Frightful Four

The Frightful Four appeared in Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes. The team consisted of Klaw, Wizard, Trapster and Dragon Man.

Origin
Driven by a desire to prove himself as Mr. Fantastic's superior, the Wizard created the Frightful Four with the ultimate intent of defeating and humiliating the Fantastic Four. The team is initially formed in Fantastic Four #36 (1965) when Sandman and Paste Pot Pete (Trapster) are jointly escaping from prison and meet the Human Torch, who defeated them. Seeking to become an exact evil counterpart to the Fantastic Four, the Wizard needs a suitable female. He says that he knows of such a woman and that they will meet again in a few weeks. At their next meeting, an anxious Paste Pot Pete asks the Wizard if he has found a female whose power can match that of Susan Storm. The Wizard tells him that the female he has been considering might be even more powerful. Hence, they recruit a fourth member, the amnesic and inhuman Medusa, and attack the Fantastic Four at Reed and Sue's engagement party. First Paste-Pot Pete and the Wizard defeat the Thing. Then the Wizard, Sandman and Paste-Pot Pete smash Mr. Fantastic, while Madam Medusa defeats the Invisible Girl. Alicia Masters also gets captured and she, along with the three defeated Fantastic Four members, have anti-gravity discs attached to them and they float up into the atmosphere toward almost certain death, in a truly magnificent suspenseful criminal plan that reminds one of the cliffhanger serials from the 1930's and 1940's. However, unknown to the Frightful Four, Alicia Masters signals the Torch before she gets captured, as she finds an unconscious Sue Storm on the floor. Johnny Storm soon comes and captures the Wizard. This allows the Fantastic Four to barely snatch victory from the Frightful Four.

Their second encounter comes two issues later in Fantastic Four #38, "Defeated by the Frightful Four". Here Medusa is primarily responsible for the abduction of the Invisible Girl and the evil FF take Susan Storm to a deserted Pacific atoll and lay her in an underground chamber next to a Q-bomb, a powerful nuclear device. The three male members of the Fantastic Four soon follow, in an attempt to rescue their captive partner. A fight allows the Frightful Four to escape, but leaves the Fantastic Four trapped on the island. While they end up surviving the blast, their powers are now gone. Hence, this is the first defeat for the Fantastic Four at the end of an issue.

The third battle between the evil FF and the Fantastic Four takes place in the first Fantastic Four trilogy storyline in Fantastic Four #41-#43. Here the Wizard uses his I.D. machine to brainwash the Thing and this causes him to join the Frightful Four. This brilliant act allows the Frightful Four to defeat the Fantastic Four for a second time at the end of an issue in FF #41. However, Mr. Fantastic and Sue escape in FF #42 with the Thing and Mr. Fantastic breaks the Wizard's hold on Ben Grimm in FF #43 and this allows the Fantastic Four to eventually defeat their counterparts. The end of FF #43 has Medusa escaping, but her three male partners are arrested.

Though Sandman and the Wizard have solo battles against the FF over the next few years, the Frightful Four do not fight the Fantastic Four as a unit Fantastic Four #94. The three male members of the Frightful Four ambush the Fantastic Four and defeat them, along with the traitorous Madam Medusa. This happens at the mansion of the witch, Agatha Harkness. Unfortunately for the Frightful Four, Agatha Harkness and her black cat, Ebony, come to the rescue of the fallen Fantastic Four and easily defeat the Frightful Four (really Frightful Three at this point).

By the time the Frightful Four decide to make another attempt at destroying the Fantastic Four, Medusa is no longer a viable as she has completely reformed. As a replacement, the Wizard recruits Thundra in Fantastic Four #129-#130. Yet again the Frightful Four temporarily defeat the Fantastic Four. However, before they can secure a permanent victory and finish the FF off, toddler Franklin Richards uses his powers for the first time, as he wakes up the Thing. A big fight soon follows and the Frightful Four lose yet again. As for Thundra, she proves to have no loyalty for this team as she eventually becomes attracted to the Thing and opposes the Frightful Four.

A rather weak Frightful Four story occurs in Fantastic Four #148, but a much better one develops in issue #177. Here the three male members of the Frightful Four defeat the Fantastic Four. Wizard then creates traps for the Fantastic Four members and each trap is designed to specifically negate his/her power. Wizard announces that he wants the Fantastic Four to remain alive, so they can watch the tryouts for a new fourth member of the Frightful Four.

They continue to plague the Fantastic Four, with different assortments of villains every time.

Members
The Wizard

Medusa

Trapster

Hydro-Man

Dragon Man

Klaw