When brilliant but naive scientist Reed Richards allies with his cocky classmate Dr. Victor Von Doom in order to perform an experiment in space involving clouds of cosmic energy, he exposes himself and the crew--his friend and pilot Ben Grimm, Reed's girlfriend Susan Storm, her brother Johnny and Von Doom--to the cloud's bizarre energy.

Once back on Earth, the crew find their bodies manipulated by the mysterious force from space. Johnny can control fire, Ben has morphed into a rocky, super-strong creature, Reed can stretch his body and Susan can become invisible. Soon enough, the press discovers the quartet and deems them the Fantastic Four. As the Four adapt to their newfound powers, they must use them to battle the twisted and super-powered Victor Von Doom.