Fantastic Four: THERE’S My Flying Car – We Break Down the Fantasticar
It took until 2025, but at long last, we finally got the flying car the future promises. Here it is folks, we break down the Fantasticar.
The Fantastic Four have had a number of vehicles at their disposal. But almost from the beginning—before Sky-copters and Time Sleds, before countless Skrull Ships and the Excelsior, there was one humble vehicle that saw the super team through the hardest times. Though there have been many iterations over the years, as long as there has been the Fantastic Four, there has been the Fantasticar.
Originally dubbed a “flying bathtub” the Fantasticar is the promise of the future, delivered in the present. A flying car capable of exceptional speeds in atmosphere, the Fantasticar has helped the Fantastic Four reach people in need across the many Earths in the multiverse.
Wherever there is a Fantastic Four, it seems, there is a flying car to convey them in a way that’s a little bit kitschy and surprisingly fast. Especially for something that, often as not, doesn’t have windows.
The Fantasticar – Designs and Capabilities
There have been many variations of Fantasticar over the years. Including the Ultimate Fantasticar, which resembled a space minivan, but the original incarnation was said to have resembled a “Flying Bathtub.” Designed by Reed Richards—who clearly did not care for the visual aesthetic of it—the Fantasticar Mk. 1 was capable of splitting into four separate compartments. One for each member of the team.
Then of course, there was the Mk. 3 Fantasticar, which was the most durable version. This debuted during a battle with Counter-Earth. And the Fantasticar Mk. 3 boasted much heavier armor and better defenses.
But of all the variants and versions out there, only one pattern of the Fantasticar is truly iconic. The Fantasticar Mk. 2—this is the version that leaps to mind when the phrase Fantasticar is uttered. And it’s not hard to see why. The sleek exterior helps merge style and substance. And a big reason for the added styleis that Johnny Storm worked with Reed Richards to design the Mk. 2. And they gave it all manner of wonderful toys.
The Fantasticar Mk. 2
The Mk.2 embodied everything the Fantastic Four needed. It was a vertical take-off/landing craft, capable of achieving extraordinary speed. Blending electric-powered fan-lift and jet turbine thrust, the Fantasticar had fuel efficiency beyond compare. It was capable of a maximum airspeed of 550 miles per hour (while carrying all four members of the team, including the ever-loving, blue-eyed Thing), and could hit a maximum altitude of 30,000 feet normally.
But the Fantasticar could also split into three vehicles—the side compartments are actually twin mini-planesthat can detach and either fly independently or via radio control. They are slower, by comparison, only hitting around 350 miles per hours, but can hit a maximum altitude of 38,000 feet.
Among the many gadgets installed in the Fantasticar Mk. 2 were the usual suspects: advanced communication arrays allowing for contact with the Baxter Building, a micropulsed phase array radar, a mini-fusion thermoelectric generator. But it also had special force shields to protect its occupants—instead of windows.
A Brief History of Fantasticars
While the Fantastic Four have had many vehicles over the years, the Fantasticar Mk. 2 served them well. And longest. It was with them when Dr. Doom took control of the Baxter Building. They used it when Galactus first came to Earth (one of the Earths, anyway). It has followed them on their storied careers, serving them in times of crisis, as well as times of peace.
And though there may be faster vehicles, or more heavily armed vehicles throughout the multiverse, none have quite as much heart as the Fantasticar.
Still no windows on any version, though!
