Episode 14: Building in Spaaaace... (Fantastic Four #6) -- September 1962

In this episode:

Mike and Ed discuss the second attack on the Baxter Building by Dr. Doom. How do the other residents feel about their home being taken into space? And what will this do to Manhattan real estate prices?

In this issue:

The Fantastic Four’s secondary superpower must be the ability to generate goodwill through self-promotion. They’re visiting children in the hospital and otherwise building up goodwill amongst a population that is overwhelmingly accepting of them and their adventures, despite the apparent threat they pose by having their headquarters in downtown New York City.

Case in point: Dr. Doom approaches Namor the Submariner and convinces him to team up against the Fantastic Four. Doom shows Namor a new device that can attach to anything and, using magnetism, carry that thing anywhere. The plan is to have Namor plant the device inside the Baxter Building (the FF’s headquarters) in downtown NYC, and then Doom will carry the building away. Namor successfully plants the device and misleads the Four long enough for Doom to pull the building into space before they could really figure out what happened.

The Baxter Building does not break apart as it is being pulled up and away from the Earth’s atmosphere. No word on how the other tenants of the Baxter Building feel about this development.

Doom then prepares to kill the Fantastic Four AND his ally, Namor (Doom is concerned that Namor would be a challenge to his ambition to rule the world). Fortunately, Namor switches sides and defeats Doom, shooting him off into space on a meteor for “eternity”. The Baxter Building is then returned to Earth, unharmed, Namor returns to the sea.

Assumed before the next issue:

Reed Richards explains to the world that Dr. Doom took their building into space, that Namor saved them all, and that the threat of Dr. Doom has been eliminated, as he is now hurtling through space forever.

This episode takes place:

Immediately after Reed Richards explains how Dr. Doom was defeated, but likely before anyone has figured out how the Baxter Building was lifted off its foundation and returned without incident.