Mr. Fantastic Profile

Real Name:

Reed Richards

Location:

New York City

First Appearance:

Fantastic Four #1 (1961)

Created By:

Jack Kirby and Stan Lee

Powers:

Mr. Fantastic’s nickname, “Stretch,” sums up the nature of his powers quite nicely. Reed Richards is able to stretch and mold his body in many fantastic ways. Enabling him to stretch to paper thinness or blow up like a balloon.

He is akin to the water elemental, being able to form and flow his body to many different shapes. He can squeeze his body through the tinniest of openings, stretch his appendages out to restrain opponents, or flatten out and act like a parachute. He generally chooses to form his body into more basic shapes such as balls, mallets, or springs. He either seems unable to or unwilling to form more complex variations. Although one could imagine that a man of such intellect has surely tried to make his body take more complex and unusual shapes.

While in his stretchy state, his body is nearly impervious, being able to bounce bullets back at adversaries and withstand physical attacks that would render other beings unconscious or dead.

Another thing to note about Reed Richards is his mind. He has one of the most keen human intellects in the world, being proficient in almost every field of science. His mechanical engineering is unparalleled as he has devised and created countless amazing machines and patents. He is often called in by other superheroes and teams that encounter things that while greatly perplex them, merely challenge Richards until he comes up with a solution.

Team Affiliations:

Fantastic Four, The Illuminati

Currently Seen In:

Mr. Fantastic can be seen in Fantastic Four and sometimes in Illuminati. He is often makes guest appearances in other comics as well.

Interesting Fact:

In a more unusual interpretation of Mr. Fantastic’s stretching power, in the mini-series Earth X, he once stretched his mind to make himself more intelligent.

Origin:

Reed Richards was born to a highly intelligent scientist father named Nathaniel and mother Evelyn. When his mother died at the age of seven, his father tutored and spurned Reed on in his studies, which he excelled at immensely.

Upon entering college, Reed met a man who would become his greatest arch-nemesis. Victor Von Doom, who would later become Dr. Doom, also attended the same college that Reed did, and while Reed tried to advance a relationship with the also highly intelligent Doom, his offerings were spurned and Reed became the roommate of Ben Grimm, a football player. The two opposites became fast friends and their friendship has lasted to this day.

While attending Columbia, Reed met and fell in love with Sue Storm, and also became friends with her younger brother Johnny. They dated, but when Reed graduated and went to work for the military, their relationship was put on hiatus.

Upon returning, Reed wanted to study space and began to devise and build a starship that would allow him to do just that. Ben, by now a test pilot, had agreed long ago half heartedly to fly the spaceship should Reed ever get around to making it. While reluctant at first, Reed also agreed to let Sue and Johnny accompany him on a test flight of the vessel.

When the ship entered space, the group was bathed in cosmic radiation, and upon subsequent landing, Reed, Ben, Johnny, and Sue were changed. Their abilities were reminiscent of the four elements, with Reed acquiring the wateresque abilities.

Since then, Reed and Sue were married, and gave birth to a highly powerful mutant son named Franklin, and a girl, named Valerie. The group have struggled with raising children in their dangerous household, and the government has even threatened to take the children away from time to time.

Reed is often the more logical and emotionless of the group. This has aided him greatly when it comes to leading the team on missions or making tactical decisions during the battle, but has often caused difficulties in his marriage with Sue. They often have had to reconnect to regain the spark in their marriage, even under great strain.

The struggles Reed has gone through as a member of the Fantastic Four have been many. Reed once sought a way to destroy his arch-nemesis, Dr. Doom, and the result nearly drove him mad. When Dr. Doom’s latest plot to destroy Reed and his family ended with Dr. Doom seemingly dead, Reed went into Latveria and took control of the country, trying to undo the damage that Doom had caused the country, only to start turning as tyrannical as the man he had opposed time and time again. The U.N. even threatened criminal charges and it took the effort of his own teammates to bring him to his senses.

This battle severely tarnished their reputation and Reed had to make a deal with the United States government by turning over all his patents and working for them to avoid going to jail. It also hurt the trust of his friends and family.

Lately, during the Marvel Comics Civil War, Reed Richards took the logical side of wanting superheroes to register their identities with the government. He threw himself to the cause and devised many things that were used in the war, one being the clone of Thor that ended up killing the hero Goliath, and creating the prison in the Negative Zone that housed both villains and heroes. These actions greatly strained his relationship with his wife, Sue, who ended up joining the resistance with her brother, Johnny Storm. When the Civil War ended, Sue and Reed reunited, but decided to take a break from the team to work on their marriage.

Undoubtedly, Reed will return to the Fantastic Four. He is their leader, mind, and in many ways he is the backbone of the team, leading them to discover the mysteries of the universe.