How will the Fantastic Four protect their world from Galactus? Well, according to one star, they may lean on the power of a younger, secret character.
With some villains in the MCU, it’s easy to see how they can be beaten; you can take Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet away, you can hug The Void until he’s Bob again, and Mysterio’s weaponry is one (admittedly immersive) illusion.
Galactus is a bit different. In the words of director Matt Shakman to Empire Magazine, he’s a “humungous, 14-billion-year-old, planet-devouring cosmic vampire.”
Even if all of Earth’s mightiest heroes banded together, he’d be a tough opponent. However, the Fantastic Four may have a secret weapon.
Fantastic Four star teases Franklin Richards
We know Sue Storm is pregnant during The Fantastic Four: First Steps. We also know she’ll give birth to a baby – but it’s unclear exactly who that baby will be.
It’s not just a question of boy or girl – it’s Franklin or Valeria, two extremely powerful children of Reed and Sue in the Marvel comics.
Speaking to Empire, Kirby delivered an exciting tease when asked how the titular team can take on a villain of Galactus’ caliber. “It’s not just adults that have superpowers,” she said.
MarvelThe likelier candidate is Franklin, considering he’s also their first child in the comics and his powers are comparable to Dr Manhattan in Watchmen (he’s also been described as an equal to the Celestials).
More specifically, he can warp reality and rearrange the molecular structure of matter and energy at will, create pocket universes, use telepathy, telekinesis, and astral projection, and it’s believed he may be immortal.
In short, he’s exactly what the Fantastic Four needs. “It feels unusual, in a Marvel movie, that there’s a birth in the middle of it. We’re having to risk things for this baby. The questions in this movie feel like fundamental human ones,” Kirby added.
Until Fantastic Four premieres on July 25, 2025, find out what the Thunderbolts post-credits scene may tell us about it, have a look at a “terrifying” Franklin Richards sculpture, and read our ranking of the MCU movies.
