Origin
Franklin Richards was born in New York City. Franklin was born a mutant but since his mom was imbued with cosmic energy he started to exhibit his powers while still in the womb. Franklin was exhibiting powers in-utero, giving the Invisible Woman premonitions and even moving objects telekinetically. During Sue’s pregnancy with Franklin, she began to weaken to the point where the remainder of the Fantastic Four, traveled to the Negative Zone in order to get the Cosmic Control Rod in order to save both mother and child. After a long struggle, Reed and the rest of the team managed to salvage some of the cosmic energy from the rod and went back to their own reality where Sue gave birth to a healthy baby boy. In remembrance of her father who had perished in an act of heroism where he saved the life of the team, she and Reed named the boy Franklin Benjamin Richards. It should be noted that Benjamin is the first name of Franklin’s godfather, the Thing, who was also honored.
Franklin Richards would be babysat by Agatha Harkness when his parents were away. They became very close. They stayed at Whisper Hill where Agatha lived. Until she moved to Salem California, after moving Franklin was sent back to the Fantastic Four’s home
Creation
Franklin was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Fantastic Four Annual #6 (1968). The first appearance of the adult Franklin as he appeared in the Fantastic Force series (as Psi-Lord) was in Fantastic Four Issue 376 (1993).
Major Story Arcs
Manifesting Powers
Franklin was playing with a Rubik’s Cube and found it too difficult so he extended his powers out to solve it just as the television said, “When are you going to grow up?” With his powers extended and completely open to suggestion he changed into an older, almost Christ-like, cloaked man. Being confused with no accumulated knowledge and a near memory-wipe, he assaulted Reed, Ben, and Johnny, wiping their minds in search of an “answer.” Sue managed to escape and confront him in the street, recognized her son and his memory flooded back. Before he reverted to his younger self, he changed Ben Grimm back into the original “slate covered” Thing we know and love (Ben had changed into a smoother, clumpy rock thing when Reed’s experiment to revert him to his human form failed and disfigured him). During his sudden and extreme release of power fixing Ben, Franklin set up some psychological “dampers” so he couldn’t use his full powers until he was of an appropriate age to handle them.
Power Pack
Franklin tried to live out a normal life. With the help of Reed Richards. Reed placed inhibitors in Franklin’s mind so he won’t be able to use his powers. But still a little of his powers could be used. Such as once Franklin projected an image of himself to a long distance. During this time of normality he joined the Power Pack as Tattletale.He didn’t tell his parents of joining this group because the Power Pack’s family didn’t know of their powers.
While being in the Power Pack he gained enemies and allies. Franklin made real close friends with Kofi Whitemane. Franklin thought of the Power Pack and their families as a second family. Mostly because his parents were staying at the Avengers Mansion. Both Franklin’s parents and the Power Pack’s families grew very close. They still didn’t know that the kids had powers except for Franklin. Franklin stayed with the Power family, his parents thought it was too dangerous to be at the FF Headquarters. He came back after the Power family left Earth for the Kymellian planet.
Psi-Lord
A couple of years later, his time traveling paternal grandfather, Nathaniel Richards, kidnapped him and replaced him with Psi-Lord, a teenage version of Franklin taken to another reality where he was trained by his grandfather alongside his aunt, Huntara. When he returned to the present, however, everyone was weary about him and were too suspicious to believe his story of being a grown up Franklin. The person who believed him least, was his own mother, Susan. Psi-Lord created the Fantastic Force and eventually absorbed the essence of Malice, a manifestation of Susan Richards that occurred when her emotions were manipulated by the Psycho-Man, and later on subsided. Years later it once again resurfaced giving Sue a more aggressive personality. He did so in order to save his mother from the constant internal battles and to finally give her peace. However, the futuristic tyrant Hyperstorm then kidnapped Psi-Lord, and returned the child version. It was revealed that Hyperstorm was the son of Franklin Richards and his schoolmate, Rachel Summers ( Marvel Girl). Rachel is the daughter of Cyclops and Phoenix of the X-Men.
Onslaught
The villain Onslaught planned to enslave all life in the cosmos. He sought and proceeded to absorb the powers of the two most powerful mutants to ever live: X-Man and Franklin Richards. He needed Nate’s energy stores and Franklin’s reality warping abilities. While trapped inside Onslaught, Franklin was given strength by Professor X, who was also captive. The Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four defeated Onslaught, but at a high cost. All non-mutant heroes were killed in the battle, including Johnny, Ben and both of Franklin’s parents.
In the end, Franklin was released and rose to his true potential. He created the Heroes Reborn universe, resurrected all the victims of Onslaught, and teleported them to this new pocket universe and creating a Counter Earth. At this point, his power rivals that of Celestials.
Power Loss
Reed Richards obtained a machine to destroy Abraxas called the Ultimate Nullifier. Galactus died and the only way to destroy Abraxas was with the help of Galactus. Franklin using all his powers brought Galactus back to life. Franklin and Valeria were taken care of only their father for the Civil War time being because the Invisible Woman left. The family had things to work out so the Richards left the FF after Civil War. They came back to the FF but only to discover an invasion was on the way. The Invisible Woman was MIA and an impostor came as Sue to dump the Baxter Building into the Negative Zone along with Johnny Storm, The Thing, Valeria and Franklin Richards.
The Return of Onslaught
After the events of M-day Onslaught whose “soul” lingered after death absorbed the lost powers of Professor Xavier and Magneto. He was now hellbent on killing Franklin and every hero that existed, having taken control over the Human Torch and Mister Fantastic as a way to Franklin. Luckily this was foiled when The Thing and Invisible Woman interrupted. When Franklin teleported the Fantastic Four, himself, and some of the Avengers to Counter Earth where Onslaught followed them. While the rest of the Avengers made plans to rescue their allies and friends. In counter earth is was soon realized that Invisible Woman and Mister Fantastic were not married. After a small fight both heroes and villains decided to defeat Onslaught. But in the end it was Rikki Barnes who defeated him by using the fantastic car to send both of them into the Negative Zone barrier in the Fantastic Four’s lab. Franklin returned home and Onslaught was last seen floating in a Negative Zone prison.
Secret Invasion
The Skrull Lyja posing as the Invisible Woman sent the entire Baxter Building into the negative zone along with Franklin, Valeria, and Johnny. They then team up with the Thing to defeat the Skrulls and get home. Ben asks the help of the tinkerer who is a prisoner in the negative zone. He refuses seeing no reason to help his enemies. Franklin and Valeria beg him to help. He is reminded of his grandchildren and decides to help. They and the Baxter Building are returned to Earth and like part of the deal Tinkerer is set free.
Dark Reign
Not soon after Norman Osborn took control as the world’s number one agent of the newly revamped SHIELD division, called HAMMER, Franklin and his sister found themselves under attack by Norman Osborn, Venom and HAMMER soldiers. Franklin and Valeria are left to fight by themselves as their father is unreachable and the other members are stranded on different realities. Valeria separates Norman from the rest of his crew by using technology.
He underestimates her and she then traps Norman in a room where Franklin is seen wearing a Spider-Man mask and calls him a villain. They are next seen being chased by Norman who is about to shoot them. The rest of the team return in time to rescue Franklin and Valeria. Mr. Fantastic tells Norman to leave the building and never come back. Norman tries to shoot Mister Fantastic, but is shot by Franklin in the shoulder which shocks him and the F4 because the gun was just a toy. On his birthday Franklin’s future self gives a warning to Valeria. During this time older Franklin also see’s his younger self and seemingly awakens or re-powers his own self as Franklin is later seen creating a universe under his covers smiling.
X-Factor
Not soon after these events, Franklin and his sister contacted the X-Factor cooperation, led by Madrox the Multiple-Man. They found that their mother had strangely disappeared and thought that their ‘father’ had something to do with it. According to the children, Reed Richards had been acting very strange the last couple of days. The team starts to investigate and find that not only Sue was trapped, but also was Reed being mind-controlled by the Fantastic Four’s most feared enemy, Doctor Doom. They had switched bodies. A battle erupted with X-Factor and the Fantastic Four on the one side, and on the other side Doctor Doom and Layla Miller, an ally of the X-Factor team, whom strangely took side for Doom at this part of the battle. Some time later Doom released Reed from his mental hold and tells them all to leave. That’s what both teams do. Thanks to X-Factor and help from Franklin and Valeria, their parents are back to normal.
Future Foundation and the Death of the Human Torch
After Johnny Storm dies, Franklin Richards becomes extremely distraught. Franklin is seen sitting alone on the top of a building. Spider-Man joins him on the ledge of the building. Spider-Man relates to Franklin, when he said that he was beginning to have bad thoughts. Spider-Man then takes Franklin to clear their minds and to get some lunch. Spider-Man then tells Franklin about how he had lost his uncle too and reflects on his past. Both Franklin and Peter admit that they both could have stopped or ceased their uncles from dying. Then, Peter tells Franklin that he should use his special gifts for the greater good. Peter also tells him that Johnny Storm would have wanted Franklin to think of others, before himself. Franklin Richards is looking at Peter as a new role model for himself, since his first role model, Johnny Storm, is deceased.
Franklin would be visited by a mysterious man who would unlock Franklin’s powers. He taught him to gather his energy and contain it. This mystery man was Franklin himself from the future. He would need the energy in a coming battle with the Mad Celestials, a battle that had killed his father. Determined to change the past, Franklin, Valeria and Nathaniel Richards all devised a plan to stop it.
The Franklin of the future has beyond Omega level reality manipulation abilities, but even just that was not enough. When the proper time came, Franklin gave his future self the power he’d been saving. The future Franklin used this power to command Galactus as his own herald and defeat the Celestials.
After this, Reed and young Franklin began training in the proper use of his powers instead of suppressing them any longer.
New Avengers
In a flash back during the “Time Runs Out” story arc, it is shown that Franklin was asked to use his powers to try and help end the incursions that were destroying the universes in the Marvel multiverse. Franklin failed to stop it. During the 8 month jump in time, Susan tells Reed that Franklin is doing better, but that Franklin feels that he let his father down by not being able to help him stop the incursions.
Powers
Franklin is an omega level mutant with vast reality warping powers and psionic powers as well as complete control over the fundamental forces of the universe. Roma the guardian of all realities said his power level was equal to the Celestials. His powers have been shown to include telepathy over a radius of 250 miles long as well as telekinetic abilities shown to lift himself and tons of weight. He uses his telekinesis for a bio-blast which can even knock the Thing across a room. Franklin also displays precognitive powers, manifesting in his dreams that are most likely always going to happen. This power has increased to the point where he could see the future when he is awake. He can astral project which he calls his Dream self projection. This has no limit to how far he can go.Franklin has also shown to be capable of manipulating and travelling through time an ability the Future version of Franklin used to travel back in time to save his world from the Mad Celestials. He also possesses the ability to control the fundamental forces of the universe, his fundamental forces manipulation is shown to be on a universal scale. One of his main abilities is reality warping. His reality warping power is at a cosmic scale and may have no upper limits at all. He has shown to create a pocket universe, create life doubles of someone, bring back the dead, and create entire planets. Franklin possesses the normal physical abilities of a boy his age and height. However he can increase his physical abilities to infinite level’s through reality manipulation. Franklin is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel universe. It was stated that he is a omniversal threat.
His powers were suppressed for some time by his father due to their dangerous nature.
Personal Data
- Height: 4’8″
- Weight: 100 lbs.
- Eyes: Blue
- Hair: Blond
- Citizenship: American
- Place of Birth: New York, USA
- Known Relatives: Reed and Susan Richards (Parents), Valeria Richards (Sister), Johnny Storm (Uncle), Ben Grimm (Godfather), Evelyn and Nathaniel Richards (Paternal Grandparents), Mary and Franklin Storm ( Maternal Grandparents).
Alternate Realities
Earth-982
In the MC2 reality Franklin is a member of Fantastic Five. At first, he trains other future members including Alyce and Jake, the Thing’s children, and Torus, the son of the Human Torch. When Doctor Doom attacks he manages to capture the Five and the children. They are sent to space and guarded by one of Doom’s Doombots that has the Power Cosmic.
In order to gain the power to defeat the robot, Franklin has the shielding removed from the hull and intentionally douses himself with cosmic rays, hoping to gain more power. He is successful, but he soon becomes radioactive and has to wear a suit to protect those around him from his radiation.
Earth-9997
In the Earth X reality Franklin cursed Namor for killing his uncle, the Human Torch. Half of his body would have fish scales and if he leave the ocean, he would burn. He became Galactus and devoured the celestial inside the earth, thus, saving the planet. He appeared before his father, Reed, and said that he will be Galactus as long as no one tells him that he isn’t and that he will never com back, right before he leaves.
Earth-811
In the Days of Future Past reality Franklin is one of the few remaining mutants. He is the lover of Rachel Summers. He was later killed by an Omega Sentinel.
Earth-967
In this reality Franklin and Rachel Summers has a son – Johnathan Reed Richards AKA Hyperstorm.
Earth-98
In this reality Franklin calls himself Zero Man, and has energy-based powers.
Earth-2149
Franklin was bitten by the zombified She-Hulk, but rather than turning into a zombie himself he died.
Earth-98
Is married to a Wakandan warrior named Zawadi, the two had a daughter named, N’Yami Susan Richards (future ruler of Wakanda)
Earth-2600
Married to Rachel Summers, and the two have a son David Richards
Earth-9891
Married to Rachel Summers, and the two have a daughter Dream Summers-Richards
Other Media
Film
X2: X-Men United
Franklin Richards’ name is listed in William Stryker’s files on Lady Deathstrike’s computer.