Altered Visions: A Marvel Fan Fiction Project

	MISTER FANTASTIC: An intellectual with several doctoral degrees,Reed Richards inherited several billion dollars when his father, Nathaniel, was declared legally deceased. Much of the money went towards a government-subsidized space program, the construction of an experimental rocket -- the first and only flight of which resulted in the Fantastic Four's powers when they were exposed to cosmic rays. Reed has spent much of his time since struggling between two impulses: that of family man (husband to Sue, father to Franklin and Valeria) and scientist. Leading the Fantastic Four falls somewhere in between. In addition to his malleable elasticity, Reed may have gained additional intelligence from his cosmic ray exposure.
	INVISIBLE WOMAN: Over a decade younger than Reed, Susan Storm Richards has loved him since she met him -- when she was twelve. It's only in the last few years that she has outgrown that hero-worship, and been able to stand up to him in ways other than childish defiance or pleas for attention. She is, in essence, the mother of the team -- not the subservient mother, but an equal partner, an able leader. As she's grown up, her powers have developed from simple invisibility to the intricate manipulation of her force field.
	THE HUMAN TORCH: Only recently has Johnny Storm, the hothead who gained the ability to "flame on" during the fated flight, stopped being "the kid" of the team. He's still a young man, but a man nonetheless, and is the only member of the team who has never left. The Fantastic Four is his home.
	THE THING: A former gang leader and football star, Ben Grimm was the pilot of the experimental rocket designed by his former roommate, Reed. He's the only member of the team not related to the others by blood or marriage; at the same time, he is no less Franklin and Valeria's uncle than Johnny is. The rocky hide which covers him is both the source of his power and his curse; he has spent much of the last twelve years trying to find a "cure," but they rarely last.