Warning: this text incorporates primary plot spoilers for The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
This 12 months’s CinemaCon has been particularly eventful, together with the reveal of the title of Tom Holland’s subsequent Spider-Man film and an prolonged have a look at James Gunn’s Superman. CinemaCon has additionally given us a better glimpse of Marvel’s upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Along with lastly seeing Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer in motion, this new Fantastic Four footage dropped a serious bombshell. Vanessa Kirby’s Susan Storm is pregnant.
Anyone acquainted with the Fantastic Four comics will know that this can be a massive deal for the group. Marvel Studios is about to introduce arguably essentially the most highly effective mutant in existence. And possibly his super-genius sister for good measure? Let’s take a better have a look at why Sue’s being pregnant has main implications for the MCU and the Marvel film multiverse.
The Children of the Fantastic Four: Who Are Franklin and Valeria Richards?
There’s a purpose the FF are often called “Marvel’s First Family.” They’re a loving (if considerably dysfunctional) household first and a superhero group second. That household factor solely turns into all of the extra pronounced as soon as Reed Richards and Susan Storm develop into mother and father. In the comics, Reed and Sue at the moment have two youngsters. Their elder son Franklin was launched in 1968’s Fantastic Four Annual #6. Franklin’s youthful sister Valeria adopted in 2002’s Fantastic Four #54.
As you may anticipate from mother and father whose our bodies had been inundated with cosmic radiation, Franklin and Valeria are each removed from strange youngsters. Franklin is definitely some of the highly effective beings within the Marvel Universe. He has the power to warp actuality and matter at will, an influence that even permits him to create total pocket dimensions out of nothing. This energy additionally manifests in different methods, giving Franklin every part from telepathy and telekinesis to the power to challenge his consciousness throughout the astral aircraft.
Essentially, Franklin is the one being on Earth whose energy is so nice it rivals that of cosmic entities just like the Celestials and Galactus. And he’s destined to solely develop extra highly effective with age. The FF have met a number of grownup variations of Franklin from the longer term, suggesting that he’ll in the future develop to develop into an immortal defender of all the Marvel Universe.
That’s a troublesome act to observe, however Valeria has by no means had a lot bother holding her personal within the Richards clan. She doesn’t have any superhuman skills (not but, not less than), however her thoughts greater than makes up for that. Despite her younger age, Valeria is each bit as good a scientist as her father. She’s a talented inventor and an integral member of the Future Foundation, a group spearheaded by Reed that brings collectively essentially the most good younger minds within the Marvel Universe.
As they’ve grown older, Franklin and Valeria have begun to take a extra energetic position within the Fantastic Four’s adventures. They even have their very own superhero codenames (Franklin is Powerhouse and Valeria is Brainstorm). Whatever the longer term holds for the Marvel Universe, Franklin and Valeria will probably be there to form it.
Doctor Doom’s Relationship With Valeria
One of the extra attention-grabbing components in relation to Valeria Richards entails her connection to Doctor Doom. As a lot as Doom hates the Fantastic Four typically and Reed specifically, he’s really fairly keen on Valeria. She often is the one particular person on Earth the extremely self-absorbed Doom genuinely loves.
In reality, Doom is Valeria’s godfather. When Sue went into labor, issues from her cosmic ray publicity precipitated Valeria’s beginning to be extraordinarily troublesome. Her brother Johnny was compelled to name on Doom’s help to ship the child. Doom’s worth was to decide on Valeria’s title, and he named the child after his former lover.
Ever since that day, Doom has proven a peculiar affection for Valeria. That bond has solely grown as Valeria’s good thoughts has begun to claim itself. Much to her father’s chagrin, Valeria reciprocates Doom’s love, even referring to him as “Uncle Doom.” Doom won’t ever carry himself to acknowledge Reed because the superior scientist, however he has no such hang-ups in relation to Valeria.
As a lot as Doom hates Reed, he additionally covets what his nemesis has – a heat, loving household and the respect and adulation of all the planet. That’s why when Doom remakes actuality into Battleworld in 2015’s Secret Wars, he steals Reed’s household for his personal. Susan turns into God Emperor Doom’s consort, and Franklin and Valeria his adopted youngsters. Naturally, Sue was none too thrilled to appreciate what occurred when her reminiscences returned. But regardless of all that, the bond between Uncle Doom and Valeria Richards endures.
Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman’s Children within the MCU
One factor is obvious following Marvel’s CinemaCon presentation. The Fantastic Four: First Steps goes to introduce Franklin Richards to the Marvel multiverse, if not Valeria as properly. The footage screened throughout the Marvel panel confirms that Kirby’s Sue Storm is pregnant. As many suspected, the “First Steps” portion of the title does certainly have a number of meanings.
We assume that First Steps will happen over a protracted sufficient time frame that Sue finally offers beginning to Franklin (or twins?) throughout the course of the movie. And simply as within the comics, Sue and Pedro Pascal’s Reed will uncover that their son is way from an strange little one. He’s basically a god within the physique of a younger boy.
It stays to be seen what actual position Franklin could have within the battle of First Steps, although it’s most likely no coincidence that Ralph Ineson’s Galactus is paying a name simply as Reed and Sue are confronting parenthood. Does Galactus see Earth as simply one other snack in his unending cosmic feast? Or is he particularly fascinated by Franklin Richards? We may simply see a state of affairs the place Galactus craves Franklin’s energy particularly. If you may conjure total universes out of skinny air, then even Galactus want by no means go hungry once more.
It’s additionally sufficient to surprise how Reed and Sue’s youngsters may issue into the bigger Multiverse Saga. We know from movies like 2022’s Doctor Strange within the Multiverse of Madness and 2023’s The Marvels that the multiverse is going through an rising risk from Incursions – that phenomenon the place two parallel universes start to collide. Is Franklin in some way related to the Incursions? Is he the catalyst that brings the FF from their universe into the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday?
And what about Robert Downey, Jr. ‘s Doctor Doom? It stays to be seen what, if any, position Doom will play in First Steps. We don’t even know that he hails from the First Steps universe. But we do must surprise if First Steps will introduce Valeria alongside her brother and arrange that essential bond between the youngest member of the Richards household and Uncle Doom. Will Avengers: Secret Wars observe the comics and see Doom steal Reed’s household for his personal?
Whatever occurs, it’s protected to say that the kids of the Fantastic Four have a giant half to play in the way forward for the MCU. One of them is among the many strongest beings in existence. The different is among the smartest. Together, they’ve the potential to reshape the climax of the Multiverse Saga and no matter comes subsequent for the MCU.
For extra on Fantastic Four: First Steps, try IGN’s breakdown of the primary teaser trailer and brush up on each Marvel film and collection in growth.
Jesse is a mild-mannered workers author for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your mental thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
