The Way It All Began

The Way It All Began is an episode of The Fantastic Four. It first aired 23 September 1967 on ABC.
== Summary ==
Dr. Doom has just arrived from Latveria, but can't be arrested due to diplomatic immunity. Sue alerts Reed, Johnny, and Ben, each of whom is elsewhere in the city. Ben's helping knock down a condemned building, Johnny's just won a race, and Reed is observing space activity at the observatory. They all hurry back to the Baxter Building, where Sue and the police commissioner tell them about Dr. Doom's unexpected visit. Doom calls Reed personally, revealing his intentions to destroy him. Reed then explains the reason for Dr. Doom's grudge. Back when he, Ben, and Victor Von Doom were all students at State University, Reed met Victor, who presented himself as terse and unfriendly. Ben became Reed's roommate. Later, Reed entered Victor's dorm room, and came across some notes. Victor caught him intruding, and Reed warned him that some equations he'd jotted down were a few decimals off. Victor ignored the warning, and conducted the experiment. The machine blew up, and Victor was hospitalized. The dean expelled him, but his troubles were just beginning. After the bandages were removed from his face, he realized he'd been permanently disfigured. So he disappeared after that. Reed and Ben served in World War II, and after that, they, Sue, and Johnny went into outer space, where they were bombarded by cosmic rays, and became the Fantastic Four. Dr. Doom entered, and told the rest of his own back story. He met the mystics of the Himalayas, and learned the ways of magic. Finally, they made an iron mask, and he donned it, becoming Dr. Doom. When he threatened Sue, she used her force field, and Doom decided to escape in Reed's missile, with Sue, Johnny, and Ben pursuing him. He did get away, but Reed revealed he'd removed a key component, so the missile crashed. Ben made a corny joke about the villain not coming back until Doomsday.
== Trivia ==
* Reed mentions Pearl Harbor Day, 7 December 1941, while telling his story.
 
Category:TV Episodes
Category:The Funtastic Index