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The Fantastic Four are Marvel's First Family, and are the very face of wholesomeness within Marvel Comics. And it's apt that writer Benjamin Percy would take the FF to much darker waters in the upcoming Midnight Fantastic Four series launching this fall. One of three books set in the Midnight Universe, Midnight Fantastic Four will be a horror-focused take on the beloved group. 

At Marvel's Midnight Universe panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, Percy spoke about some of the inspirations for the horrors that lie ahead in the series. 

"One of the things I am going to touch on is drawn from some personal history, in that, members of my family were in a cult. And so I grew up around that, and I'm channeling some of that unease [in Midnight Fantastic Four]," Percy said, when asked by a fan what themes will be explored in the series. Percy also emphasized that "cults and caves" will dominate Midnight Fantastic Four. 

Several cults are famous for their "family" focus, like Charles Manson's "Family" in the Los Angeles area in the 1960s. The most infamous Manson Family moment was the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders, where pregnant actress Sharon Tate was murdered alongside two of her friends in 1969. So, keeping in mind the FF's family reputation, it's clear that Percy is digging deep for the series. 

Midnight Fantastic Four #1 hits comic book shops on October 7, 2026. 

Interested? Here's where to find your closest local comic store, courtesy of Sweet, and here's a guide to how (and where) to read comics online.