- “He hides his nature from you.”
- ―Galactus to Reed Richards about Franklin[src]
Franklin Benjamin Richards is a Marvel Comics character who is the son of Reed Richards and Susan Storm. He made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps as an infant and a four year old.
Franklin Richards was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Background[]
Powers[]
- Cosmic Power: Even as a baby, Franklin has extraordinary powers, which even beings like Galactus recongizes to the point where Franklin is referred to as a god.
- Resurrection: With Franklin being one of the most powerful beings in existence, he is able to bring back people from the dead.
Appearances[]
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness[]
An alternate version of the character is mentioned in the film by his father Mr. Fantastic, who mentions him and his sibling.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps[]
On Earth-828 in 1964, Sue and Reed learn she is pregnant with their first child and want to keep it a secret for a while, but Ben deduces Sue is pregnant during a family meal, which she confirms and her brother Johnny congratulates her, telling her she is going to be a wonderful mother. As the months go by, Sue and Reed start babyproofing the apartment and see their baby through the use of her powers. A few months later on Halloween night, the Fantastic Four are in Times Square when a mysterious woman, whose name is later revealed to be Shalla-Bal, threatens the world by telling them that their planet is now marked for death and will be devoured by a mysterious force named Galactus.
Franklin is born in space.
Sue and Reed discuss how to keep their unborn baby safe once Galactus arrives and so they decide to confront the space god themselves. Reed and Sue send Johnny to confront this spacewoman and she is shown to be almost full term with her pregnancy. After Johnny's encounter with Shalla-Bal, they decide to go into space and confront Galactus for themselves, where they must travel to another planet. Upon arriving, Ben, Sue and Reed try to get Galactus to reconsider by offering him something else, but he refuses as he knows this baby has exceptional powers that no other human being will ever have. Using his powers, Galactus causes Sue to go into labor earlier than expected and the four return to the rocket. The Silver Surfer phases through the rocket and tries to get the baby from inside Sue's womb, but fails and leaves. The baby is then born and Sue names her son Franklin Richards, named after her and Johnny's father, Franklin Storm.
Baby Franklin with his parents.
Upon their return to earth, the Fantastic Four learn they have been gone a month and Sue holds her son as Reed speaks to the press about their encounter with Galactus. He reveals they were unable to stop him because he asked for their son, a price they believe is too high. This causes the New Yorker's to turn against the heroes while Reed promises he and his teammates will protect everyone. Later that night, Sue and Reed are with Franklin as he reaches for his mother and they discuss a way to protect the world and their baby from Galactus. Sue decides to take Franklin out to the public and tells them she will not sacrifice her child for this world, but not let the world die because of her son.
The Fantastic Four learns that Galactus is heading to earth and so they must come up with a plan to exile him from this world. Reed spends time with Franklin one night and expresses his worries that his son will turn out like him, as he is ashamed of himself, something Sue assures and comforts him about. Coming up with a plan, Sue and Reed tell Johnny and Ben that they want to use Franklin as bait for Galactus now that Reed has created a wormhole to send Galactus through, which they tell him is a terrible plan, but they do try and get Shalla-Bal on their side as Johnny has learnt her language, although it does not seem to work as she leaves.
Franklin is used as bait for Galactus.
Having come up with a plan to stop Galactus, Franklin's parents decide to use him as bait by leaving him with H.E.R.B.I.E. in the Baxter Building. The robot distracts the baby while the team face him as he destroys New York City, but Galactus finds the infant and starts to steal him. After Mr. Fantastic is saved by the Human Torch and Thing, he is able to save his son as Invisible Woman collapses and apparently dies from exhaustion by using her powers. Johnny decides to make the ultimate sacrifice by pushing Galactus, but is stopped by Shalla-Bal who does it instead, having turned against her master, sending them both through the wormhole, resulting in Galactus being exiled and Shalla-Bal's fate unknown.
Franklin revives his mother.
With the final battle won, Reed, Ben and Johnny notice that Sue is unconcious and seems to have died. They mourn her as Franklin reaches for his mother so Reed places his son onto his mother's body. Using his newly discovered powers, Franklin is able to revive Sue, awakening her as she gasps for air, and she embraces her baby. Following the victory, the Fantastic Four appear on the Ted Gilbert show and announce themselves as the Fantastic Five, revealing that Franklin has powers, but they must all suddenly leave as they become aware of a threat. Outside the TV studio, Franklin and Sue watch as Johnny, Ben and Reed struggle to put the baby's car seat into the Fantasticar, before they leave. In 1968, a four year old Franklin is being read to by Sue in the Baxter Building and he asks for another book. While his mother goes to get another book, Franklin is approached by a strange man with a mask and green cloak. Sue sees Franklin interacting with the stranger as the young boy reaches for the man's face, causing Sue to activate her powers.
Trivia[]
- In the comics, Franklin Richards was originally a mutant, that possessed vast reality-manipulating and psionic powers. He was later retconned as a human mutate.
- Also in the comics, Franklin has a younger sister named Valeria.
- In the comics, Franklin's first name comes from Franklin Storm, his maternal grandfather.
- Sue being pregnant with Franklin was revealed and confirmed in the official trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps after many fans speculated the fact from the teaser trailer.
- The Marvel Cinematic Universe marks the first time the character has appeared in live-action.
- Even as an infant, Franklin is one of the most powerful beings in existence as established by Galactus, something even his parents weren't aware of.
- As of the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, it is unknown who played four year old Franklin in the mid-credits scene as the child was not credited.
- In the scene where Franklin revives Sue, the baby claps and director Matt Shackman revealed that the baby did that on her own without being told to do so.[citation needed]
Gallery[]
Screenshots[]
.jpeg "The Fantastic Four - First Steps (38).jpeg (3.48 MB)")
.jpeg "The Fantastic Four - First Steps (52).jpeg (110 KB)")
.png "The Fantastic Four - First Steps (43).png (1.01 MB)")
.png "The Fantastic Four - First Steps (44).png (1.45 MB)")
Miscellaneous[]
References[]
- ↑ "Marvel Adds Possible Fourth Movie to 2028 Slate". Variety (June 18, 2025). Retrieved on July 24, 2025.
External links[]
Franklin Richards on Wikipedia- Franklin Richards on Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki
- Franklin Richards (Earth-828) on Marvel Database
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