Desperate to test the ship before it was dismantled, Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny broke into the official facility and launched an unauthorized flight. However, the government pulled its funding from the project shortly before Reed completed his work. Years later, Reed secured government financing for a new spaceship that could have potentially opened up interstellar travel for humanity. Susan was introduced to Reed when he was a house guest of her aunt, and through Sue, Richards met her younger brother, Johnny. In turn, Ben pledged to fly any spaceship created by Reed. During his time in college, Reed shared his dreams of space exploration with his friend, Ben.
