Susan "Sue" Storm-Richards, known as the Invisible Woman, first appeared in The Fantastic Four #1 (November 1961), created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. She debuted as the Invisible Girl, gaining the ability to turn invisible after exposure to cosmic rays during an unauthorized space flight alongside her fiancé Reed Richards, brother Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm. Initially portrayed as the team's compassionate caretaker with limited offensive capabilities, Sue married Reed in Fantastic Four Annual #3 (1965) and developed force field projection, evolving into one of Marvel's most powerful heroes capable of shielding, attacking, and even internal manipulation with her fields.
A pivotal development occurred in Fantastic Four #280–284 (1985–1986) during John Byrne's run, where Psycho-Man manipulated her emotions, unleashing her dark persona Malice and prompting her to adopt the more mature moniker Invisible Woman, signifying greater confidence and agency. She became a mother with the birth of Franklin Richards (1968) and later Valeria (2001, with Doctor Doom's assistance), endured tragedies like miscarriages and family separations, and asserted independence in events such as Civil War (2006–2007), temporarily leaving Reed over ideological differences.
As of late 2025, Sue has been solidified as the official leader of the Fantastic Four in the ongoing series relaunched in 2025 by Ryan North, confronting threats like an alternate malicious version of herself dubbed the Invincible Woman while balancing her roles as scientist, wife, mother, and Earth's premier defender, often regarded as the team's most formidable member due to her versatile and potentially omnipotent abilities.