this version of Mister Fantastic is the very source of corruption; like a puppetmaster, his stretching tendrils are controlling the Ftaghn Four, showing just how wicked his powers can be.

Mister Fantastic's Not Just All Brains With His Stretching Powers

His Genius Has a Real Dark Side

Reed Richards is a evil version of himself who created the Ultimate Universe. Mister Fantastic is without a doubt one of the best minds of his generation - maybe every generation.

Reed Richards' powers aren't just about plasticity but about stretching his body beyond its human limits and into the minds of others.

Compared to his brilliant mind, Reed's powers often seem sillier and a relic of the sixties. Yet, as seen in this issue, his stretchiness might have more sway over the battle than previously thought. In this dark light, Reed Richards' powers aren't just about plasticity but about stretching his body beyond its human limits and into the minds of others. This version of Mister Fantastic becomes a parasite that reaches into his companions' minds and uses them as extensions of himself in a twist on his power never before seen.

Mister Fantastic's Nightmarish Stretching Powers Show a Darker Side to His Genius

Fantastic Four #22 Cover by Alex Ross

While it's not the first time that Reed Richards' powers have been disturbing, there's a dichotomy constantly at play between Mister Fantastic's brilliant mind and his unreal body horror. This duality between mental gymnastics and actual gymnastics shows the two states of this hero: his enlightened form and a base, animal form. The only way to control how disturbing his powers can get, then, is by using his mind.

Reed Richards from Earth 616 is the only one who is able to break the dark bond, as he reminds the controlled Ftaghn Four of the lives they could have lived without the parasitic influence. They break free of the wicked Reed's corruption, and the Fantastic Four are able to save the dimension. But the nightmare fuel of what Reed Richards could be as Mister Fantastic is enough to stick with Fantastic Four fans for a while, like an elastic hand reaching from a distance.

Annihilation: Scourge - Fantastic Four #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.