Who is Franklin Richards in The Fantastic Four: First Steps? Baby's powers explained

By the time the child is born and named Franklin later in the film, he's already become the source of a spot of bother – to put it mildly. After working out that he could be a very powerful being, planet-eating villain Galactus issues the Fantastic Four with an ultimatum: hand him over or he'll devour Earth-828.

Naturally, this is not an offer the gang takes especially kindly to, and much of the film is devoted to their efforts to save both child and planet. By the end of the film Franklin has a vital role to play in how things resolve – read on for a full explanation of his role, his powers and his comic origins.

But be warned: there are obviously some major spoilers ahead for The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Who is Franklin Richards in Fantastic Four?

Franklin is introduced as the child of Reed Richards and Sue Storm in the film, born after the latter unexpectedly became pregnant after years of failed attempts.

Even before he is born, his importance is clear, with Galactus using the child as a pawn in his planet-devouring schemes. The villain tells the members of the Fantastic Four that he will only spare Earth-828 if they hand him over – given that he contains a mysterious strength referred to as the 'Power Cosmic'.

Although he is crucial to the events, for most of the runtime Franklin is purely a passive character – he is just a baby after all – but at the very end of the film he more than proves his immense, game-changing power.

With his mother seemingly dead after passing out from over-exertion of her powers while attempting to banish Galactus to a portal, a desperate and tearful Reed places the child on Sue's chest.

Almost immediately, she begins to show signs of life once again and is later shown to have returned to full strength. The power of resurrection certainly isn't a bad start...

Franklin Richards powers explained: What is the Power Cosmic?

So we know that Franklin is extremely powerful, but what actually is the power cosmic? Well, the simple answer is that it is an extremely powerful energy source that has played a major role in several comic book storylines over the years.

In the comics, it's a power held by Galactus – who we saw in the film was desperate to get his hands on Franklin precisely to get the power for himself – and the abilities it offers its holder are incredibly impressive; the creation of life, telekinesis powers, molecular restructuring, the creation of inter-dimensional portals... you name it!

It's not clear exactly why Franklin holds this power from birth – other than the fact he was born of two parents who had previously been imbued with cosmic radiation, but it's certainly made him a very important baby.

Franklin Richards comic book origins explained

In the comics, Franklin was first introduced in Fantastic Four Annual #6 – in November 1968, and he's gone on to make numerous appearances over the years, both as a child and also a novice superhero.

Although he doesn't contain the Power Cosmic in the comics, as he does in the film, he is nonetheless an extremely powerful being – in fact, pretty much the most powerful mutant ever introduced in the Marvel universe.

His talents include the ability to warp universes and create pocket universes in addition to the powers of telekinesis, telepathy and astral projection. Oh, and immortality. He should certainly come in handy in the future, then.

At various points in the comics he's taken the names including Powerhouse and Tattletale, while one storyline even saw him becoming Galactus himself. One other thing worth mentioning is that his nanny in the comics is none other than Agatha Harkness – maybe they'll have an MCU encounter somewhere down the line...

Interestingly, Fantastic Four: First Steps is Franklin's first appearance on the big screen, although the character did previously make a non-speaking cameo appearance in an episode of animated series The Super Hero Squad Show.

Will Franklin Richards be in Avengers: Doomsday?

That's pretty much a guaranteed yes, especially when we consider that the post-credits scene in Fantastic Four: The First Steps sees a certain Doctor Doom pay a visit to young Franklin.

While previous MCU entries have included post-credits teases that were then never delivered upon, we can be pretty certain that won't be the case here – not least because we already know his family are set to take centre stage in the battle against Doom in Avengers: Doomsday.

As for exactly what his role will be, that remains to be seen, but it wouldn't be too surprising if the plot sees the Fantastic Four teaming up with the Avengers to retrieve the child from Doom if the villain does indeed get his hands on him.

After the tease in this film, it will certainly be fascinating to watch him grow and continue to use his substantial powers into the future...

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now showing in UK cinemas.

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