Plot

A group of astronauts gain superpowers after a cosmic radiation exposure and must use them to oppose the plans of their enemy, Doctor Victor Von Doom.

Four astronauts have their lives changed forever, when they end up being hit by a cloud of cosmic radiation. Reed Richards now has the ability to stretch his body like elastic. Sue Storm (Alba) is now the invisible woman. Johnny Storm becomes the human touch and Ben Grimm becomes the 'Thing', a man made out of rock. But there is one problem. The journey's sponsor, Victor Von Doom has also been affected and with full power, is a dangerous force which needs to be stopped, before it's too late.—Film_Fan

Yearning to study the massive clouds of cosmic energy in the vast space, the brilliant physicist, Dr Reed Richards, enlists the help of his millionaire classmate, Dr Victor von Doom. Instead, the unfathomable energy source affects Reed, turning him into the elastic "Mr Fantastic"; Victor's assistant, Sue Storm, becomes the "Invisible Girl"; her hot-blooded younger brother, Johnny, is now the flaming "Human Torch", and lastly, pilot Ben Grimm transforms into the temperamental mass of rocks and muscles known as "The Thing". But, from the black void of space, humankind's arch-enemy arrives. Can the Fantastic 4, the unstoppable band of incredible super-heroes, thwart the destructive plans of the mysterious, Dr Doom?—Nick Riganas

When an experimental space voyage goes awry, four people are changed by cosmic rays. Reed Richards, inventor and leader of the group gains the ability to stretch his body, and takes the name Mr. Fantastic. His girlfriend, Sue Storm, gains the ability to turn invisible and create force fields, calling herself the Invisible Woman. Her younger brother Johnny Storm gains the ability to control fire, including covering his own body with flame, becoming the Human Torch. Pilot Ben Grimm is turned into a super-strong rock creature calling himself Thing. Together, they use their unique powers to explore the strange aspects of the world, and to foil the evil plans of Doctor Doom.—ahmetkozan

Reed Richards is a very talented scientist seeking the funding for a space experiment. Along with his friend and partner Ben Grimm, he goes to businessman Victor Von Doom and manages to get his support. So, Reed and Ben, along with Von Doom, his partner Sue Storm and her brother Johnny, find themselves aboard Von Doom's private space station. However an accident will flood the station with cosmic rays and Reed, Ben, Sue and Johnny will gain amazing powers thus becoming the Fantastic Four. But, the four of them aren't the only ones affected by the cosmic rays...—Chris Makrozahopoulos <makzax@hotmail.com>

Dr. Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), a genius but timid and bankrupt physicist, is convinced that evolution was triggered millions of years ago on Earth by clouds of cosmic energy in space and has calculated that one of these clouds is soon going to pass near Earth. Together with his friend, the gruff yet gentle astronaut Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis), Reed convinces Dr. Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), once his classmate at MIT and now CEO of Von Doom Industries, to allow him access to his privately-owned space station to test the effects of exposure to the cloud on biological samples. Doom agrees, in exchange for control over the experiment and a majority of the profits from whatever benefits it brings. He brings aboard his beautiful chief genetics researcher (and Reed's ex-girlfriend from MIT) Susan Storm (Jessica Alba), and her hot-headed brother Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), a private astronaut who was Ben's subordinate at NASA but is his superior on the mission.

The quintet travels to space to observe the cosmic energy clouds, but Reed has miscalculated, and the clouds materialize well ahead of schedule. Reed, Susan and Johnny leave the shielded station to rescue Ben who has gone on a space-walk to place the samples, and Victor closes the shield behind them. Ben receives full exposure out in space, while the others receive a more limited dose within the station. They return home but soon begin to develop strange powers. Reed is able to stretch like rubber; Susan can become invisible and create force fields, especially when angered; Johnny can engulf himself in fire at temperatures in excess of 4000 K (erroneously described as supernova-like in the film) and is able to fly; and Ben is transformed into a large, rock-like creature with superhuman strength and durability. Victor meanwhile faces a backlash from his stockholders due to the publicity from the failed mission and has a scar on his face from an exploding control console he was near during the cloud's pass.

Ben returns home to see Debbie, (Laurie Holden), his fiance, but she cannot handle his new appearance and flees. He goes to brood on Brooklyn Bridge and accidentally causes a traffic pile-up while stopping a man from committing suicide. The four use their various powers to contain the damage and prevent anyone from being hurt. While the public cheers them for their efforts, Ben sees his fiance leave her engagement ring on the ground and run. Reed hands a heartbroken Ben the ring and vows to find a way to turn him back to normal. The media dubs them "The Fantastic Four" for their efforts. Victor watches the news story and is told that his company is lost now, the group's fame overriding the company's fate with the media. The four move into Reed's lab in the Baxter Building to study their abilities and find a way to return Ben to normal. Victor offers his support in their efforts but blames Reed for the mission's failure, the lights flickering as he grows enraged.

Victor goes to a "Von Doom" building and steals a heat-seeking missile, and a super-cooling unit. Reed tells the group he will construct a machine to re-create the storm and reverse its effect on their bodies but warns it could possibly accelerate them instead. Meanwhile Victor continues to mutate, his arm turning into an organic metal and allowing him to produce bolts of electricity, and he begins plotting to use his new powers to take his revenge. Victor drives a wedge between Ben and Reed by telling Ben that Reed has no desire to change himself back, as the group's research has allowed him to rekindle his relationship with Susan. Reed and Ben argue, Ben walking out in a rage. This motivates Reed to attempt the machine on himself, but he cannot generate the power needed to push the storm to critical mass. Doom hears Reed tell Susan this through security cameras and has Ben brought to the lab. Ben is placed in the machine and Doom uses his abilities to produce the electricity needed to power it, turning Ben back to normal and accelerating Doom's condition, causing much of his body to turn to metal. Victor knocks the human Ben unconscious and kidnaps Reed.

Victor - now calling himself 'Doctor Doom' - dons a metal mask to hide his physical disfigure and incapacitates and tortures Reed using the super-cooling unit. Doom fires the heat-seeking missile at the Baxter Building to kill Johnny, and Johnny flies through the city to evade it, lighting a garbage barge on fire to trick it. Susan rushes to confront Doom as Ben begins to regret his decision to turn normal. Susan frees Reed and battles Doom but is outmatched - Ben arrives to save her, transformed into The Thing again by reusing the machine (speaking his signature line, "It's Clobberin' Time"). The battle spills into the streets, and the four assemble to battle Doom.

Johnny and Susan combine their powers to wrap Doom in an inferno of intense heat, and Ben and Reed douse him with cold water, inducing thermal shock and freezing Doom in place. As an epilogue, Ben informs Reed that he has accepted his condition with the help of Alicia Masters, a blind artist for whom he has developed feelings, and the team decide to embrace their roles as superheroes and unite officially as the Fantastic Four. Reed proposes marriage to Susan, who accepts, and they share a kiss.

Meanwhile, Doom's statuesque remains are being transported back to his homeland of Latveria when the dock-master's electronic manifest briefly experiences electronic interference, suggesting Doom is still alive.