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He is approaching. The Fantastic Four: First Steps may present an extremely powerful personality to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, somebody whose mere existence would possess reverberations across all other worlds, had it long been predicted by synopses and second looks. Although the most recent First Steps video doesn’t entirely show this character, we do notice a harbinger annonce his arrival and its effects on group leader Reed Richards aka Mister Fantastic.

What? No, the title isn’t t Galan, much known as Galactus, but rather Galan. Yes, the world-devourer actually appears in the form of a shadow and a foot ( not a cloud )! The video teases Franklin, the oldest child of Reed and Sue Richards, a child who can alter reality with his mind, as the most effective character.

Franklin’s appearance

The Fantastic Four were initially a home, then experts, and heroines, from the moment they first appeared in 1961. It was only a matter of time before Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the film’s authors, got married to Sue Storm and welcomed their second baby Franklin Benjamin Richards, who was born in 1968&#8217, s Fantastic Four Monthly# 6. Fantastic Four Yearly# 6 follows Reed and her colleagues Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm as they search for the one factor that can save Sue, whose delivery is threatened by her exposure to celestial waves. It is a mind-bending, psychedelic trip into the Bad Area.

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Reed and Sue chose to hire the witch Agatha Harkness (originally a sage elderly woman in the comics, not snarky Kathryn Hahn ), who is portrayed as a nanny. Lee and Kirby&#8217, s larger-than-life approach to family details also highlights Franklin &#8217, s odd life. However, Franklin &#8217’s life becomes even stranger when he begins to manifest abilities, even as a youngster. At first, it appeared as though Franklin had psychic abilities that enabled him to change other people’s minds or even see the future. This led to him adopting the name Tattletale and joining a group of young superheroes called the Power Pack.

However, Reed realized when he examined the situation more closely that Franklin wasn’t creating the future because he wasn’t seeing it. Franklin had the ability to create and re-create reality, abilities that were unconsciously present. Additionally, Reed and Sue discovered that Franklin’s powers were derived from the “X-Gene,” which officially designates him as a mutant in the manner of the X-Men.

So Franklin Richards quickly transitioned from being the child of two superheroes to someone who had connections to the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, and who could radically alter the world in his will. This, of course, led to some outrageous tales.

Fantastic Franklin

Late in the 2012 story &#8220, Forever, &#8221, the Fantastic Four stand at the edge of oblivion. The Four and their super-talented friends from the Avengers and the X-Men were unable to stand up to the Mad Celestials, literal gods who have lost their minds and have plans to undo reality, despite their remarkable abilities.

Reed and Sue are overheard to say,” Rid!” in the middle of the chaos when a well-known, if not entirely new, voice starts to yell. The adult Franklin, who has arrived from the future to assist his family in dealing with the Mad Celestials, has the voice. &#8220, Rise! Rise! Franklin keeps repeating this until a huge figure appears in the skyline, ready to face the Celestials. Franklin orders, &#8220, To me, my Galactus! upon seeing him. &#8221,

This is perhaps the best instance of Franklin displaying his abilities in this scene from Fantastic Four #604, which was written by Jonathan Hickman and was penciled by Steve Epting. Franklin frequently recreates reality, sometimes in small ways, by assisting his godfather the Thing defeat Yancey Street rivals in matches, and occasionally on a galactic scale.

Adult Franklin frequently appears in time travel tales, including the beloved X-Men two-parter Days of Future Past ( and more so in the less effective sequel Days of Future Present ) or as a brand-new Galactus in Alex Ross ‘ Earth X series. Franklin has also been a tool for rebooting continuity, most famously in the Heroes Reborn/ Heroes Return bbcurios that followed Marvel&#8217’s company-wide Onslaught story.

After the Fantastic Four and Avengers were slain by a new villain called Onslaught, Franklin recreates them in a brand-new reality, one that just so happened to be done by famous 90s figures like Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld (yes, that’s where the name of Captain America comes from ). Marvel published a story in which Franklin reintegrates the FF and the Avengers into mainstream reality and immediately loses his abilities after the edgy reboots were rejected by fans.

Of course, Franklin regained his abilities only to lose them later, which would be grating if the stories weren’t that good. Case in point is 2024&#8217, s Fantastic Four# 14, which was written by Ryan North and penciled by Carlos Gómez, in which a once-depowered Franklin awakes with his abilities intact and claims that he&#8217, s stripped them away himself. His powers are restored once a year, in which he explores realities and puts an end to threats that his family and other Marvel heroes cannot stop, before returning to being a typical child.

Just a Boy

Franklin &#8217 ;s appeal and that of the entire Fantastic Four are pivotal in making the decision to return to being a regular kid. No matter how incredible the adventures are, the Fantastic Four must be first and foremost a family of people who love one another.

It’s difficult to believe that Franklin’s reality-warping powers might have a role in integrating the team into the MCU with the exception of the fact that the aforementioned Fantastic Four #604 appears in the run-up to Secret Wars, the story that will become 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars.

However, the trailer’s focus on Reed and Sue fretting about being parents and Johnny and Ben celebrating their uncle status, shows that First Steps is putting the family first, which is the most crucial aspect of any Franklin Richards story.

On July 24, 2025, The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be released in theaters.

The post Marvel’s Most Powerful Character’s Arrival, Marvel’s Most Powerful Character’s Arrival, and It Isn’t Galactus first appeared on Den of Geek.