Appearing in Marvel comics; Franklin Richards is usually depicted as a supporting character in Fantastic Four and has been portrayed as a child and as a novice superhero. The character is known to be an immensely powerful being with vast reality-manipulating and psionic powers beyond Omega-level mutants, despite not being a mutant himself.
Franklin Richards first appeared in 1968’s Fantastic Four Annual #6, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, but was given the name two years later in Fantastic Four #94 in 1970. An older version of the character didn’t appear in Marvel’s Fantastic Four until April 1996. He has remained a recurring cast member of the Fantastic Four comic book from 2007 to 2009. The character is one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel comics who go on to revive Galactus and make him his herald.
Franklin Richards revives Galactus to fight Celestials
Son of Reed Richards and Susan Storm, Franklin Richards is wildly powerful and can alter reality and create entirely new universes. His cosmic abilities, including telepathy, telekinesis, and energy projection, allow him to be unstoppable when he fully unleashes.
According to CBR, in one reality; Jonathan Hickman and Neil Edwards’ Fantastic Four #581 showcase that Franklin Richards along with his sister Valeria work together with their grandfather Nathaniel to travel into the past and change the future for the better. The Comics Explained’s YouTube channel explains that Richards from the future comes to the past, borrows the powers of his younger self, and resurrects Galactus in Fantastic Four #604.
Richards revived Galactus to fight the Mad Celestials from an alternate reality and invade the main Marvel universe to conquer it. Galactus loses his life while fighting the three Celestials who merge their powers to kill him. But after Richards revives him, the two of them combine their powers to fight the Celestials and defeat them.
Their battle with Celestials is one of the most significant battles recorded in the Marvel Universe. This led to Galactus briefly becoming the Herald for Franklin. It has also been noted that Richards is probably the only character in the Marvel Universe who can perform such a feat. But he’s also considered as one of the innocent characters who decided not to keep the powers any longer than he needed to, hence leading to cementing a bond with Galactus.
Franklin Richards to appear in MCU’s Fantastic Four?
Fans have been excited since the announcement of Marvel’s Fantastic Four starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Queen, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. As it has already been known to the ardent fans of the comics, Franklin Richards is a major part of Fantastic Four comics. Now, according to insider CanWeGetSomeToast, it has been reported that the son of Reed Richards and Susan Storm is going to appear in the movie.
Directed by Matt Shakman, the script for Fantastic Four is currently undergoing rewrites by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber and is expected to finish in a month or two. The extent of Richards is not yet disclosed but based on the story that has been shared; the movie is set in the past so the version of Franklin that the audience might get to see could be of a young Franklin Richards.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who is going to play The Thing/ Ben Grimm in the movie, recently spoke about being cast in MCU’s Fantastic Four, adding via ComicBook
“I don’t think it’s the suit. Michael Chiklis wore a suit. Apparently, the suit was really uncomfortable. We’re past that I think. It’s a little cosplay and amateur now with technology. It’s mostly performance capture.”
The Bear actor revealed that they do have a group text started by The Last of Us actor who plays Reed Richards in the movie, noting that no one is being coy.
Fantastic Four is scheduled for a July 2025 release.
