The Fantastic Four are well-known for their numerous adventures! That is partly why it came as no surprise when Franklin Richards – the son of Susan Storm and Reed Richards – was born into a universe populated by the first superheroes and grew to be fairly powerful. With his ability to manipulate energy and/or matter to the molecular level, as well as his psychic abilities, he was formerly considered a mutant.
It was amazing, but it made for a more complicated tale, and the character’s backstory became lengthy as a result. Because of the number of loops and intricate characteristics, the portions of himself investigating his talents have created a labyrinth that is not as easy to travel, but it has given the reader a hint of excitement at every panel, every page of a comic Richards has been in.
Despite the fact that the Fantastic Four have appeared in various films throughout the years, most people today are ignorant of what a gift Franklin Richards is to the world of comic books. While we wait for something leading up to the reveal of Franklin Richards in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we will try to shed some light on the extraordinary attributes and powers Franklin Richards possessed.
FRANKLIN RICHARDS: The Origins
In 1968, when the ‘Fantastic Four Annual’, Issue 6 was released, we were introduced officially, to a baby born in New York City with abilities as powerful as being able to alter reality – warp it, or create a new one – named Franklin Benjamin Richards.
Jack Kirby and Stan Lee gave the infant a life impacted by two of the most impressive individuals from the world of Marvel comics if one looked at his parents – the individuals who made the core of the Fantastic Four, Reed Richards, and Susan Storm. As an adult, the reader first meets Franklin in Issue 376 of the ‘Fantastic Force series in 1993.
Susan while pregnant with Franklin had several premonitions. Franklin was even able to move objects from within the womb. Since Susan had cosmic energy instilled in her, these powers of her baby were apparent even while he was developing in his mother’s body. At one point, the effect of the pregnancy on her was so bad that she weakened considerably losing her cosmic energies, having the rest of the Fantastic Four really concerned about her deteriorating health and ability to carry the child to term.
To make sure that neither the mother’s nor the child’s life was lost, the rest of the Fantastic Four travelled to the ‘Negative Zone’. Encountering some trouble there, they eventually managed to retrieve the ‘Cosmic Control Rod’ and in their own real world, they helped Susan recover, and give birth to a healthy child while not compromising on her own health conditions.
Franklin Benjamin Richards was named after his late grandpa, Franklin Storm whose death had been caused as he successfully saved the entire team’s life; and the Richards’ best friend, Benjamin J. Grimm – the Thing – who also was declared the baby’s godfather.
The sorceress Agatha Harkness who lived on the Whisper Hill as well was the child’s designated babysitter in the absence of his parents, and that bond grew over time. When Agatha moved to Salem, California, Franklin had to go back to the home of the Fantastic Four.
FRANKLIN RICHARDS: Some Tales to Tell
As a toddler, Franklin was probably not aware of it but he managed to do things quite significant for the battles – and overall lives – of the Fantastic Four. Probably the very first show was when the Frightful Four had managed to almost defeat the Fantastic Four, and The Thing had passed out. Toddler Franklin woke him up with his abilities and our Fantastic Four managed to snatch a victory there.
Some of the most interesting stories about the character are from his childhood. Once, he was playing with Rubik’s Cube and after getting nothing but frustration out of his attempts to solve it, he decided to use his powers. The television playing in the background suddenly had the show say “When are you going to grow up?” In this situation where Franklin’s powers were extended still, it got all-manipulated and Franklin changed to an old, cloaked man.
He was entirely confused and had the brains of a child – lacking knowledge – and attacked all those near him, including Ben and Johnny as well as his father Reed. Franklin was only wanting to get an “answer” or a key to knowledge but ended up wiping their brains of all information altogether. His mother Susan managed to meet him later, identifying her son in the streets and that is how his memory came back.
Before transforming back to his younger self, he was able to change Ben to his “slate-covered” form, a going-back from Reed’s misfired experiment on him. Franklin then helped some psychological inhibitors to be placed into Franklin’s brain, not fully depriving him of his powers but limiting them nonetheless, until he became an adult and could manage himself better.
That control, however, wasn’t full. Franklin managed to manifest the power to have premonitions and foreseeability in his dreams – something that his mother was affected by while pregnant with him. It was normal and controlled by his usual standards, and he managed to join ‘Power Pack’, now under the alias ‘Tattletale’. His parents were unaware of his membership, as he wanted to be in the spirit of the rest of the members of the group whose parents were unaware of their children’s superpowers altogether.
He befriended most closely, Kofi Whitemane and on the other hand gained several enemies on the adventures they had as a team. One of these adventures even had them traveling through outer space to the alien world of ‘Snarks’ and back to Earth thereafter. The evolution of this power of ‘projecting himself in a vision or dream’ has continued to develop over stories and copious plot twists.
To Franklin, the families of the Power Pack members as well as the members themselves, of course, were like a second family. His own parents often stayed at the Avenger’s Mansion, but they too got close and personal with all of these individuals that whom their son had found solace and friendship. However, Susan and Reed remained unaware of the kids’ powers except their own. They trusted their child with the Power Pack members as they deemed it unsafe for their boy to be at the Headquarters of the Fantastic Four. Once the Power family left for the Kymellian planet, Franklin returned to his parents.
FRANKLIN RICHARDS: A Shocking Twist to His Story Arc
Franklin Richards is undoubted, one of the most powerful characters to come out of the Marvel Universe, was entirely rewritten in 2020. Issue 26 of the Fantastic Four, made in its entirety by the team of Dan Slott, Jesus Abertoy, and R.B. Silva gave Franklin’s character arc a twist that when it comes undone, shall have quite an effect on future tales as well as Franklin’s own personality traits.
Examples of Franklin’s extensive powers have been shown in multiple instances – being able to control Galactus as an adult, eliminate Celestial beings, create a whole universe if he wished to, or being able to save his friends and his family when Marvel’s Onslaught event ended…..and he even managed to change himself genetically on one occasion in his early life, but more on that later! Yet, what we have only mentioned is the tip of a huge iceberg.
Being born with these powers had a characteristic associated with him though – that of being a mutant. Before growing up and officially being an adult, Franklin spent his time with the Power Pack, and only later in life did he join the X-Men on Krakoa, their home island.
While being recruited though, Franklin lost his powers and it is revealed that he is in fact, not a mutant. He never was. When alien Cormorant was being fought against by the Fantastic Four, Franklin wanted to help and pushed himself to use his powers against the enemy. Surprisingly, he not only failed to do that, he was drained of all his powers which he realized when he attempted to use a Krakoan Gateway.
He tried using the Fantastic Four’s ‘Forever Gate’ – their key to all points in time and in space – and failed again. While he was making all these unsuccessful attempts to access Krakoa, Professor X telepathically revealed to him the fact that he would not be able to teleport there either, as his loss of powers meant he was no longer welcome there. Xavier pointed out that the X-gene, as one may be aware, gives a mutant their powers. It was way back in his childhood that Franklin had managed to warp his DNA and infuse it with that X-gene. In his wish and strong desire to be considered a part of everything, he had foundationally transformed himself altogether!
We do not know what the future holds here, but it does not need to be pointed out how carefully the further plots concerning Franklin will have to be handled, given that the minority and racecards could be at play here. No matter what or how this is handled, it will be a compelling read and be scrutinized by critics and readers alike.
FRANKLIN RICHARDS: What Made Him So Powerful?
Fan theories are the bane of the existence of all things fictional. The same is of course, true for the Marvel Universe as well. It is believed that when a fan says that the Marvel Universe is operating on a ‘sliding timeline’, they essentially mean that the concept of time and its passage is different in the Marvel world than on earth. The signature term ‘sliding’ is born out of the fact that as a few years pass, MU seems to pick a new “year” as the beginning of the ‘timeline’.
It is either that, or time moving remarkably slow as characters age or de-age not in sync with real-time at all. More often than not, we see history attempting to be in sync with the present in an absolute rush – Franklin’s powers are often considered to be the foundation of this spectacle of an event. It is ancient, it is bizarre, and it is the reason for brainstorming for our theorist comic geeks. We are all allowed to have fun with these things.
The whole ‘loss of powers’ storyline from before inevitably points out that we have to go back to the origin for new discoveries about their source. The Cosmic Control Rod that Reed, Ben, and Johnny had obtained from the Negative Zone to minimize the negative effects of the pregnancy on Susan when she had Franklin, probably managed to make his own son near-immortal. As Annihilus – the gigantic, tall supervillain Ruler of the Negative Zone, who owned the Rod himself – said at one point that the rod gives its wielder immortality and the ability to manipulate energy by-and-large, which are EXACTLY the powers that line with the whole Franklin situation and his entire story so far.
It is this ability to matter and energy at the molecular level that gives Franklin Richards telekinetic ability to alter the extent of his strength. It’s a far reach, but a plausible theory because no plot confirms the same, but the ability to warp time is generally associated with the ability to supplement strength. His weakness is on the show right now – the loss of powers since he isn’t a mutant as clarified by Professor X – so it remains to be seen if he is able to obtain that kind of strength or re-learn everything or does it becomes a whole new story as to how he will now lead a ‘normal’ life away from the ‘conditioned normal’ he had built around himself.
FRANKLIN RICHARDS: Closing In
Going by the origin and power theory to go by, Franklin Richards is the backbone of the entire Marvel Universe not aging, being projected as immortal. It is notable that prior to Franklin’s introduction in the late-1960s, Marvel superheroes – in fact, any individual who was a part thereof – aged in real-time, more or less. In a fun aspect of things, there are instances to exhibit that Franklin does not know the extent of his own powers.
His ability to change reality is often seen in other Marvel heroes too and is exemplifying the fact that he does it absolutely unknowingly. One time in the event of ‘Heroes Reborn’, Franklin managed to make a whole universe – albeit a pocket of it – had some Marvel superheroes sent there, restarted their lives altogether, and somehow just….
Was not.
Aware of it.
Himself.
Despite his mixed sentiments over losing his mutant status, Franklin attended the Hellfire Gala with his family, demonstrating camaraderie with Kate Pryde – another hint at a development that is still unclear but looks promising. All we can say here really is that we cannot WAIT to see what direction Franklin Richards’ story takes with all the jazz of being powerless. Will we meet a superhero’s re-awakening, or will we meet mere mortal learning to re-live his normal life?