FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #4 (1966): 1st Quasimodo

While reading fan mail, Reed explains to Ben that there was a Human Torch before Johnny Storm took the name. Which is convenient, because Mad Thinker just revived the original android and made it attack Johnny.

Of course by the end of the issue, Original Human Torch overrides Mad Thinker’s programming and returns to his original artificial sentience. And thus another hero is brought into the Marvel Universe. (Legend has it, Stan Lee did this with bad intent–his goal was ensure Marvel’s ownership of the decades-old character didn’t lapse and return to the actual creator of Marvel Comics #1, Carl Burgos.)

Lockjaw teleports the gang into Mad Thinker’s lab.

Thinker also creates Quasimodo in this issue (who he uses to temporarily override Original Human Torch’s heroic programming). He doesn’t have a body yet, and when Mad Thinker runs away to escape capture, Quas is left in a basement, all alone. How sad!

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