Fantastic Four Files: How Is Franklin Richards So Powerful?

Every so often, a super hero legacy comes along that really shifts the dynamic of the Marvel Multiverse. We’ve seen it happen with Scarlet Witch, the daughter figure of Magneto, as well as her own son, Wiccan. Other heroes like Jean Grey and Cyclops have had multiple super-powered children. Professor X’s son Legion is a multiversal menace. Even Apocalypse had a son once!

Over on the big screen, in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Franklin Richards is just a baby. But even as an infant, the son of Sue Storm and Reed Richards is already a powerful force in the making. Here’s a look at his Marvel Comics history to see what could be in store for the MCU when the Fantastic Four returns in Avengers: Doomsday — and beyond(er).

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Franklin Richards Can Warp Reality

Due to his parents’ cosmic radiation, Franklin Richards was destined for a fantastic life from the very start. In childbirth, his circumstances started off extraordinary. While battling Annihilus in the Negative Zone, the Fantastic Four had to steal the villain’s Cosmic Control Rod to help ease Sue Storm’s incredible birthing pains. To honor Invisible Woman and Human Torch’s father, the baby was named Franklin.

All his life, Franklin would struggle against his vast powers. Franklin contains almost limitless psionic energies, which have manifested in precognitive ability, astral projection, and (most famously) reality manipulation. His power is so great he saved his stillborn sister Valeria by sending her to a different universe. Once, his energies even defeated an Ultron! At the same time, these overwhelming powers are usually never under control. And that opens Franklin up to endless danger.

Franklin Richards Friends & Enemies

Since he grew up with the Fantastic Four, among super heroes and super-villains, Franklin has never had a “normal” childhood. Enemies like Doctor Doom and Mephisto are always vying for his power. To counteract his own power, Franklin is constantly using power dampeners and mental blocks to limit himself. His latest limitation, the strictest yet, causes him to forget he has powers except for one day a year, when he’s free to remember and use them.

Throughout his career, Franklin shuffles through various personas. With the young heroes Power Pack, he’s known as Tattletale. Psi-Lord is a future, trained teenager version of Franklin while Dark Hunter is Franklin in mourning. These days, he goes by Powerhouse. Most of Franklin’s recent struggles involve his inhibited power, especially noteworthy when he failed to stop the Multiversal Incursions.

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Is Franklin Richards a Mutant?

Franklin Richards’ status as a mutant is ever-changing and never quite certain. Because of his cosmically radiated genes, Franklin’s powers manifested in infancy rather than the usual mutant puberty onset. For this reason, and his constantly shifting DNA due to power dampeners, Franklin is not always considered a mutant. However, he does have close ties to mutantkind.

In the Days of Future Past timeline, Franklin becomes a member of the New Mutants. He even starts up a romance with Rachel Summers. After some mind-bending time travel, Franklin and Nate Grey are trapped within Onslaught. Numerous heroes, including the Fantastic Four, sacrifice themselves but Franklin manages to simultaneously (and subconsciously) create a pocket reality where he places his friends and family. Pretty impressive for someone who’s predicted to become Galactus’ successor.

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Franklin Richards in the MCU

Despite all the odds, and after lots of trying, Reed Richards and Sue Storm achieve what they thought was impossible: conceiving a child. However, Reed is worried that their child will be harmed by their cosmically enhanced DNA. For good reason — all that radiation has to go somewhere.

Though Franklin is born in extremely stressful circumstances (during an escape from Galactus and Silver Surfer!), the baby brings peace and joy to the Fantastic Four family … for a little while.

Franklin Saves the Day in Fantastic Four: First Steps

When Galactus returns, the World Devourer easily overpowers Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, The Thing, and Human Torch. His goal is to use Franklin’s innate Power Cosmic to escape his own immortal cycle of planetary consumption. That sure is a lot to ask of somebody who’s only a baby — a testament to the latent power waiting within Franklin.

Fortunately, Sue Storm channels all her willpower to subdue Galactus, giving her family the inch they need to regain the upper hand. But all that strain kills her. Even though he’s just a baby, Franklin brings his mother back from the dead with just a touch. It’s a universe-defying feat that attracts the attention of Doctor Doom a few years later.

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Like his father, Franklin Richards utilizes an impressive intellect that elevates him among Marvel’s heroes. And like his mother, Franklin possesses incredible power that can be applied in nearly endless ways. He’s a super hero legacy in every sense of the word.

Do you have a favorite Franklin Richards story? What do you think is next for Franklin and the Fantastic Four in the MCU? Join the conversation with other Marvel fans over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!