Even though the year just started, fans are already preparing for the big day when “Avengers: Doomsday” releases in December. Many fans are already rewatching the entire MCU from “Iron Man” all the way to “Fantastic Four: First Steps,” give or take a few skips in between. However, I have a different approach in mind: with such a vast cast of characters, I plan to go through each one and highlight them (their origins, powers, and most iconic feats). And with the movie being centered around Dr. Doom, what better way to kick off this series than by going over his arch nemesis: Mr. Fantastic?
Origins
When you hear the name “Mr. Fantastic,” your first thought is that he’s the super-stretchy superhero leader of the Fantastic Four. While that’s true, Reed Richards is still a scientist first and foremost, even as a child. Being descended from a wealthy physicist, it’s no wonder that Reed was a child prodigy, specializing in many scientific fields and even excelling in college-level courses when he was only 14 (Marvel Encyclopedia: New Edition). When he finally attended college, he became the roommate of Victor Von Doom. They already disliked each other right off the bat, but when Victor attempted to conduct his own experiment, Reed noticed a dangerous flaw and tried to warn Victor not to continue. Of course, Victor would ignore him and do it anyway, only for the experiment to literally blow up in his face (and yet somehow, he still blamed Reed for the whole thing), resulting in him eventually wearing his iron mask.
However, unlike Doom, Reed would soon meet people who would make a positive impact on his life. The first would be Benjamin J. Grimm (eventually known as the Thing), a former football player who replaces Doom as Reed’s roommate but also becomes Reed’s best friend. When he transferred to another university and rented a room in a boarding house, the woman who owned it actually turned out to be the aunt and legal guardian of siblings Susan and Johnny Storm (eventually known as Invisible Woman and Human Torch). Susan would fall in love with and become engaged to Reed, while Johnny looked up to him as a mentor and brother. After graduating, Reed built a starship using funds from his father and the government. However, with threats to shut down the project and cut funding, Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben would take a secret test flight into space (with Ben piloting the craft). However, the shielding Reed used failed to protect them from the waves of powerful cosmic radiation that hit them, resulting in drastic alterations to their DNA and bodies. From there, the rest is history.
Powers and Abilities
On a surface level, Reed Richard’s powers are very similar to heroes like Plastic Man or Elongated Man. Reed can stretch parts of his body to about 1,500 feet before the process becomes painful for him, but he can stretch even farther if the situation demands it. He can also shapeshift to resemble other people or reshape his body into various objects, such as weapons, slingshots, or bouncy balls. You name it, and he can transform into it. However, as I’ve said, this is only a surface-level look into his powers, because there is way more to them than that. Reed doesn’t just have the ability to change his physical body, but he can also manipulate everything inside him as well. He can change his cells to varying sizes or redistribute mass, allowing him to densify his skin, reshape his internal organs, bone density, and even tissue structure. Further, his elasticity gives him the ability to absorb kinetic energy, allowing him to tank explosions, survive cosmic-level beings or situations, and even take hits from the Hulk (for a limited time, though). But the craziest thing is that he can also reshape his own brain, except he can’t just make it bigger or instantly become omniscient. Instead, he can alter brain matter and restructure his brain so that he can process many complicated things at once and for extended periods of time, which is obviously beyond the capacity of the average human brain.
However, unlike Plastic Man, Reed’s powers do have limits. For instance, his molecules are already very unstable thanks to the aforementioned cosmic radiation. This means that, while he can elongate or manipulate the inside and outside of his body, it’s very taxing on him if he does it for too long. Further, while his elasticity allows him to survive explosions and many other crazy situations, it doesn’t mean that he’s completely immune to them. Since his body can only disperse force instead of nullifying it, factors such as extreme cold or continual hits will cause him to pass out or further destabilize his molecules, so the chances are very high that he can still feel pain to a degree. Finally, while he can stretch farther than 1,500 feet in rare circumstances, it would increase the risk of Reed losing control of his molecules and powers. But despite how bad these limitations sound, they actually make Reed a better hero. He knows what his body can do, but he knows he’s not invincible, so he’s more cautious and tactful when he uses his powers. And thanks to his insanely high intelligence, he can analyze the situation he’s in, calculate the best use of his powers without overexerting himself, and react accordingly all at the same time. It also helps that Reed NEVER takes the easy route with his powers. He doesn’t change his brain to get smarter or mindlessly use his elasticity; he works hard to earn the best outcomes, staying true to the scientist inside him.
Greatest Feats
Most of you are probably wondering why I didn’t talk about Reed’s massive intelligence in the “Powers and Abilities” section, and that’s because I decided it was better to show rather than tell. After all, many of his most iconic feats were accomplished with said massive intelligence, and three of them are actually found in one story. In 2015’s “Secret Wars,” the multiverse was being destroyed by a race of powerful cosmic beings known as The Beyonders (who exist outside of space and time). Dr. Doom, Molecule Man, and Dr. Strange tried to prevent this by killing alternate versions of Molecule Man (cuz the Beyonders were using them as living bombs), but that only made things worse by preemptively causing Incursions (two realities crashing into each other). Once Reed found out about the Incursions, he immediately went to work and constructed some spaceships capable of surviving the destruction. Let that sink in for a minute: a destructive cosmic force beyond comprehension wiped out the whole multiverse, and yet one man found a way to survive it! It doesn’t need to be asked, but do you have any idea how smart you’d have to be to accomplish something like that? Much less have the guts to lock in, keep your composure, and work while under the pressure of your impending doom? Anyway, while Reed was building the lifeboats, Doom tried another approach: by using Molecule Man and some magic, Doom was able to steal the Beyonders’ power and destroy them. Then he proceeded to stitch together pieces of remaining realities into the new Battleworld, which Reed landed on. By the end of the series, Reed would confront Doom, where his second iconic feat was performed. After Molecule Man essentially nerfed Doom’s powers to make the fight more fair, it later turned into a philosophical debate. Where Doom believed he did better at saving the world than Reed, Reed pointed out that Doom only did it to prove a point to satisfy his own insecurities. Reed also pointed out that, despite Doom’s best efforts to make a perfect world, it was incredibly flawed and cosmically unstable. Then somehow, one of the pettiest and proudest villains in the history of fiction was swayed by these words, admitting that Reed would’ve done a better job than Doom. Then Molecule Man transferred Doom’s powers to Reed, and this is where his third (and possibly greatest feat ever) occurred. Instead of being corrupted by the power, he and his son, Franklin (a super OP kid who can warp reality and create universes in his hands), literally rebuilt the entire multiverse from scratch! I mean, this man somehow convinced Dr. Doom of all people to give up his godhood, and then proceeded to use that power to rebuild all realities! If that doesn’t demonstrate a character’s intelligence, much less how amazing that character is, then I have no idea what will!
Conclusion
Mr. Fantastic has statistically got to be one of the most iconic (if not one of the greatest) Marvel characters ever created! He may not be able to fly or destroy planets with a single punch, but his mind more than makes up for the difference, even outshining his elastic powers. And if Pedro Pascal’s portrayal of the character will be anything like his comic book counterpart in “Avengers: Doomsday,” then we’re guaranteed to see something mind-blowing unfold this year!
