Issue #296 November 1986
The 25th anniversary of the Fantastic Four. The Thing finally returns to the team. Cover price : $1.50
Issue #297 December, 1986, "Set the Controls For the Heart of the Sun"
Two bickering brothers, Jaagur and Umbra have been siphoning energy out of the sun. Naturally, Reed thinks this could be a potential problem for Earth. The FF (there's five of them now, She Hulk is still around) decide that they need to go to the sun and solve the problem. Ben is back, but he is feeling a wee bit modest today, so he orders a full body suit and a helmet to conceal his ghastly appearance. At the end of the story, the two brothers merge to become an even bigger menace.
Issue #298 January, 1987, "Closer Than Brothers"
Ben is still ticked off about Johnny and Alicia being together, and it doesn't help things any when Johnny proposes to Alicia before the FF take off on an extrememly dangerous mission. The FF capture Umbra in outer space (remember, Umbra, from last issue?), and manage to separate the brothers. Johnny and Ben reconciliate somewhat, and Ben decides to lose the helmet.
Issue #299 February, 1987, "The Best Man"
Guest starring (guess who?) Spiderman! Anyway, we learn in this issue that Johnny really _is_ stupid, namely because he asks Ben to be his best man when he marries Alicia. Slick. Ben storms out of Four Freedoms plaza (which is, by the way, having its grand opening), and the She Hulk chases after him. After getting him a little drunk, Jen lures ben into a construction site where they have it out. Its a pretty entertaining little fight, but in the end it does cheer Ben up, and he agrees to be Johnny's best man.
Issue #300 March, 1987, "Dearly Beloved..."
This is the issue in which Johnny and Alicia are wed. The Puppet Master, not wanting to see his step daughter married to Johnny, any more than he wanted to see her marry Ben, plots to kill Johnny. At the last minute, he has a change of heart, seeing just how happy his stepdaughter is. By the way, this is _not_ the real Alicia (see Issue #357). This is the last issue in which She Hulk appears. For a while.
Issue #301 April, 1987, "Dark Dreams"
Franklin's been having nightmares, and it turns out that he is able to projects himself far, far away while in a dreamstate. The Wizard kidnaps Franklin in an attempt to use Franklin's super powers against the Fantastic Four. This fails when Franklin projects his dreamself into Four Freedoms and the FF come to the rescue. Reed also has to debate whether or not to run tests on his young son.
Issue #302 May, 1987, "And Who Shall Survive?"
While on their honeymoon, Johnny and Alicia run into a military barricade. Sensing something amiss, Johnny flames on and the two proceed beyond the barricade. They move along into a town filled with artsy types, and are then kidnapped. Those that kidnapped them are trying to collect people to start an extra terrestrial colony which will survive after the destruction of the earth. The project is destined to fail, however, and Johnny and Alicia break free.
Issue #303 June, 1987, "Alternatives"
Ben is still ticked off about this Johnny/Alicia thing, when he is visited by Thundra. She comes along to ask him for help in battling an adversary that her people are currently facing. Ben agrees, and defeats the adversary. It is then that Thundra asks Ben to marry her. Ben declines, and instead asks Thundra to send him back in time so that he can ask Alicia to marry him rather than Johnny. Everything is going swimmingly until its time to say "I do", at which point Ben backs out. He begs Thundra to send him back to his earth, because he is finally able to accept the marriage of Johnny and Alicia.
Issue #304 July, 1987, "Pressure Drop"Quicksilver (Crystal's estranged and wacko husband) kidnaps Alicia in an attempt to lure the FF. The FF end up battling, and eventually defeating, and then detaining him. Reed announces that he and Sue will be leaving the FF, and asks Ben to take over as the leader of the FF.
Reed has given leadership of the team over to Ben in an attempt to make Ben forget about Johnny and Alicia. It is now time for Ben to choose two more teammates to replace the departing Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman. ....Meanwhile.... Crystal has come back to see what is going on with Quicksilver (Turns out he's gone wacko because Crys was messing around behind his back with a real estate salesman [see Vision and the Scarlet Witch #6-12]). So, against Johnny's protests, Ben decides that Crystal will be a part of the new team.Issue #305 August, 1987
, "All In The Family"
Issue #306 September, 1987, "The Marvel Rage"Sharon Ventura, Ms. Marvel, rolls into town (Ben knows Sharon from his wrestling days in the pages of "The Thing"). The Inhumans' royal family comes to take Quicksilver back to the moon, when Ben takes to the streets to see if he can find Sharon. See, Sharon has this problem with men, and she won't get near them (except for Ben, because he doesn't quite look like a man). ....Meanwhile.... the FF meet up with Diablo, the Alchemist, who has brought along with him his own Elementals. The FF battle Diablo, and it is Ms. Marvel that eventually defeats him. Ben then asks her to join the new FF.Issue #307 October, 1987, "Good-Bye!"Reed and Sue leave for Stamford, Connecticut (my birthplace, incidentally), so that they can have a somewhat normal life with Franklin. This gives us a new FF team : Johnny, Crystal, Sharon Ventura (Ms. Marvel), and Ben as leader. Issue #308 November, 1987 Issue #309 December, 1987 Issue #310 January, 1988, "Things to Come" Ben's girlfriend, Sharon Ventura, is mutated into the _hideous_ She-Thing.
Issue #308 November, 1987, "Fasaud" Issue #311 February, 1988 Issue #332 November, 1989, "Love's Labour Lost"This issue is actually okay. Crystal and Sue fight. Pretty Cool.