Franklin Richards entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Fantastic Four, and this introduced one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe. While he is still a toddler when the movie ends, age means little when it comes to Franklin. In Marvel Comics, he created entire pocket dimensions, worlds, and entire new races just using the power of his mind, something few, if any, Marvel heroes or villains are capable of. He has been a member of the Fantastic Four, was considered a mutant until that was retconned, and has lost and regained his powers more than once. For a teenager in the comics, Franklin has undergone significant changes.
From the comic book where he was born to his showing off his powers and time traveling around the Marvel Universe, here are the best Franklin Richards stories in Marvel Comics history.
10) Fantastic Four Annual #6
The first appearance of Franklin Richards in the Marvel Universe was when he was born. In Fantastic Four Annual #6, the Fantastic Four were in the Negative Zone, and the Invisible Woman was pregnant. The reason they went to the Negative Zone was that Susan was having a tough pregnancy thanks to the cosmic rays in her body, and Reed knew there was something called Element X there that could save her. They found Annihilus while there, and Reed knew that Element X was in his Cosmic Control Rod. However, since Annihilus relies on the rod to stay alive, and he has an irrational fear of death, they had to fight him for it. Reed managed to get it and siphoned some out to save her, which allowed Susan to give birth to a healthy Franklin Richards. However, this made Annihilus a Fantastic Four enemy for life, and Franklin was born with immense powers.
9) Fantastic Four #140-141
One of the biggest Franklin Richards stories as a child came in Fantastic Four #140-141. Susan was away from the team at this time, and Medusa had taken her place. However, the story begins with Sue informing Reed that something is wrong with Franklin. Before they can meet up, Agatha Harkness intervenes, taking Susan and Franklin under her protection. However, they all end up captured by Annihilus. By the end of the story, Reed is finally able to help rescue his son from the monster. However, when he sees Franklin’s eyes glowing and realizes the power the child possesses, he takes a device he made and blasts Franklin into a coma to prevent his powers from overwhelming him. This was one of the worst things Reed Richards ever did, and Susan angrily takes Franklin and leaves him, while The Thing says the Fantastic Four are officially finished.
8) Fantastic Four #376
In Fantastic Four #376, things changed completely for Franklin Richards (although it was not going to last). Reed’s father, Nathaniel Richards, showed up and revealed that he had traveled into the future, where he had seen events unfolding that all involved Franklin. While his family trusted him at first, they realized too late that Nathaniel had plans to take Franklin away from them, and it was an all-out fight that the Fantastic Four lost. Nathaniel escaped through a portal with Franklin, and before the team could figure out how to give chase, the portal reopened, and a teenage Franklin showed up, having been raised in the future and now back with powers of his own. This, it turned out, was an alternate Earth version of Franklin and would be undone later, but it started a new journey for the hero.
7) Fantastic Force
Before the young Franklin returned to Earth-616, the teenage Franklin had some big adventures. Nothing was bigger for the second-generation Marvel Comics hero than his series, Fantastic Force (1994). This series showed how powerful Franklin was since Nathaniel trained him. Taking on the name Psi-Lord, he formed this new team when the Fantastic Four broke up, and they replaced the FF in defending the world from threats. On top of Franklin, the team also included a young Wakandan warrior named N’Kano, an Inhuman named Devlor, and Huntara, someone from Franklin’s otherworldly future. Financed by Black Panther, they had several adventures, including against AIM, Klaw, and Morgan Le Fay.
6) Daydreamers
Daydreamers was a three-issue miniseries from 1996 that saw Franklin Richards (as a young child again) alone on Earth after the Fantastic Four and Avengers all died in their battle with Onslaught. While the FF got a reboot in the Heroes Reborn universe, Franklin ended up being sent to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters to learn to control his mutant powers. While there, he met two other kids (Artie Maddicks and Leech) and they ended up creating a team known as the Daydreamers alongside Tana Nile, Howard the Duck, and Man-Thing. This series sees them involved in adventures in a strange world, which turns out to be one Franklin created himself. This series explored trauma and Franklin’s loss of everything, and it was incredibly poignant at the time.
5) Heroes Reborn: The Return
As mentioned, Franklin lost his parents and family after Onslaught, but what no one knew was that the rebooted Heroes Reborn world was one that Franklin Richards created, one of the many pocket universes he had made with his mind, and had been making since he was a young child. Heroes Reborn: The Return was a four-issue miniseries that showed Franklin dealing with his trauma while still running from Onslaught. However, Franklin learns that both the real Earth and the Earth he created (which he unknowingly carries in a blue ball) will be destroyed if he doesn’t decide which one to save. The villains here are the Celestials, and they have proven powerful enough to kill gods, monsters, and other heroes. Only Franklin has the power to save his world.
4) Fantastic Four Vol. 3 #46–49
The Fantastic Four had a new villain in this four-issue storyline named Abraxas. He is a cosmic being that was born in the core of Eternity, and his goal was to destroy the Multiverse and cause its complete end. However, he ended up in battle with the Fantastic Four, who were not able to stop him on their own. At this time in history, they had their daughter Valeria, but she was from another Earth and had grown up with Franklin Richards there. In this story, Valeria, Franklin, and the teenage Franklin were all together when the series came to its major climax, and they did something incredible. The other Earth’s Franklin called his herald Galactus for help. This was a great ending, and seeing Franklin show his might as a teenager revealed what the world’s Franklin will be capable of one day.
3) Onslaught Reborn
While Franklin Richards was able to save his family, the Avengers, and the Hulk from the Celestials, Onslaught wasn’t finished with the boy. On M-Day, Scarlet Witch depowered all of the world’s mutants except for 198 of them. On the flip side, Onslaught returned, and he wanted nothing more than to find Franklin Richards. Franklin ran back to Counter-Earth to hide, met up with Bucky (Rikki Barnes) from that Earth, and then Onslaught followed. The series was an interesting take, with Franklin having to convince the heroes of Counter-Earth (whom he had actually created) of who he was so they would help him fight, and eventually, defeat Onslaught once again.
2) Dark Reign: Fantastic Four
Dark Reign: Fantastic Four was a 2009 five-issue miniseries that saw Norman Osborn and his Dark Avengers come after the Fantastic Four. At this time, Norman was in charge of SHIELD and basically had the American government on his side since he “saved” the world during the Secret Invasion crossover series. Iron Man was a wanted man, and most heroes were on the run from Norman and his superteam. The Fantastic Four wouldn’t back down, even when Norman invaded the Baxter Building. What stands out here is when Franklin Richards defended his parents by shooting Norman with a toy gun, which actually shot a real bullet into Osborn. It proved Franklin Richards had his powers back.
1) Fantastic Four Vol. 6 #2-3
When Dan Slott started writing Fantastic Four comics, he took them back into the cosmos and had them return to their lives as explorers. What he had them explore was fascinating because it was the pocket dimension that Franklin had created in his mind over the years. There were planets and worlds here that Franklin made from scratch, and races of alien beings that never existed until Franklin willed them into being. These two specific issues were significant because they introduced the most powerful Franklin Richards villain since Onslaught. This villain is called the Griever at the End of All Things, the embodiment of death, entropy, and the end of everything. She was disgusted that Franklin created new worlds and wanted them all destroyed and Franklin dead. Reed had to call in help from the Fantastic Four’s extended family just to escape, and it led to more meetings with the Griever over the next few years.
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