Superhero Reed Richards. "Fantastic Four"

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The first superhero team led by Reed Richards appeared in comics in 1961. After a terrible incident in outer space, he comes up with the pseudonym Mister Fantastic and, along with the Invisible Lady, the Human Torch and the Thing, becomes a member of the Fantastic Four. In addition, Reed Richards is passionate about science and is rightfully considered one of the smartest inhabitants of the planet.

Early years

Reed was born into the family of the eminent physicist Nathaniel Richards, whose genes and upbringing aroused the boy's interest in science. His mother, Evelyn, left this world when his son was only 7 years old. Since then, the main task of the father was the proper education of the boy, who at an early age showed incredible talent and mastered any scientific discipline with incredible speed. This led to the fact that at the age of 14, Reed Richards had already graduated from high school and entered several universities at once, where he defended his doctoral dissertations in various fields. Even then, space exploration became his great passion. He dreamed of building his ownresearch ship and go on a journey beyond the Earth's atmosphere.

Scientific career

During his student years, Reed met another brilliant mind, Victor Von Doom, and mutual dislike arose almost immediately between them. At the same time, he met his best friend Ben Grim, who was later destined to become a pilot and astronaut. The comrades promised each other that in the future they would definitely go into space and Ben would be the main pilot in this flight. In the following years, Richards led a project to build a spacecraft that was supposed to be a scientific breakthrough. However, constant funding problems led to the decision to cancel the expedition into space.

Forbidden flight

Stopping funding doesn't stop a dedicated scientist who plans to conduct an illegal flight. However, to make it, the support of friends is necessary. Soon, Reed Richards, whose team consists of his girlfriend Susan Storm, her brother Johnny and, of course, pilot Ben Grim, sets off on a journey through the solar system. But it does not last long, because as a result of cosmic radiation, radiation enters the ship, changing the lives of the crew members forever.

Fantastic Four

The whole team, by a happy coincidence, managed to avoid death, but the effects of radiation immediately made themselves felt. Reid's body has changed, it has becomeelastic and stretchable. Susan gained the ability to become invisible, and Johnny Storm's body was set on fire, which does not harm him and makes it possible to fly. Ben suffered most outwardly, who was completely covered with powerful stones and became absolutely impenetrable. Reed felt a lot of guilt about what happened, but he came up with a way to help his friends feel better and more confident. He created special costumes and came up with code names. Thus, a team of superheroes was born, which included Mister Fantastic, Invisible Lady, the Human Torch and the Thing. Thus began their adventure.

Superpowers

Reed Richards and his colleagues put all their efforts into developing the acquired abilities to the maximum. The genius began to study the possibilities of his new body and, by experience, was convinced that he could take any form by stretching, squeezing or expanding. Apart from this, his limbs can also transform and deliver powerful blows to enemies. The length that his body can stretch reaches a kilometer. He learned to change his own density into the most solid, or vice versa, liquid state. The big plus is that most poisons and toxins do not affect Reed due to the special structure of the internal organs. In addition to the superpowers acquired as a result of the incident, he still remains the owner of a unique intellect. In moments free from the fight against evil, Reed continues to invent new devices, conduct scientific experiments and createhigh tech weapons. His special talents led him to join another team called the Illuminati, which includes other outstanding superheroes.

Ultimate Universe

According to the laws of the Multiverse, there are parallel worlds in which Reed otherwise got his nickname Mister Fantastic. Marvel Comics in 2004 releases a new Ultimate Fantastic Four comic book series, which takes place not in the main universe, but in the modern one, called "Earth-1610". There, Reed met Ben as a child, and together they confronted classmates who taunted Richards because of his inconsistency with general standards. Relations with his father, who is called Harry, did not work out for him, and he left his parents' house early to engage in scientific research. Later, he meets a talented scientist named Victor Von Doom and works with him on his invention. As a result of incorrect calculations, the test, in which Sue, Johnny and Ben again participated, ends in failure, and the heroes get their abilities. This version is less popular, but has every right to exist.

Adaptations

Over the long years of the Fantastic Four's existence, the team has repeatedly appeared on the screen. The comic was first adapted into an animated film of the same name in 1976. In subsequent years, Reed Richards repeatedly appeared in other cartoons, including Spider-Man, Squadsuperheroes", "The Incredible Hulk" and many others.

A feature-length film was released in 1994, in which Mister Fantastic was played by Alex Hyde-White.

However, most of the audience learned about this team thanks to the 2005 film, in which the main role went to Ioan Griffith. The plot was based on the classic story about superheroes, and Doctor Doom became the main villain. It was one of the first films about these superheroes, which brought him great success. The collection of the picture exceeded its budget by 3 times, so it was decided to shoot a sequel. The next part, in which the heroes encountered the Silver Surfer, was released 2 years later, but showed not such a brilliant result. They decided not to shoot the sequel, and for many years there was no information about the future of the superhero family.

Present

Anyway, about three years ago, a reboot of the Fantastic Four films was announced, the film rights to which remained with the 20th Century Fox studio. The leading actors were announced immediately. It was decided to create a team of young actors, and make the story itself darker. The basis of the plot was taken not at all the option to which everyone is accustomed. After a long filming in August 2015, an updated version was released. Unfortunately, it was negatively received by both ordinary people and loyal fans. So it is hardly worth counting on a continuation.

Comics are also in a bad state. In 2014, it was announced that the publishing housedecided to stop releasing this series, as it sold very poorly. However, fans will still be delighted with the appearance of their favorite characters in comics about other characters in the Marvel universe. Over the long years of the Fantastic Four's existence, the members of the team have changed more than once, but everyone will always remember its classic composition, and in particular Reed Richards, a superhero who everyone knows as a true leader and a recognized genius.