Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | The Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961) |
Created by | Stan Lee (writer) Jack Kirby (artist) |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Dr. Reed Nathaniel Richards |
Species | Human mutate |
Team affiliations | Fantastic Four Avengers Future Foundation Defenders Illuminati |
Notable aliases | Invincible Man, Reed Benjamin |
Abilities |
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Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a
Mister Fantastic acts as the leader and father figure of the Fantastic Four, and although his cosmic ray powers are primarily stretching abilities, his presence on the team is defined by his scientific acumen, as he is officially acknowledged as the smartest man in the Marvel Universe.
The character was portrayed by actors
Creation
During an interview, Lee stated the inspiration behind the character's powers:
"I liked Plastic Man. That's a great power, and nobody is using it so I gave Reed Richards Plastic Man's power"[3]
Publication history
Fictional character biography
Pre-Fantastic Four
Born in Central City,
It was at Empire State University that he met Benjamin J. Grimm.[6][7] Reed had already begun designing a starship capable of traveling in hyperspace. Sharing his plans with his new roommate, Grimm jokingly volunteered to pilot the craft.
Also while at State U[8] he met a brilliant fellow student, Victor Von Doom. In Richards, Doom met the first person who could match him intellectually; regarding Richards as his ultimate rival, Doom became increasingly jealous of Richards. Determined to prove he was better, Doom conducted reckless experiments which eventually scarred his face and would lead him to become Doctor Doom.
During the summer months, Reed rented a room in a boarding house owned by the aunt of a young woman named
Moving on to Harvard, Reed earned
All seemed well; however, when the government threatened to cut funding and cancel the project, Reed, Ben, Sue, and Sue's younger brother
It was on Reed's initiative that the fateful mission which had Susan Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm accompanying him into space took place. When their ship passed through the
This history has been changed over the years to keep it current. In the original comics, Richards was a veteran of World War II who had served behind enemy lines in occupied France, and the goal of his space mission was a crewed space flight to the Moon
Leadership of the Fantastic Four
The early career of the Fantastic Four led Mister Fantastic to a number of discoveries, and had their first encounters with many unusual characters. In the team's first appearance, they battled the Mole Man.[10] They then battled the Skrulls.[15] Soon after that, the team encountered the Sub-Mariner.[16] They then had the first of many battles with Doctor Doom.[17] They later journeyed to a subatomic world.[18] Soon after that, they encountered Rama-Tut.[19] They then battled the Molecule Man.[20]
As the team leader, Mr. Fantastic created numerous exotic devices and vehicles for the team to use such as clothing made of '
Under his guidance, the team went on to become Earth's most celebrated band of heroes. Together, they would save the world countless times. Ever driven by his quest for knowledge, Reed is believed by most to be the Earth's foremost intelligence. There is little he cannot create, fix, or understand given time. The patents and royalties on his inventions alone have funded the group over the years.
However, there are drawbacks to his association with the team. Chief among them is the team's violent encounters with Doctor Doom, who believes that Reed was responsible for the accident that scarred him. Doom has never forgiven Reed and has sworn revenge. Doom has even gone as far as transforming Reed into a monstrous freak, attacking Reed's children, and attempting to seduce Sue.
Subplots and story arcs
After many adventures as the Fantastic Four, Reed married Sue.
Reed also saved Galactus's life during the course of his adventures.[31] He then bought the Baxter Building.[32] Later, he was tried by the Shi'ar for saving Galactus's life, but the charges were dropped when Eternity briefly granted all those attending the trial a moment of 'cosmic awareness' that allowed them to understand that Galactus was necessary for the continued well-being of the universe.[33] Reed's battle with Gormuu prior to getting his powers was recounted.[34] Just after that, Reed was reunited with his father in an alternate timeline.[35] Some time later, Reed and Sue retired from the Fantastic Four,[36] and then joined the Avengers, although Reed's past experience as leader of the Fantastic Four meant that he had trouble adjusting to following Captain America's lead regardless of his respect for the other man.[37] Eventually, Reed and Sue did rejoin the Fantastic Four.[38]
In the course of fighting an alien called Hunger, Doctor Doom was seriously injured. The Fantastic Four were also part of the battle against Hunger and Doom asked for his old enemy to take his hand. At that point they both disappeared in a flash, leaving nothing but ashes. It would appear as if the two sworn enemies had fittingly died in each other's hands.[volume & issue needed]
However, unknown to anyone else at the time, Reed and Doom had actually been thrown back into the time of barbarians and onto an alien world by a being called
Meanwhile, the rest of the FF recruited Scott Lang as scientific advisor. They even confronted an insane alternative version of Reed called the Dark Raider who was traveling from reality to reality, destroying all the various versions of himself after his own failure to save his world from Galactus in their original confrontation.[39]
A while later, the remaining members of the FF along with the Sub-Mariner, Lyja and Kristoff Vernard found themselves trapped in the same era as their Reed and Doom. They found Reed but faced a new problem: during his time alone, Reed had resigned himself to the reality that it was impossible for his old friends to stage a rescue and attacked them but soon realized that these truly were his friends. After returning to their own time period, he sought Galactus, as he was the only being in the Universe who could defeat Hyperstorm. Upon Hyperstorm's defeat at the hands of Galactus, the FF returned to the present day where they continued their lives, not only as a team, but as a family.[volume & issue needed]
Onslaught and Heroes Reborn
Shortly after their return, the FF were confronted by a being called Onslaught. Onslaught took control of an army of Sentinels and invaded New York City, hunting down every mutant being he could find. Onslaught wished to add the abilities of the godlike Franklin Richards to his own. Only through the apparent sacrifice of the Fantastic Four's own lives and that of many of the heroes in the Marvel universe was Onslaught finally vanquished. The heroes would have died then and there if not for Franklin, who created an alternate reality for them to reside in. Completely oblivious to what had taken place, Reed and his compatriots relived most of their lives. In their absence the Fantastic Four's headquarters, Four Freedoms Plaza, was annihilated by a super villain group called the Masters of Evil, posing as heroes, The Thunderbolts. One year later, Franklin returned with his family along with the other heroes from the parallel reality. Reed was overjoyed to see his son again, but he and the rest of the FF found themselves without a home, moving into Reed's storage warehouse on Pier 4, overlooking the East River. Making this their home, the Fantastic Four continued with their lives, eventually managing to move back into the Baxter Building.[volume & issue needed]
It has emerged that Reed is one of the members of the "Illuminati", unknown to his wife. He is also in possession of the "Power" gem of the Infinity Gauntlet.[volume & issue needed]
Pro-Registration
In Marvel's
In
However Fantastic Four #542 reveals that the real reason for supporting the registration act is due to his development of a working version of
World War Hulk
Within the midst of Civil War, Reed Richards learned from a brief conversation with Mastermind Excello that the Hulk is not on the planet where the Illuminati attempted to exile him. After a conversation over the good the Hulk has done for humanity, Reed tells Iron Man of what happened to the Hulk and also states that the Hulk has friends, and "may God help us if they find him before we do".[volume & issue needed]
Within the aftermath of Civil War, Reed Richards had been keeping tabs on Mastermind Excello and when the
In World War Hulk #1, Reed is shown with Tony Stark as Iron Man. Both men were trying to convince Sentry to fight the Hulk, thinking that the calm aura that the Sentry produces may be able to stop the Hulk's rampage.[40] In World War Hulk #2, with the aid of the rest of the Fantastic Four, Storm, and the Black Panther, Reed is able to create a machine that projects an image of the Sentry and recreates the hero's aura of calm. He uses the machine on the Hulk just as he is about to defeat the Thing, but the Hulk knows it is not the real Sentry and destroys the machine. In a last line of defense, Sue Storm tries to protect her husband by encapsulating the Hulk in an energy field while pleading with him to spare Reed. The Hulk does not listen and is able to easily exert enough strength against her force field to cause Susan to collapse and experience a nosebleed from the stress, before she dooms Reed to the Hulk's wrath.[41]
Reed is later seen among the various heroes that the Hulk defeated so far, within the depths of the Hulk's Gladiator arena located within Madison Square Garden. He and all of the heroes are implanted with "obedience disks" that are used to suppress their powers.[volume & issue needed] These disks are the same that were used upon the Hulk during his time on Sakaar.[42] The Hulk orders Iron Man and Mr. Fantastic to face off in battle. Richards, after having the upper hand on Stark, is then given the thumbs down by Hulk, instructing Richards to kill Stark.[43] However the Hulk spares their lives, showing them that he proved his point to the world. They survived the encounter by Hulk's mercy and the timely intervention of the Sentry. The Illuminati are partially cleared from the responsibility of Sakaar's destruction when Miek, one of the Hulk's alien allies, admits he saw the Red King forces breach the ship's warp core. Miek kept quiet to initiate what he felt was Hulk's destiny as the "Worldbreaker".[44]
Secret Invasion
Mister Fantastic is at the Illuminati's meeting discussing the threat of the Skrulls when the Black Bolt with them is revealed to be a Skrull in disguise.
Mister Fantastic and Hank Pym autopsy the body of the Skrull who impersonated Elektra (with Reed pretending to be seeing the corpse for the first time, thus keeping the secret of the Illuminati). After completing the dissection, Reed claims to have discovered the secret of how the Skrulls have been able to conceal their identities. Before he can elaborate, "Hank Pym" reveals himself to be a Skrull and shoots Richards with a weapon that violently leaves his elastic body in a state of chaotic disarray similar to Silly String.[45] In Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #1, it is shown that a Skrull assumed Reed's form to successfully ambush and capture Sue Richards, to facilitate an attack on the Fantastic Four's headquarters.
A conscious but still mostly shapeless Reed Richards is seen being forcibly stretched in all directions to cover the floor of a medium-sized arena aboard a Skrull ship, with all of the seats filled by Skrull onlookers.[46] He is freed by Abigail Brand, and then travels with her to the Savage Land and uses a device to reveal all the Skrull invaders present.[47] After helping the Avengers to defeat the imposters and return to New York, Reed aids the heroes and villains of Earth in their battle against the Skrulls.[48]
Dark Reign
Mister Fantastic aids the New Avengers in the search for the daughter of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones.[49] He and the rest of the Fantastic Four are magically reduced to television signals by the chaotic activities of the Elder God Chthon, to prevent them from intervening, though after Chthon is defeated, he and the other three are turned back.[50]
Norman Osborn has sent H.A.M.M.E.R. agents to shut down the Fantastic Four and capture them, expelling them from the Initiative and stripping them all their rights. Taking place a week from the Secret Invasion, which has caused Richards to seriously reevaluate his own life and the life he has built for his family, resulting in turbulent internal conflicts. Richards, as he takes a long, hard look at the life, is prompted to construct a machine that is capable of bending reality itself, to do so. Agents from H.A.M.M.E.R. (sent by Norman Osborn, a man well aware Reed is one of the few that have intellect exceeding even his own and thus pose a great threat to his carefully constructed shadow world) arrive just as Reed activates the machine, interfacing with the Baxter Building's power supply, resulting in an energy fluctuation that sends Sue, Ben and Johnny back to the prehistoric era, fraught with dangers, which manifest in the form of the First Celestial Host. Reed searches for answers which can only be found in alternate timelines as the three find themselves in a super hero Hyborian-age civil war; Franklin and Valeria are the only ones available to confront the agents Osborn sent. Richards studies other parallel Earths to see if any found a peaceful solution to the Civil War, which resulted from the Superhuman Registration Act. Reed peers into different worlds, some more bizarre than our own, to see what they did differently. This is an insightful look into where the Marvel Universe has gone in the past "year" (in Marvel time) and to see who was at fault, if anyone. Reed meets with the other five Illuminati to handle the problem. Ultimately, after seeing about a million alternate Earths, he had concluded that there was no way for the Civil War to be resolved but that he, as the cleverest man in the Marvel Universe, had a responsibility to put things right. But before turning the machine off, he searches for other realities where they have the same machines he is using; the machine locates them and the people he finds tell him that they can help him.[51]
Reed Richards reappeared in The Mighty Avengers #24 refusing to give
After the Secret Invasion and some time into the Dark Reign, in the War of Kings, when Blastaar is about to open the portal to Earth, on the other side in Camp Hammond, Star-Lord and the Guardians tell Reed Richards and others to never open the portal, or they will face the wrath of Blastaar. Mister Fantastic agrees and says they will not open the portal and then asks who they are. Star-Lord replies, "We're the Guardians of the Galaxy" before leaving.[53]
Future Foundation
Tragedy strikes the team when Johnny is apparently killed in the Negative Zone.[54] As the Fantastic Four recover from Johnny's apparent death, Mister Fantastic grows disillusioned at how scientists see science and its applications. Therefore, he creates a new team, the Future Foundation, to help create a better future for mankind.[55] However, the team's initial tasks are complicated when they are forced to deal with the 'Council of Reeds', a group of alternate versions of Reed Richards who lack his morality or family that became trapped in the FF's reality after an accident with Reed's dimensional portal.[volume & issue needed]
The Quiet Man
After Johnny is returned and the team resume using the Fantastic Four name, they are systematically attacked by the mysterious Quiet Man, a figure who reveals that he has been behind many of the villain attacks the FF have faced over the years, now stepping forward to take a more active role as he shuts down Johnny's powers, frames the Thing for murder, has Reed and Sue Richards declared unfit guardians for their children, and then abducts Reed with the intention of framing him for a series of attacks committed by the heroes created in Franklin's pocket universe.[volume & issue needed] However, Reed is able to defeat the Quiet Man's plan to proclaim himself the hero who defeated Reed's 'attack' on the world when he realizes that the Psycho-Man – one of the Quiet Man's allies – intended to betray him, forcing Reed and the Quiet Man to work together to deactivate the Psycho-Man's equipment.[volume & issue needed]
Secret Wars
During the Secret Wars storyline, Reed is one of the few survivors of Earth-616 to come through with his memories intact, hiding in a 'life raft' with various other heroes and eventually released by Doctor Strange.[56] Learning that the new 'Battleworld' is now ruled by Doctor Doom, who has absorbed the power of various Beyonders and Molecule Men to become a virtual god, Reed and the other heroes disperse across Battleworld to come up with a plan.[57] Reed eventually starts working with his counterpart from the Ultimate Marvel universe who calls himself Maker. The two find themselves disagreeing on their methods, with Reed preferring to find a way to save the world while Maker is more focused on killing their enemy, Reed countering his other self's accusations that he is weak by musing that he simply has things to care for outside of himself.[58] In the final confrontation, Reed and the Maker discover that the source of Doom's power is the Molecule Man (Owen Reece), but although the Maker attempts to betray Reed by forcibly devolving him into an ape, Reece reverses the Maker's attack and turns him into pepperoni pizza. When Doom comes down to confront Reed, Reed challenges Doom as Reece temporarily deprives Doom of his new god-level powers, Reed proclaiming Doom to be nothing more than a coward for taking control of what was left of existence rather than trying to reshape it. Inspired by Reed's words, Reece transfers Doom's power to him, with Reed recreating the former Earth-616 before he, Susan, their children, and the rest of the Future Foundation move to use Franklin and Reed's powers to rebuild the multiverse.[59]
Return to Prime Earth
Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, and the Future Foundation were later confronted by the Griever at the End of All Things after Reed had expended most of his Beyonder-based energies while Franklin was left with only limited reality-warping abilities. Due to the Griever causing the collapse of 100 worlds, the Future Foundation had to make a stand even after Molecule Man was killed. When Mister Fantastic tricked the Griever into bringing their Fantastic Four teammates to them, Thing and Human Torch were reunited as every other superhero that was part of the Fantastic Four showed up as well.[60] Faced with these numbers, the Griever was eventually driven back when most of her equipment was destroyed, forcing her to return to her universe or be trapped in this one, while the heroes were able to repair the damaged equipment to create a new teleporter to send them all home.[61]
Powers and abilities
Reed Richards gained the power of elasticity from irradiation by cosmic rays. He has the ability to convert his entire body into a highly malleable state at will, allowing him to stretch, deform, and reform himself into virtually any shape. Richards has been observed as being able to use his stretching form in a variety of offensive and defensive manners, such as compressing himself into a ball and ricocheting into enemies, flattening himself into a trampoline or a parachute to catch a falling teammate, or inflating himself into a life raft to aid in a water rescue. He can willfully reduce his body's cohesion until he reaches a fluid state, which can flow through minute openings or into tiny pipes. Reed is also able to shape his hands into hammer and mace style weapons, and concentrate his mass into his fists to increase their density and effectiveness as weapons.
Having an elastic-like texture allows Reed protection from damage. He can be punched with incredible force, flattened, squished, and still re-form or survive without any form of sufficient injury.
Reed's control over his shape has been developed to such a point that he has been able to radically alter his facial features and his entire physical form to pass among human and non-humans unnoticed and unrecognized. He has even molded himself into the shapes of inanimate objects, such as a mailbox. He rarely uses his powers in such an undignified fashion. However, he appears to have no qualms about stretching out his ears, taking the shape of a dinosaur, becoming a human trampoline, or inflating his hands into pool toys to entertain his children.
The most extreme demonstration of Reed's powers is when at one point he was able to increase his size and mass to Thing-like proportions which also increased his physical strength.[62]
Assuming and maintaining these shapes used to require extreme effort. Due to years of mental and physical training, Reed can now perform these feats at will. His powers (and those of the Red Ghost) were also increased when they were exposed to a second dose of cosmic rays.[63] Maintaining his body's normal human shape requires a certain degree of ongoing concentration. When Reed is relaxed and distracted, his body appears to "melt in slow motion" according to Susan Storm.[64] Being forcefully stretched to extremes during a short span of time (by a taffy-puller-type machine or a strong character, for example) causes Reed to suffer intense pain and the temporary loss of his natural elastic resiliency. He possesses other weaknesses too; a great shock to his body – for example, from the likes of Doctor Doom when he constricts around him – can make his body so rubbery he loses motor control. Enough energy can reduce him to a liquid state which causes him to be immobile.
Mister Fantastic's strength comes more from the powers of his mind than the powers of his body; indeed, he once told Spider-Man that he considers his stretching powers to be expendable compared to his intellect.[65] Some stories have implied that his intellect may have been boosted by his powers, as he once visited an alternate universe where his other self-had never been exposed to cosmic rays and was notably less intelligent than him,[66] though purely human versions of Reed that are as or even more intelligent than himself have been shown, particularly among the Council of Reeds.[67] Tony Stark has commented that Reed's ability to make his brain physically larger (via his elastic powers) gives him an advantage, though this seems to be meant more as a joke. That said, scenes from the same issue show Reed "inflating" his skull as he calculates the power output of Tony's Repulsor-battery heart implant.[68]
For virtually his entire publication history, Mister Fantastic has been depicted as one of the most intelligent characters in the
Richards is among Earth's greatest experts in judo,[73] and has many years of combat experience with the Fantastic Four.
Following the Battleworld crisis, Reed has acquired the powers of the Beyonders that were once wielded by Doom, but he relies on his son Franklin's creativity and new powers to help him recreate the multiverse after the incursions destroyed the other parallel universes.[59]
Equipment and technology
Although the Fantastic Four have numerous devices, crafts, and weapons, there are some items that Reed Richards carries with him at all times.
Fantastiflare: Launches a fiery "4" into the sky that is used during combat situations to let other members of the group know their location.
Uniform Computer: Like all the Fantastic Four's costumes and the rest of Reed's wardrobe, his suit is made of "unstable molecules". This means that the suit is attuned to his powers, which is why Johnny's costume doesn't burn when he "flames on", Sue's costume turns invisible when she does, and Reed's costume stretches with him. The costume also insulates them from electrical assaults. In addition, the team's uniforms are also, in essence, wearable computers. Their costumes have a complete
Other versions
Age of Apocalypse
In the alternate reality known as the Age of Apocalypse, Richards never received superpowers as he was never bombarded with cosmic radiation in space. Instead, he attempted to evacuate a large group of humans from Manhattan during Apocalypse's regime. Along with Ben Grimm as the pilot and his friends Johnny and Susan Storm as crew, Richards used one of his prototype rockets to fly off the island. Unfortunately, a mutant sabotaged the launch and both Reed and Johnny sacrificed themselves to let the others blast off safely.[74]
Following the rise of
Amalgam Comics
Amalgam Comics is a 1997–98 shared imprint of DC Comics and Marvel, which features composites of characters from the two publishers. Two alternate versions of Reed Richards appear in this series.
- The one shot issue Challengers of the Fantastic #1 features Reed "Prof" Richards (a composite of Marvel's Reed Richards and DC Comics Prof Haley), a nonsuperpowered scientist and leader of the eponymous team of adventurers.[76]
- In Spider-Boy Team-Up #1, Elastic Lad makes a cameo appearance as a member of the Legion of Galactic Guardians 2099 (a composite of DC's Legion of Super-Heroes and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and "2099" imprint). Elastic Lad is a composite of Richards and Jimmy Olsen's Elastic Lad character.[77]
Brute


Brute, the Reed Richards of
Brute is a version of Reed Richards from a world created by the
He was exposed to cosmic rays that initially did not affect him; Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm were unaffected, and Susan Storm was left in a comatose state.[78] The cosmic rays eventually gave him the ability to change at will into a savage purple-skinned behemoth called the Brute where he has super-strength and enhanced durability.[79] The Brute became evil after being hit on the head with a metallic cylinder.[80]
The Brute made his way to True Earth where he joined the Frightful Four to beat the Fantastic Four, Thundra and Tigra.[81] Later, the Impossible Man inadvertently freed the Fantastic Four who overcame the Frightful Four. During the ensuing fight, the Brute managed to trap the original Reed Richards in the Negative Zone and replace him.[82] Once accepted as the leader of the Fantastic Four, he sent the Human Torch and the Thing into the Negative Zone and battled with Invisible Girl.[83] However, the remaining trio made it back from the Negative Zone with the help of Annihilus who lost his Cosmic Rod to Mad Thinker's Awesome Android. After seeing Reed Richard's selfless dedication to his wife, the concussion that made the Brute evil wore off and he sacrificed himself to keep the original Reed Richards' promise to return the cosmic Rod to Annihilus.[84]
Brute was glimpsed when Abraxas scanned through the alternate Earths.[85] As Abraxas assaulted Mister Fantastic, he told him "as you die on this Earth, so do your other selves across the realities". Brute was shown among the Reed Richards to be among the victims of Abraxas' attack.[86]
During the "Avengers: Standoff!" storyline, Brute was an inmate of Pleasant Hill, a gated community established by S.H.I.E.L.D.[87]
Bullet Points
In
Council of Reeds
The Interdimensional Council of Reeds first appeared in Fantastic Four #570 (Oct. 2009). The council is composed of multiple versions of Reed Richards from alternate universes, each with different powers, intellects, and abilities. Reeds join the council when they are able to invent a device (called "the Bridge") that allows them to cross into the nothingness between realities. The leaders of the council are the three Reeds that have acquired their reality's Infinity Gauntlet. The 616 Reed discovers that the other Reeds have one thing in common: each of them grew up without their father Nathaniel Richards, whose influence made the 616 Reed a more compassionate man. Reed declines membership to the council after realizing he would have to sacrifice his family ties to join. Nearly all the Council members are killed when the mad Celestials of Universe-4280 gain entry to the Council headquarters and attack the Reeds.[volume & issue needed]
Due to an accident caused by Valeria Richards, four Reeds gain access to the Earth-616 reality. 616-Reed is forced to assemble a team of his old enemies – including Doctor Doom, the Wizard, and the Mad Thinker – to try to outthink his alternate selves before they destroy their world.[89]
Dark Raider
An alternate Reed Richards from Earth-944, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #388 (May 1994). He is driven mad when he fails to save his reality's Earth from
Earth-A
In this reality, only Reed and Ben Grimm go up in the experimental spacecraft. Reed is transformed by cosmic radiation into The Thing, while Ben gains the stretching powers of Mr. Fantastic and the flaming powers of the Human Torch.[91]
Exiles
An Earth dominated by hedonistic Skrulls since the late nineteenth century is attacked by Galactus. This Reed Richards is portrayed as an inventive genius with nothing to confirm that he possesses the powers of his 616 counterpart. He leads the super-human effort to drive off Galactus and save the planet. He becomes one of the caretakers of Thunderbird, a dimension-hopping hero who had been severely injured in the battle.[92]
Heroes Reborn (2021)
In the 2021 "Heroes Reborn" reality, Reed Richards is a scientist at S.H.I.E.L.D. Labs. He alerts Hyperion that the inmates of the Negative Zone have escaped.[93]
Marvel 1602
Set in the 17th century Marvel 1602 universe, Reed (apparently called Sir Richard Reed, although he is often addressed as "Sir Reed" or "Master Richards") is the leader of 'The Four from the Fantastick', and his pliability is compared to water. Sharing the genius of his counterpart, he has devised uses for electrical force, categorized the sciences, and speculated as to whether light has a speed.[volume & issue needed]
According to
Marvel 2099
On the Marvel 2099 reality of Earth-96943, the Mister Fantastic of 2099 is a clone of Reed Richards. He and his fellow Fantastic Four clones were created by the 2099 version of Uatu the Watcher.[94]
Marvel Apes
The Reed of this reality is an intelligent ape given stretching powers by exposure to cosmic radiation, as in the mainstream Marvel universe. He tries to find a way to send Marty "
Marvel Mangaverse
In the
Marvel Zombies
This version of Reed Richards deliberately infects his team and himself with the zombie virus after suffering a mental breakdown due to the murder of his children at the hands of a zombified She-Hulk. Regarding the zombies as a superior form of life, Reed sets out "to spread the Gospel", a twisted plan to start turning the survivors of the Marvel Universe into zombies. Reed later assists his fellow zombies in tracking down several Latverian human survivors; they escape to alternate dimensions but Doctor Doom does not. Using a dimensional crossing device created by Tony before his infection, Reed makes contact with his Ultimate counterpart. The Zombie FF attempts to escape into the Ultimate Marvel universe, but the zombie Reed is neutralized when the Ultimate Invisible Girl destroys a chunk of his brain, allowing the Ultimate team to contain their counterparts. When the Zombie FF try to escape after a brief period of imprisonment, Ultimate Reed Richards (in Doctor Doom's body) destroys them by covering him with maggots, and their corpses returned to their universe. It is suggested in Marvel Zombies: Evil Evolution that Richards was inadvertently responsible for allowing the zombie virus to infect this reality through the construction of a device allowing access to alternate dimensions, namely he was responsible for bringing in the zombie Sentry, the only zombie left.[volume & issue needed]
MC2
In the MC2 continuity, Reed Richards designs a small robot into which he claims to have transferred his brain after his body was scarred in an accident; in reality, Richards' injuries are minor, and he controls the robot remotely from an outpost in the Negative Zone. This robot, called Big Brain, is a member of the Fantastic Five, and is capable of projecting force fields and can hover or fly. When Reed solves the problem keeping Susan in stasis in the Negative Zone, the mental block preventing his scars from healing dissolves, and his appearance returns to normal.[volume & issue needed]
In an alternate universe in the MC2 line, the
When Doctor Doom returns, Reed is forced into a mental duel with the villain, which ends in a tie that banishes both their minds to the "Crossroads of Infinity". He is currently in Latveria, under the care of his wife.[volume & issue needed]
Mutant X
In the "
Spider-Gwen
In the universe featuring Gwen Stacy as Spider-Woman, Reed is an African-American child genius that shares his inventions with other kids around his age. He is asked for help by Jessica Drew from the 616 universe to try to get her home, and reveals that he has encountered other Dimensional hoppers before her. He aids the Spider-Women by altering their weaponry for their final battle against his earth's Cindy Moon and later serves as an ally to Spider-Gwen.[99]
Spider-Man: Life Story
Spider-Man: Life Story features an alternate continuity where the characters naturally age after Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man in 1962. In the 1970s, Peter Parker and Otto Octavius began working for Reed at Future Foundations. He and Peter got into several arguments over the Vietnam War and how superheroes should serve humanity, eventually leading Peter to quit. In the 1980s, Peter and Reed made amends while participating in the Secret Wars, though Peter laments that Richards is a ghost of his past self, having pushed away all his friends and loved ones out of a misplaced sense of responsibility for Doctor Doom. In this continuity, Sue left Reed to be with Namor.[100]
Ultimate Marvel
Maker, previously known as Ultimate Reed Richards is the
After the events of
Ultimate Universe
In the pages of "
When Maker brings Howard Stark into the depths of The City in Latveria to work on the Immortus Engine, he is paired up with Reed who is wearing a Doctor Doom-like mask and suit.[106] After The City is sealed for two years with the Maker, Kang, and Howard inside, Reed gives a piece of the broken Immortus Engine to Tony Stark as well as the Maker's files, and a pre-written letter by Howard. However, Reed was unable to answer Tony's question as to whether his father is dead or not. When Tony becomes Iron Lad, Reed joins him and they find Captain America's frozen body.[107]
Two weeks later, Reed takes on the alias of Doom at the time when he and Iron Lad spring Thor from his prison with Sif being brought along. The group raids Maker's castle to access its repositories to work on undoing the changes that Maker has caused to the natural course of history. They only make off with a few assets when Henri Duggary attacks and wounds Thor. The group is stunned when the Maker's Council uses a Stark/Stane satellite to frame Tony Stark as a terrorist, as it fires on Stark Tower, hitting a section of New York City as thousands are killed. As Iron Lad uses the Immortus Engine in his armor to get his allies out of their current location, everyone assumes that he and his allies are dead.[108]
While operating in a Stark/Stane corporate satellite with the rest of the team, Iron Lad starts making plans, as they would have 18 months left before The City opens. While noting that some of the heroes in Maker's files are dead, Iron Lad states that they can find replacements as they get to work to pull off building a resistance. After they thawed out Captain America, Doom, Iron Lad, and Sif had to restrain him while informing him of what happened while he was frozen in ice, as he learns of the dissolving of the United States into the North American Union. Doom accompanied the Ultimates in confronting exterminators Hank Pym and Wasp and fighting against Henri Duggary. Following their victory with help from Giant-Man and Wasp, Doom was with the Ultimates as Iron Lad formally declares them a team.[109]
After missing another mission with the Ultimates, Doom told Iron Lad that suffers from extreme despair from what Maker did and calls it his "Negative Zone". He has since been finding the right composition of cosmic radiation to use when testing it on the laboratory mice in his position as they keep dying. Doom tells Iron Lad that the footage of the day Maker brought him to The City was off limits. He also tells Iron Lad that he didn't lose anybody to an accident. Doom will try Iron Lad's way for now and that the Fantastic Four will return when the laboratory mice stop dying. Iron Lad is told by Doom to close the door on the way out as he has work to do.[105]
What If?
Marvel's What If? comic book series featured several alternate versions of Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four.
Spider-Man in the FF
On the world designated Earth-772, in What If?, Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four, but his presence resulted in Sue feeling increasingly sidelined in favour of the four male members of the team, resulting in her leaving the team to marry the Sub-Mariner.[110] Although Reed was briefly driven insane and declared war on Atlantis, he eventually recovered[111] and the two apparently reconciled, resulting in the 'Fantastic Five' reforming once again in time to confront Annihilus in the Negative Zone to help Susan give birth.[112]
Vol. I #6
In What If? #6 (Dec. 1977), after the team are exposed to cosmic rays, they develop powers based on their personalities. Reed Richards' vast intellect causes him to become a giant floating brain, and he takes to calling himself "Big Brain". Reed's brain is destroyed during a battle with Doctor Doom, but not before he manages to transfer his mind into Doom's body. This version of the Fantastic Four reappeared in the Volume II story arc 'Timestorm', summoned by the Watcher to persuade the man who would become Kang/Immortus not to become a threat. Richards' and the other members of his Fantastic Four are killed by Immortus.[113]
Vol. I #11
In What If? #11 (May 1978), an alternate universe is shown wherein the original 1960's staff of Marvel Comics are exposed to cosmic rays. Stan Lee gains the powers of Mister Fantastic, and is described as slowly gaining Reed's scientific intellect as well. Lee continues to write and edit Marvel Comics by day, but fight evil along with his fellow members of the Fantastic Four. The story was written by Lee, and drawn and co-written by Jack Kirby, who in this reality became the Thing.
Vol. II #11
In What If? vol. 2 #11 (March 1990), the origins of the Fantastic Four are retold, showing how the heroes lives would have changed if all four had gained the same powers as the individual members of the original Fantastic Four.[114]
- Fire Powers: In this alternate history, the cosmic rays give the four the powers of the Human Torch. They decide to use their powers for good, and become the Fantastic Four. They battle such menaces as the Skrulls. During a battle with the mystic Miracle Man, the villain brings to life a statue advertising a monster movie called "The Monster from Mars." When the heroes set fire to the statue, the fire spreads to a local apartment building, killing young Angelica Parsons. Feeling responsible for Parsons's death, the team disbands: grief-stricken, Sue becomes a nun; Reed devotes his life to science; Johnny becomes a race car driver, no longer having to fear fire, while Ben joins the Avengers as the Human Torch.[114]
- Elastic powers: In this alternate history, Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben develop the ability to stretch. Deciding not to become superheroes, Ben and Sue discover their love for one another and settle down to raise a family, never using their stretching powers again. Reed devotes his life to science, while Johnny becomes the celebrity Mister Fantastic.[114]
- Monstrous forms: The cosmic rays in this alternate history transform the four into monstrous creatures, with Reed taking on a purple-skinned form similar to the Brute. When the public reacts with fright at their appearances, Reed convinces the others to leave civilization and live on Monster Isle.[114]
- Invisibility powers: In the final What If? story, Ben Grimm, Reed Richards, Johnny Storm, and Sue Storm gain different aspects of the mainstream Sue Storm's power. Reed can project invisibility onto other objects. Reed and his three associates join Colonel Nick Fury's new C.I.A. unit, codenamed S.H.I.E.L.D., where he worked as Head of Laboratories. The story retells their initial encounter with Doctor Doom under these circumstances.[114]
In other media
Television
- Mister Fantastic appears in Fantastic Four (1967), voiced by Gerald Mohr.
- Mister Fantastic appears in The New Fantastic Four, voiced by Mike Road.
- Mister Fantastic appears in Fantastic Four (1994), voiced by Beau Weaver.[115] This version was married to Sue Storm prior to them obtaining their powers.
- Mister Fantastic appears in The Incredible Hulk episode "Fantastic Fortitude", voiced again by Beau Weaver.[115]
- Mister Fantastic appears in the Spider-Man (1994) three-part episode "Secret Wars", voiced by Cam Clarke.[115]
- Mister Fantastic appears in Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes, voiced by Hiro Kanagawa.[115] This version is not married to Sue Storm.
- Mister Fantastic appears in The Super Hero Squad Show, voiced by James Marsters.[115][116]
- Mister Fantastic appears in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.[115]
- Mister Fantastic appears in the Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. episode "Monsters No More", voiced by Robin Atkin Downes.[115]
- Mister Fantastic appears in Marvel Super Hero Adventures, voiced by Bill Newton.[115]
Film
- Mister Fantastic appears in The Fantastic Four (1994), portrayed by Alex Hyde-White.[citation needed]
- Mister Fantastic appears in Victor von Doomto further his projects.
- Mister Fantastic appears in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, portrayed again by Ioan Gruffudd.[citation needed] By this time, he has become engaged to marry Sue Storm.
- Mister Fantastic makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Planet Hulk as a member of the Illuminati.[citation needed]
- Mister Fantastic appears in Fantastic Four (2015), portrayed by Miles Teller.[118][119] This version, along with the rest of the Fantastic Four, obtained his powers from a botched expedition to a parallel dimension called "Planet Zero".
- An alternate universe variant of Reed Richards appears in the Illuminati[120] and the Baxter Foundation from Earth-838 who is later killed by the Scarlet Witch.
Video games
- Mister Fantastic appears as an assist character in Spider-Man (1995).[citation needed]
- Mister Fantastic appears as a playable character in Fantastic Four (1997).[citation needed]
- Mister Fantastic appears as a playable character in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance voiced by David Naughton.[115] Additionally, his classic, New Marvel, original, and Ultimate Marvel designs appear as alternate skins.
- Mister Fantastic appears in Fantastic Four (2005), voiced by Ioan Gruffudd.[citation needed] Additionally, his comics design appears in bonus levels, voiced by Robin Atkin Downes.[115]
- Mister Fantastic, based on Ioan Gruffudd's portrayal, appears in Matthew Kaminsky.[115]
- Mister Fantastic appears in Registration Acts.
- Mister Fantastic appears as a playable character in Marvel Super Hero Squad Online.[citation needed]
- Mister Fantastic makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Frank West's ending in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.[citation needed]
- Mister Fantastic appears in Pinball FX 2, voiced by Travis Willingham.[115][123]
- Mister Fantastic appears as a playable character in Marvel: Avengers Alliance.[citation needed]
- Mister Fantastic initially appeared in Marvel Heroes,[124] voiced by Wally Wingert,[115] before he was removed on July 1, 2017 for legal reasons.[125]
- Mister Fantastic appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes,[126] voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.[115][127]
- Mister Fantastic appears as a playable character in Marvel: Future Fight.[128]
- Mister Fantastic appears as a playable character in Marvel Puzzle Quest.[128]
- Mister Fantastic appears as a downloadable playable character in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order via the "Shadow of Doom" DLC, voiced again by Wally Wingert.[115]
- Mister Fantastic appears as a downloadable playable character in Marvel Rivals, voiced by Ian James Corlett.[129]
In popular culture
- A parody of Mr. Fantastic is shown on the Adult Swim cartoon, The Venture Bros. The show features a character named Professor Richard Impossible (voiced by Stephen Colbert in seasons 1, 2, and "All This and Gargantua-2", Peter McCulloch in "The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay", Christopher McCulloch in season 3, Bill Hader in season 4), who attains the same powers as Mr. Fantastic.
- In a season 4 episode of John Shepparduses the alias Reed Richards when kidnapped.
- In The Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror" episode segment titled "Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off", there is a moment where the family is transformed to resemble members of the Fantastic Four; Bart is Mr. Fantastic. He exhibits the same ability as Stretch Dude in a previous "Treehouse of Horror" episode entitled "Desperately Xeeking Xena".
- Mister Fantastic appears in the Robot Chicken episode "Monstourage", voiced by Seth Green.[115]
- Norm Macdonald plays Reed Richards in a skit appearing in his comedy album Ridiculous. In it, the members of the Fantastic Four are deciding on their names; after Reed comes up with "The Thing", "The Invisible Woman", and "The Human Torch" for his teammates, he decides to call himself "Mr. Fantastic". His teammates become upset, because unlike the other names, "Mr. Fantastic" does not really describe his powers.
- Mister Fantastic's genitalia, along with that of fellow Fantastic Four member The Thing, is discussed in the film Mallrats in a scene guest-starring Stan Lee.
References
- ^ Pisani, Joseph (June 1, 2006). "The Smartest Superheroes". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on July 19, 2006. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- Marvel.com. November 27, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
- ISBN 978-1578069859.
- ^ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe 7.
Reed was taking college-level courses by the time he was fourteen.
- ^ "Mr. Fantastic (Character)". Comic Vine.
- ^ The Thing #2 identifies the college that Reed and Ben met at as "Empire U," so State University has been retconned away. They now officially met at Empire State University.
- ISBN 978-1-4165-3141-8.
- ^ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe 7.
It was at State University that Reed Richards first met two of the most important individuals in his life. He was assigned to room with a foreign student, a scientific genius named Victor Von Doom.
- ^ Fantastic Four vol. 4 #4 altered the origin story so that Sue is closer in age to Reed. When she is afraid that Reed is on the verge of breaking up with her, she tells him that he should "find a new undergrad" to date, implying that she is an undergraduate herself. Both Fantastic Four vol. 4 #4 and The Thing #2 specify that Reed was attending Empire State University at the time.
- ^ a b Fantastic Four #1
- ^ Fantastic Four vol. 3 #60
- ^ Fantastic Four #11
- ^ Fantastic Four #291
- ^ Fantastic Four vol. 4 #4
- ^ Fantastic Four #2
- ^ Fantastic Four #4
- ^ Fantastic Four #5
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- ^ Fantastic Four Annual #3
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- ^ Cronin, Brian (September 18, 2010). "A Year of Cool Comics – Day 261". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
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- ^ Fantastic Four #51
- ^ Fantastic Four Annual #5
- ^ Fantastic Four Annual #6
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- ^ The Avengers #300–305
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- ^ World War Hulk #1
- ^ World War Hulk #2.
- ^ The Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #109 Oct. 2007.
- ^ World War Hulk #4
- ^ World War Hulk #5.
- ^ Secret Invasion #1
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- ^ Secret Invasion #5
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- ^ New Avengers #48
- ^ The Mighty Avengers #21
- ^ Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #1–4
- ^ Civil War #4
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- ^ Fantastic Four #588
- ^ FF #1
- ^ Secret Wars #3
- ^ Secret Wars #4
- ^ Secret Wars #6
- ^ a b Secret Wars #9
- ^ Fantastic Four vol. 6 #2
- ^ Fantastic Four vol. 6 #3
- ^ Fantastic Four #415
- ^ Fantastic Four #197
- ^ The Sensational Spider-Man #32 (2006)
- ^ Marvel Team-Up #132
- ^ Fantastic Four vol. 3 #48
- ^ Fantastic Four #570
- ^ Invincible Iron Man #25
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- ^ Fantastic Four, vol. 1, no. 17 (August 1, 1963).
- ^ What If? X-Men Age of Apocalypse #1 (Feb. 2007)
- ^ Age of Apocalypse #7
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- ^ Bullet Points #2–5 (Feb.-May 2007)
- ^ FF #1–3
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- ^ Exiles #8–10 (Feb.-April 2002)
- ^ Heroes Reborn vol. 2 #2. Marvel Comics.
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- ^ Mutant X #1–32 (Oct. 1998 – June 2001)
- ^ Spider-Gwen #7
- ^ Spider-Man: Life Story #2–3
- ^ Age of Ultron #12
- ^ Cataclysm: The Ultimates' Last Stand #3
- ^ Cataclysm: The Ultimates' Last Stand #5
- ^ Ultimate Invasion #2. Marvel Comics.
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- ^ What If? vol. 2 #39 (July 1992)
- ^ a b c d e What If? vol. 2 #11
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Mr. Fantastic Voices (Fantastic Four)". Behind The Voice Actors. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ "Marvel Super Hero Squad Voice Cast". Comics Continuum. July 28, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- ^ "Fox is Rebooting Fantastic Four". Superhero Hype. September 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
- ^ Fleming, Michael (September 1, 2009). "Fox sets 'Fantastic' reboot". Variety. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- ^ Kit, Boris (February 19, 2014). "Fox Chooses 'Fantastic Four' Reboot Stars". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- ^ Garbutt, Emily (May 5, 2022). "The Illuminati members in Doctor Strange 2, listed and explained". Total Film. GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ Miller, Mike (April 17, 2024). "Joseph Quinn says he has 'big boots' to fill as the Human Torch after Chris Evans' Fantastic Four". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
- ^ Grobar, Matt; D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 28, 2024). "'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Unveiled As Official Title Of Marvel Pic; Core Four Will Appear In Next Two 'Avengers' Movies – Comic-Con". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
- ^ "Fantastic Four Pinball". Marvel.com. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
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- ^ "The Fantastic Four Characters Are Being Removed From Marvel Heroes". ComicBook. September 5, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- ^ Parsons, Arthur (April 18, 2013). "HULK Smash!!!!". LEGO. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
- ^ LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Characters and Cast Revealed, IGN July 20, 2013
- ^ a b "Marvel Games Welcomes Marvel's First Family with Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Week". Marvel Entertainment.
- ^ "Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman Join the fight on Jan 10th!". marvelrivals.com. NetEase. Archived from the original on January 8, 2025. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
Sources
- Official Marvel Picture site
- Official Fantastic Four movie webpage
- Official Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer movie webpage
External links
- Mister Fantastic at Marvel.com
- The Maker (Reed Richards) (Ultimate) at Marvel.com
- Mister Fantastic on Marvel Database, a Marvel Comics wiki
- Marc Singer on Reed Richards and the Galactus Saga.