It’s not exactly a secret any more who dies in this week’s issue of Fantastic Four (although if you haven’t been exposed to any media at all today and are waltzing into a comic book store wondering what’s going to happen, don’t scroll down). It’s also not the first time one of Marvel Comics’ flagship superhero team has apparently bitten the dust.
1971: The Thing is apparently killed at the end of Fantastic Four #112. It turns out the next issue that he’s fine.
1980: As of the cover of Fantastic Four #214, it looks like the Human Torch is the only surviving member of the group, as the others have all died of old age. By the end of the issue, they’re all fine.
(More on TIME.com: Please, No: Fox Prepares to Rebirth Fantastic Four)
1983: “It can’t be! Reed is… DEAD!” declares the Invisible Woman on the cover of Fantastic Four #255, as the Thing cradles Mr. Fantastic’s lifeless body. He’s fine, actually.
1993: Mr. Fantastic is apparently killed, along with Dr. Doom, in Fantastic Four #381. Two years later, in #407, it turns out he’s fine.
2003: The Thing is killed in Fantastic Four #508. Three issues later, the rest of the team goes to Heaven to retrieve him from God, who is Jack Kirby. Yes, you read that right.
2006: The Invisible Woman dies in the one-shot Fantastic Four: A Death in the Family. The Human Torch goes back in time and creates an alternate branch of history in which she doesn’t die. Problem solved.
(More on TIME.com: Emanata: Fantastic Infinite Loop)
2007: The Invisible Woman dies in the movie The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. She is instantly resurrected by the Silver Surfer.
2008: The Invisible Woman dies in a Fantastic Four storyline called, unambiguously, “The Death of the Invisible Woman.” It’s a future version of Sue Storm who’s traveled back to the present, though. False alarm!
2011: The Human Torch apparently dies in Fantastic Four #587. (Techland was totally wrong about predicting this, by the way.) Next month’s issue will be the final one under that title for the moment, and will be followed by the launch of something called FF. Note that the issue that would be numbered #600 is due in about a year. Anyone want to take a guess about who’ll be coming back for it?
