The Fantastic Four rose.
The Fantastic Four got sued.
That's been the headline dominating New York's major newspapers for the past two weeks.
Upper Manhattan Courthouse.
Kristy, a tall, ambitious member of the District Attorney's office, addressed the bald judge in the chair, "Your Honor, the defendants are no heroes, nor do they deserve to be. In fact, they should be held accountable for the damaged Brooklyn Bridge and the four lives lost."
Standing beside her, Thomson—founder of Thomson Law Firm and a seasoned courtroom veteran—laughed dryly, "Your Honor, this is a joke. Everyone in New York knows my clients saved countless lives. Now the DA's office wants to send four heroes to prison? Good grief, are they that desperate for fame?"
"Defense counsel, I think you're missing a basic point here: cause and effect."
Kristy didn't back down, unleashing her full arsenal. She pulled out a VHS tape delivered to her home three days ago and placed it on the judge's desk, "Your Honor, the DA's office has ample evidence to prove that Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Susan Storm, and Johnny Storm are no heroes—and they don't deserve the title."
What?
Where'd the tape come from?
Did it matter?
To Kristy, it didn't. What mattered was that winning this case would turn her prosecutor's path from a backroad into a highway.
Soon enough.
The bald judge, after watching the tape, glanced at the confident Kristy and the stone-faced Thomson. After a moment of silence, he ruled: Thomson's motion to dismiss was denied, and the trial was set for three days from now.
Thomson stayed quiet.
He had no counter. The tape clearly showed that if the rock man hadn't appeared on the Brooklyn Bridge, none of this would've happened.
The rock man started it all.
But there was still room to maneuver. As a battle-hardened defense attorney, Thomson quickly cooked up three strategies.
Half an hour later, the Upper Manhattan Court's decision to accept the DA's case and set a trial date in three days spread like wildfire among the media.
And... the freshly minted superhero team, the Fantastic Four.
Inside Richards' apartment, the mood was eerie.
Johnny stared at Thomson, their lawyer who'd come to prep them for the lawsuit, and said incredulously, "What's going on? We're superheroes—we saved tons of lives!"
Good lord.
Two weeks ago, they were the city's darlings. Now they were suddenly suspects facing jail time?
And...
In the DA's words, they were four terrorists.
Thomson addressed New York's Fantastic Four, "...This is the best option."
Richards rested his chin in his hand, silent.
Susan glanced at the brooding rock man, "But what about Ben?"
Thomson shrugged, "No way around it. The DA has clear footage proving that if Ben hadn't shown up on the bridge, none of this would've happened."
Johnny piped up, "But we saved tons of lives!"
Thomson shook his head, "Not in the DA's eyes. They're sticking to one point: if you hadn't been there, this wouldn't have happened."
Johnny and Susan exchanged looks.
Richards looked up, "So, Thomson, what's your advice?"
Thomson replied, "The prosecutor on this case is Kristy. That woman won't let go of a case that could make her career. If I'm right, the NYPD will be here to arrest you soon."
"What?"
"Arrest us?"
"We're superheroes!"
The Fantastic Four were stunned. Talk about a rollercoaster.
Just then.
The phone rang. Richards picked up—it was the building manager downstairs.
"Dr. Richards, the NYPD's on their way up," the manager said.
Richards froze.
The doorbell chimed.
Richards opened it, and a squad of cops stepped in. Leading them was George Stacy, who flashed a freshly signed arrest warrant from the Upper Manhattan Court, "Ben Grimm, you're under arrest for suspected involvement in a terrorist act. Come with us."
Ben, the rock man, looked up.
Susan, beside him, turned to him, "Ben..."
Richards glanced at Thomson, who'd tagged along.
Thomson signaled there was no stopping this. The best they could do was let the NYPD take Ben and then bail him out.
Except...
At the precinct, when they heard Ben's bail was set at a million bucks by the Upper Manhattan Court, the other three lost it.
A million?
Were they insane?
You couldn't sell Ben for half that, even sliced up.
Thomson stepped out of an office, a mix of suspicion and excitement on his face, "The Upper Manhattan Court has greenlit the DA's request. Ben Grimm will be tried for terrorism, first-degree murder, and endangering public safety."
Richards and the Storm siblings were shocked and confused.
Weren't they suing all four of them?
How'd it suddenly become just Ben?
Facing their questions, Thomson, their lawyer, offered a theory, "The DA's playing a game they're guaranteed to win."
In short.
Suing all four might leave gaps to exploit. The DA's argument hinged on one thing.
It all started with the rock man. No rock man, no story.
Plus...
Compared to the other three, Ben's monstrous appearance would hardly win over a jury's sympathy once the trial began.
So, rather than sue three good-looking defendants, why not target the one who looked like a freak?
Kristy was banking on a 100% win. Why add variables when she could focus on one?
Thomson saw through the DA's strategy, but he had no way to stop it.
There was only one move left.
In the car after leaving the precinct, Thomson told the remaining Fantastic Three, "The situation's got pros and cons. At least the DA's not targeting you three anymore."
Susan caught the subtext, "What do you mean?"
Johnny cut in bluntly, "You're saying we should ditch Ben?"
Richards: "..."