DOCTOR WEIRD

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human, origins unknown

Occupation: Would-be world conqueror

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Fantastic Four (Human Torch, Invisible Girl, Mr. Fantastic, Thing)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: The House of Horrors, just outside New York City

First Appearance: Fantastic Four in the House of Horrors (1968, a Big Little Book)

 

 

 

Powers/Abilities: Doctor Weird could transform into any shape or form he could imagine, taking on the properties to that form in the process. He can form virtually indestructible force fields. He may only be performing the illusion of changing his form and taking on powers, but those he opposes cannot tell the difference.
    He also used a wand with which he could cause objects or beings to disappear. The fate of things he causes to disappear is unknown.

Height: 6' 0"
Weight: 190 lbs.

 

 

History: The origins of Dr. Weird are unknown. Reed Richards described him as "a madman who is part scientist and part magician."

(Fantastic Four in the House of Horrors) - Seeking to conquer the world, Dr. Weird first thought to defeat the Fantastic Four, whom he saw as his prime opposition. Taking the form of a tombstone, he confronted them in the Baxter Building, challenging them to meet him in his House of Horrors. The Fantastic Four knew it would be a trap, but they traveled there nonetheless. Splitting up to search the immense mansion, they each encountered Weird in one of his forms: Johnny as a fire-breathing dragon, Reed as a large number of large and powerful serpents, Ben as a series of flying boulders and then as knock-out gas, and Sue as a large tiger. Each hero narrowly survived Weird's attacks, and they managed to regroup. Weird eventually confronted the quartet, seeking to convince them to join with him, rather than fight him. When they refused, he allowed them each to attempt their powers against him, proving how easily he can counter their attacks. Finally, he pulled out his wand and prepared to use his power to make things disappear. He unleashed his blast, but Reed instructed the group to duck in time, and the blast passed over their heads, reflected off of a glass wall and struck Weird himself. Dr. Weird then vanished.

 

 

 

Comments: Created by William Johnston.

     Is this story canon? No, only the mainstream comics meet that distinction. Could it have happened? Sure. It would have taken place during the brief period of time that Sue adopted her mini-skirt, but probably before she announced her pregnancy...so perhaps around the Fantastic Four I#60-something issues? If there is a Fantastic Four Encyclopedia, I'll fight to at least get him an appendix mention.

Mark O'English (SQUEAK) adds: Just to get the details right- she designed the miniskirt in issue 68, and had it throughout that four part Thinker storyline (which ended in issue 71).  I can't tell you how long it stuck around after, sorry. She did know she was pregnant during those issues, so it was actually just _after_ her pregnancy was announced. Marvel's Greatest Comics, the 60s and 70s FF reprint title, apparently actually altered it so that Sue never wore the mini.  Naturally, the originals trump this.

Kyle Smiths responds: If you look at the art (in MGC), I think just the coloring is altered.  Though her legs are colored blue, you can also clearly see the skirt in the MGC issues, giving the impression she's wearing both a skirt and blue leggings.  It is colored correctly (fleshtone legs) in parts of the reprint of issue 68 (at least briefly), when the skirt is actually a topic of discussion. I don't own the originals myself, just the MGC reprints, so I asked about this on the comicboards FF message board recently.  Someone there claims that the coloring in the originals is much the same, giving the following reply to my query: "In #68, the costume is shown in the first two panels as a skirt, with Sue's flesh-coloured legs showing. Several pages later, on page 16, she's shown again with flesh coloured legs. But a page or so later, the flesh colour turns blue, and in the following issues it's blue from then on. So we have 3 panels of leg showing. I think it was meant to be a mini-skirt, as Sue calls it that. I actually hadn't noticed the slip-up until you pointed it out." So, the problem _may_ be in both the originals and the reprint.  As I said, I don't own the originals, so can't verify any of this.  I'll have to leave it for whoever wants to do the "Costumes of Sue Richards" entry.  :) In classic No-Prize fashion (literally and figuratively) Suzies disappearing/reappearing leggings can be attributed to whacky use of her invisibility power (I swear I've read this explanation in a letter col before).

SQUEAK notes: Following up on the above, in the version of this book printed in color, while Sue is wearing the mini-skirt her legs are also colored blue, so she's definitely doing both leggings and skirt here.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:

images: The Fantastic Four in the House of Horrors (1968), pgs 237, 243, & 239 respectively.

Last updated: 11/26/04

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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