The New Fantastic Four

television series

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July 20, 2026

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"The New Fantastic Four" was a 1978 animated television series on NBC. This show featured the Fantastic Four superhero team but replaced Johnny Storm (the Human Torch) with a robot named H.E.R.B.I.E. The series only lasted for one season, partly due to its relatively low animation quality.1

The Fantastic Four, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for Marvel Comics in 1961, are a cornerstone of the Marvel universe. The original team consists of Mr. Fantastic (Dr. Reed Richards), the Invisible Woman (Sue Storm), the Human Torch (Johnny Storm), and the Thing (Ben Grimm). Their primary antagonist is Doctor Doom.12

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Fantastic Four
After Lee and Kirby
…Fantastic Four’s second animated series, The New Fantastic Four (1978) on the NBC television network. Johnny Storm was replaced in the show by a comical robot named H.E.R.B.I.E., and the program lasted only a single season, owing at least in part to the relatively low quality of its animation. Writer…
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…Fantastic Four’s second animated series, The New Fantastic Four (1978) on the NBC television network. Johnny Storm was replaced in the show by a comical robot named H.E.R.B.I.E., and the program lasted only a single season, owing at least in part to the relatively low quality of its animation. Writer…
Read More