ever_lovin | Quick sum of canon for Tarot Reading

So what horrible things are coming Ben's way…I'll try to be brief. The essence of Fear Itself is that Odin's brother (who was a fear god) was shuttered away in a hidden prison a long time ago. He gets free and calls forth his "Worthy" who were his generals in the primordial battle he fought with Odin in the dawn of time. The Worthy's bodies were destroyed but their essence was trapped within seven different hammers which possess whomever holds the item and is worthy of creating rampant fear.

Ben picks up one of the hammers not knowing what it is and is transformed into Angrir the Breaker of Souls. While he is possessed he destroys his old neighborhood of Yancy Street, nearly kills his OTP Alicia Masters (who's blind if you want to work that in), levels the Avengers tower (which would be a lot like a second twin towers for the MU) until finally receiving a fatal blow from Thor and being "made better" by Franklin Richards who can manipulate reality.

After all this, there is a war coming which is in the current Fantastic Four series and is being billed as the War of the Four Cities. At the height of the opening attack on Manhattan in this war, Johnny Storm returns form the Grave to save the day and give Ben the hope he desperately needs. This storyline is still ongoing so I don't know if you want to deal with it or just allude to Johnny's return.