The Fantastic Four was the first superhero team created by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/co-plotter Stan Lee, who developed a collaborative approach to creating comics with this title that they would use from then on.

The team gained superpowers after exposure to cosmic rays during a scientific mission to outer space. Cosmic rays are high-energy protons and atomic nuclei which move through space at nearly the speed of light. They originate from the sun, from outside of the solar system, and from distant galaxies.

Reed Richards possesses a mastery of mechanical, aerospace and electrical engineering, chemistry, all levels of physics, and human and alien biology. BusinessWeek listed him as one of the top ten most intelligent fictional characters in American comics.

The Fantastic Four has had several different headquarters, most notably the Baxter Building, located at 42nd Street and Madison Avenue in New York City.

The Thing is known for his trademark rocky appearance, sense of humor, and famous battle cry, "It's clobberin' time!"

Mole Man is not only the first enemy of the Fantastic Four, he's the first villain of the Marvel Universe proper. Dwelling deep in the underground kingdom of Subterranea, the enigmatic Mole Man commands legions of beings he calls Moloids, as well as hordes of terrible monsters.

Unlike most mutants (whose abilities are initially activated at the onset of puberty), Franklin began manifesting his powers while still a toddler due to his parents' radiation-altered genes.

Lee and Kirby wanted to introduce a character that broke away from the archetype of the standard villain. In the character's first appearance, Galactus was depicted as a god-like figure who feeds by draining living planets of their energy, and operates without regard to the morality and judgments of mortal beings.

Alicia Masters, a frequent romantic interest and confidante of the Thing, is a blind sculptor who is able to create incredibly lifelike representations of real people by touch and memory alone.

The Super-Skrull was sent to Earth to defeat the Fantastic Four and pave the way for a new Skrull Empire invasion. He was stronger than the Thing; had superior flight and greater pyrokinetic ability than the Human Torch; had better control of invisibility and force fields than the Invisible Woman, and could stretch further than Mr. Fantastic.