Appearing in "Ego-Spawn"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Franco Berardi (First appearance)/Ego-Spawn ⏵ (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Abe Jankovitz
- Franco
- Debbie
Locations:
- New York City
- Massachusetts
- Seaboard University
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Ego-Spawn"
At the Baxter Building, Johnny tries to impress Ben with his enthusiasm for his imminent date with Lorrie Melton, but Ben feigns disinterest. At the same time, Reed and Sue discuss the re-emergence of Franklin's powers and, with Sue and Franklin's blessing, he makes contact with an old colleague, Professor Abe Jankovitz, in the hope that by running some tests on their son they will learn more about the nature of his abilities and Franklin to begin to control them.
When Lorrie arrives at the Baxter Building, Johnny agrees they will take their date in Massachusetts with Reed, Sue, Ben and Franklin and all six board the Fantasti-Car and head north. At Seaboard University Franklin begins some tests of his psychic abilities under Dr. Jankovitz's supervision, but they prove nothing out of the ordinary. Jankovitz surmises that Franklin's powers may be triggered by stress, and Reed and Sue agree to let the professor try out a new biofeedback device on their son. Johnny and Lorrie, meanwhile, make their apologies and take the Fantasti-Car to a drive-in diner at a local beauty spot. Johnny flames on and takes Lorrie on a flight around the area in an attempt to impress her, unaware that his actions have caught the attention of another diner by the name of Franco who is unimpressed by Johnny's showing off and says as much to his girlfriend Betty. Meanwhile Reed, Sue and Jankovitz are monitoring Franklin's progress as he sleeps under the biofeedback helmet, when suddenly the boy unleashes a brightly colored ball of psychic ectoplasm that passes through the walls of the room and streaks off into the night. Back at the beauty spot, Johnny conducts an impromptu fireworks display in the night sky that enrages Franco, who confronts Johnny and threatens him with physical violence. Just as the two are about to come to blows, the psychic ectoplasm transforms Franco into a super-powered being who appears more than a match for Johnny. Lorrie pilots the Fantasti-Car back to the University and brings back reinforcements in the form of Reed and Ben, leaving Sue and Jankovitz to try to shut down the feedback helmet without harming Franklin, but the boy resists until Jankovitz can distract him long enough for Sue to turn invisible and cut the power to the helmet.
Franklin emerges from under the helmet unscathed and with no recollection of the events that just happened. Jankovitz is optimistic of future success with the helmet but Reed counters that Franklin's powers are to dangerous to risk exposing any more members of the public to them, and with that they take their leave.
Notes
Continuity Notes[]
- The members of the Fantastic Four appear previously in other publications as follows:
- Reed and Ben last appeared in a flashback from Mighty Avengers #14 when they examined the Sentry after his encounter with the Skrulls. They will not remember this encounter for years thanks to the Sentry erasing all memory of his existence as seen in Sentry #1–5 and Sentry/The Void #1.
- Sue was last seen in Marvel Two-In-One Annual #5 when she, Reed and Johnny were struck down by Pluto, they are revived after Pluto is defeated by the Thing and the Hulk.
- Johnny last appeared in Incredible Hulk and the Human Torch: From the Marvel Vault #1, where he and the Hulk prevented the Wizard from stealing an experimental scientific device.
- Franklin was last seen in Incredible Hulk Annual #11 where his family dealt with the Leader's "Green Flu" epidemic.
- Reed and Sue discuss the state of Franklin's powers:
- Franklin's powers began manifesting in Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Comics Magazine #4. His powers were developing from Fantastic Four #129–Fantastic Four #141 when Reed was forced to shut down Franklin's mind. Franklin's mind was restored and his powers went dormant following the events of Fantastic Four #150.
- Reed states that Franklin's powers began manifesting again following his possession by Nicholas Scratch in Fantastic Four #222–223. However this is not correct, his powers began resurfacing earlier than that when he used them to defend his mother against Blastaar in Fantastic Four #216.
- Reed also mentions when Franklin used his powers against the Brain Parasites from last issue.
- Lorrie Melton first met Johnny storm in Fantastic Four #222, she was last seen in Marvel Two-In-One #74 where she was present at the Fantastic Four's most recent Christmas party.
- Ben acts like this is the first time he has met Lorrie, even though she was at the Fantastic Four's last Christmas Party in Marvel Two-In-One #74. This is an unavoidable continuity error that is caused by placement of the Thing's solo adventures in Marvel Two-In-One between his adventures with the Fantastic Four in a functional chronology. Chronologically, the events of Marvel Two-In-One Vol 1 74 occur prior to this story, even though it was printed a month after this issue was originally published.
- This is the first time Franklin's powers manifest in another form, or aspect. The next time this happens is in Fantastic Four #244 when Franklin's powers manifest in the adult form later referred to as the Avatar (first coined in Fantastic Force #10). The Ego-Spawn returns again years later in Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising #2 when he taunts Psi-Lord, Franklin's teenage counterpart from Earth-6311.
- The Fantastic Four and Franklin next appear in Marvel Two-In-One #75, where the Thing ventures into the Negative Zone with the Avengers to stop a war between Annihilus and Blastaar.