The New Fantastic Four The New Fantastic Four The New Fantastic Four (on-screen title: The Fantastic Four) is an animated series produced by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises and Marvel Comics Animation (both owned by Marvel Entertainment (via The Walt Disney Company)) in 1978. It is the second animated series based on Marvel's comic book series Fantastic Four. The 1978 series replaced the character of the Human Torch with a robot named H.E.R.B.I.E. (Humanoid Experimental Robot, B-type, Integrated Electronics), because the 1978 television rights to use that character were tied up by a proposed television pilot movie in development by Universal Studios (now a sister company to
Fantastic Four (comic book) Reed and Sue to join that team after Engelhart had written them out of "Fantastic Four". Yet by "The Avengers" #300, where they were scheduled to join the team, Simonson was told the characters were returning to "Fantastic Four". This led to Simonson quitting "The Avengers" after that issue. Shortly afterward, he was offered the job of writing "Fantastic Four". Having already prepared a number of stories involving the Avengers with Reed and Sue in the lineup, he then rewrote these for "Fantastic Four". Simonson later recalled that working on "Fantastic Four" allowed him the latitude to use original Avengers