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Alan David DeCamp
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Posted: 21 June 2026 at 2:39am | IP Logged | 1 post reply

JB, I searched for this in the forum, but didn't find it. Thinking of the Power Cosmic and that The Fantastic Four got their powers from "Cosmic Rays". Would this mean that they received their powers from residual Power Cosmic forces that produced Galactus? Could this actually make them even stronger than what was originally thought? Especially Sue, could she possibly be able to tap into this power more than the others and actually make her a somewhat formidable foe of Galactus?
Thanks for all you have done to make comics better! I can't wait until my copy of Elsewhen arrives.
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John Byrne
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Posted: 21 June 2026 at 5:18am | IP Logged | 2 post reply

Cosmic. Like “radioactive” it’s a word tossed about pretty freely in the Sixties at Marvel.

When Stan Lee told us the Fantastic Four got their powers from “cosmic rays” he was using a real term in a completely fictional manner. Much as he later used “gamma rays” to create the Hulk, or “transistors” to power Iron Man’s armor.

Years later he used the “power cosmic” to describe the forces wielded by Galactus and his heralds, but we can be sure he did not intend that use as a reference back to the FF’s origin.

So, no, imo the FF are not empowered by the same quasimystical energies that juice up the Silver Surfer or Terrax.

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Alan David DeCamp
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Posted: 21 June 2026 at 11:59am | IP Logged | 3 post reply

Thank you for responding, I appreciate your insight and highly value your opinion.
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Michael Penn
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Posted: 21 June 2026 at 1:22pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

I love this response because I hate when people over-think Lee & co.'s original, simple, quick, establishing premises.
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John Byrne
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Posted: 21 June 2026 at 2:39pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

The important thing to keep in mind—sometimes lost on some fans—is that the creative team rarely has everything figured out when they start. A general outline, sure, but not the fine details.
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Michael Penn
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Posted: 21 June 2026 at 3:54pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply

Lennon and McCartney used to repeatedly remind anybody who would listen that early on they fully expected the Beatles bubble to burst quite quickly and they would move onto to other musical ventures. It's fair to say Lee and Kirby and Ditko et alia also couldn't have possibly dreamed at the beginning that what they were working on was destined to go on for decades.

The myth of the Big Plan is, without hyperbole, truly destructive, isn't it? Very bad for the creators, very bad for the fans. Hmph.
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Rick Whiting
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Posted: 22 June 2026 at 1:51am | IP Logged | 7 post reply

JB, I searched for this in the forum, but didn't find it. Thinking of the Power Cosmic and that The Fantastic Four got their powers from "Cosmic Rays". Would this mean that they received their powers from residual Power Cosmic forces that produced Galactus? Could this actually make them even stronger than what was originally thought? Especially Sue, could she possibly be able to tap into this power more than the others and actually make her a somewhat formidable foe of Galactus?
Thanks for all you have done to make comics better! I can't wait until my copy of Elsewhen arrives.

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In the first season of the 90's FF cartoon, they actually explained that the reason why the FF got their powers from the cosmic rays is because the Surfer flew through a cosmic ray storm which resulted in changing the cosmic rays that gave the FF their powers. Here is a clip from the 2nd episode where they talk about the "streaking phenomenon" that changed the cosmic rays that gave them their powers.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/olM1FBK1jN8
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