“He’s not like us,” Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) tells her husband Reed (Pedro Pascal) at the end of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. “He’s more.”
Sue is referring to their infant son, Franklin, the latest addition to the superhero team. Franklin’s birth is a huge part of Fantastic Four, as is his potential status as a mutant, and Reed spends a great deal of time worrying that the same cosmic entity that changed them will also affect his son. Those familiar with the Franklin of the comics knew that some kind of mutation was inevitable, but Fantastic Four goes all out with its first tease of his true power.
As exciting as it may be to see Franklin take his first, well, steps into a superpowered world, we never get a concrete explanation of his capabilities. We’ll soon see an older version of Franklin make the jump from Earth-828 to the “Sacred Timeline,” and he’s sure to unleash more of his powers in Avengers: Doomsday. But while we wait for the Fantastic Four to return, let’s break down exactly what makes Franklin the most powerful member of the team.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Fantastic Four: First Steps!
Franklin Richards’ Powers, Explained
Fantastic Four’s main conflict is between the team and Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a massive entity threatening to destroy the world for sustenance. He’ll only leave Earth in peace in exchange for Franklin, who Galactus claims possesses “the power cosmic.” Apparently, Franklin is powerful enough to feed on energy and life in the same way Galactus does, and Galactus wants Franklin to replace him as the devourer of worlds, which would doom the poor kid to an eternity of eating planets.
Naturally, the Fantastic Four decide to fight Galactus, with Sue using all her might to push Galactus into a portal of Reed’s creation and send him far away from Earth. The effort drains her life, but Franklin soon demonstrates his grasp over the power cosmic by reviving her. When she opens her eyes again, they briefly reflect a starry, nebulous sky, the mark of Franklin’s connection to the cosmos.
Fantastic Four draws clear parallels to Franklin’s comic book powers. On the page, Franklin can manage matter and energy, rewriting reality down to the cellular level. (He also possesses garden variety superpowers, like telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation, and flight.) He’s most commonly used his ability to create universes, even multiverses, but he could easily use his powers to extend human life, as he does in Fantastic Four.
In truth, there’s no limit to what Franklin can do, barring the blocks he instills in himself. In Fantastic Four Vol. 7 #18, Franklin reveals that he cut himself off from his own power so that he could enjoy life as a normal kid. As he often finds himself the target of entities determined to use him for their gain, his aversion to his powers makes sense. Galactus likely won’t be the last MCU villain to see out Franklin; as Fantastic Four’s mid-credits scene reveals, he’ll cross paths with the new Doctor Doom. It’ll be interesting to see how the team rallies to protect Franklin, but eventually, he might not need his family’s help at all.
