Alternative versions of Mister Fantastic

Mister Fantastic is a Marvel comic book character, who has had many alternate versions through various media.

Age of Apocalypse

In the alternate reality known as the Age of Apocalypse, Richards never got his powers as he was never bombarded with cosmic radiation in space. Instead he attempted to evacuate a large Group of Humans from Manhattan when Apocalypse came into power. Along with Ben Grimm as the pilot and his friends Johnny and Susan Storm as crew, Richards used one of his prototype rockets to fly off the island. Unfortunately, a mutant sabotaged the launch and both Reed and Johnny sacrificed themselves to let the others blast off safely.

Bullet Points

In Bullet Points, Dr. Reed Richards is drafted by the government to act as technical support to Steve Rogers, who in this reality is Iron Man. Along with Sue, Ben and Johnny, he later attempts the rocket flight that in the mainstream continuity saw the creation of the Fantastic Four, but the flight is sabotaged and the rocket crashes, [...] everyone aboard except Reed. He thus never develops superpowers, and following the tragedy, he accepts the position as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Having lost his eye in the rocket crash and taken to wearing an eyepatch, he bears a strong resemblance to Nick Fury.

Council of Reeds

The Council of Reeds consists of at least four alternate versions of Red Richards, with different powers, intellects, and abilities, who have banded together across realities. Although Reed made contact with them, he withdrew from the Council when he learned that they were hims that might have been without the influence of his family; according to Reed, they have all lobotomised their Victor von Dooms. Due to an accident caused by Valeria Richards, they have gained access to this reality, forcing Reed to assemble a team of his old enemies- including Doctor Doom, the Wizard, and the Mad Thinker- in order to try and out-think himselves before they destroy this world.

Counter Earth

The Counter-Earth version of Reed Richards is from a world created by the High Evolutionary. His exposure to cosmic rays gives him the ability to transform into a savage purple-skinned behemoth called the Brute. The Brute makes his way to Earth, where he traps Mister Fantastic in the Negative Zone and replaces him. He manages to trap the Human Torch and the Thing shortly thereafter, but is found out by the Invisible Woman, who rescues her teammates and leaves the Brute trapped in their place. The Brute is later a member of the Frightful Four. He first appeared in Marvel Premiere #2 (May 1972).

Dark Raider

An alternate Reed Richards from Earth-944, he first appeared in Fantasic Four #387 (April 1994). He is driven mad when he fails to save his reality's Earth from Galactus. Taking the identity of the Dark Raider, he travels from reality to reality on a quest to destroy every possible version of himself. The Fantastic Four first encounter him when they traveled to an alternate past and see younger versions of themselves die at his hands. When the Dark Raider comes to the Fantastic Four's reality, he attempts to activate the Ultimate Nullifier, but is apparently destroyed by Uatu. This appearance of Uatu is later revealed to be Aron, the Rogue Watcher, who had simply teleported the Raider away. The Dark Raider returns, and is finally killed by the Invisible Woman in the Negative Zone.

Earth-A

In this reality, only Reed and Ben Grimm go up in the experimental spacecraft. Reed is transformed by cosmic radiation into The Thing, while Ben gains the stretching powers of Mr. Fantastic and the flaming powers of the Human Torch. This version first appeared in Fantastic Four #118 (January 1972)

Marvel 1602

Set in the 17th century Marvel 1602 universe, Reed (apparently called Sir Richard Reed, although he is often addressed as "Sir Reed" or "Master Richards") is the leader of 'The Four from the Fantastick', and his pliability is compared to water. Sharing the genius of his counterpart, he has devised uses for electrical force, categorized the sciences, and speculated as to whether light has a speed.

According to Peter David, who is writing a Marvel 1602 miniseries AbOUT the Four, Gaiman describes Sir Richard as even more pedantic than the mainstream Mr. Fantastic.

Marvel Apes

The Reed of this reality is an intelligent ape given stretching powers by exposure to cosmic radiation, as in the mainstream Marvel universe. He tries to find a way to bring Marty "The Gibbon" Blank back to his home reality. He is also one of the few that realizes Captain America is really a disguised Baron Blood, though he is impaled and killed in an attempt to stop the vampire from trying to invade Earth-612 for a new source of blood. The rest of the team are led to believe Marty is responsible for Reed's death and pursue him until discovering the truth.

Marvel Mangaverse

In the Marvel Mangaverse comics, Reed Richards leads the Megascale Metatalent Response Team Fantastic Four as a commander, not a field operative like Jonatha, Sioux, and Benjamin. In Mangaverse, Richards has been re-imagined as a long-haired intellectual with a laid-back attitude. The other members of the team often describe him as a "smartass". His team used power packs in order to manifest their talents on mecha-sized levels so that they may fight the Godzilla-sized monsters from alien cultures that attack Earth for performing experiments which endanger all of reality. Along with assigning battle tactics, Richards okayed the amount of power his team was allowed to use. He has stretching talents which he considered "near useless" except for stretching his neurons, allowing him to brainstorm new IDeaS. In New Mangaverse, Richards (along with the rest of the Fantastic Four with the exception of the Human Torch) was murdered by ninja assassins.

Marvel Zombies

This version of Reed Richards deliberately infects his team and thus himself with the zombie virus when his newly infected team attacks him (which he happily allowed), following madness from the [...] of his children at the hands of a zombified She-Hulk. Reed sets out "to spread the Gospel", a twisted plan to start turning the survivors of the Marvel Universe into zombies which succeeds. Reed later assists his fellow zombies in tracking down several Latverian human survivors; they escape to alternate dimensions but Doctor Doom does not. Reed subsequently makes contact with his Ultimate counterpart. The Zombie FF attempts to escape into the Ultimate Marvel universe, but the zombie Reed is neutralized when the Ultimate Invisible Girl destroys a chunk of his brain, and Ultimate Reed Richards uses necrosis against his zombie counterpart by covering him with maggots. After a brief period of imprisonment, the zombie FF are defeated by Ultimate Reed Richards (in Doctor Doom's body) and their corpses returned to their universe. It is suggested in Marvel Zombies: Evil Evolution that Richards was inadvertently responsible for allowing the zombie virus to infect this reality through the construction of a device allowing access to alternate dimensions.

MC2

In the MC2 continuity, Reed Richards is badly scarred and he designs a small robot into which he claims to have transferred his brain when his body was damaged; in reality, Richards' injuries are minor, and he controls the robot remotely from an outpost in the Negative Zone. This robot, called Big Brain, is a member of the Fantastic Five, and is capable of projecting force fields and can hover or fly. When Reed solves the problem keeping Susan in stasis in the Negative Zone, the mental block preventing his scars from healing dissolves, and his appearance returns to normal.

In an alternate universe in the MC2 line where The Red Skull conquered the world and killed that worlds Captain America. Reed serves as an advisor for Doctor Doom who in this continuality killed Red Skull. After Doom and Crimson Curse fall into a portal Richards turns on fellow advisor Helmut Zemo. Later he becomes a mad scientist, aided by evil versions of Ben Grimm, Franklin Richards and Peter Parker. They are defeated by Spider Girl, Thunderstrike and Stinger.

When Dr. Doom returns, Reed is forced into a mental duel with the villain, which ends in a tie that banishes both their minds to the "Crossroads of Infinity". He is currently in Latveria, under the care of his wife.

Mutant X

In the alternate universe visited by Alex Summers, a.k.a. Havok, the Fantastic Four seemingly have no powers, though Reed still has his genius level intelligence. Reed GeneRally wears a battle suit with two extra arms. In his first appearance, he is attempting to build a machine that will allow the Goblin Queen to summon demons from another dimension. When the Goblin Queen makes her play to conquer the world, Reed is right at her side. In the final issue of the series, Reed joins a makeshift team of villains and heroes in order to stop the Goblin Queen's threat against the entire multiverse. He is interrupted in his work by Dracula, who slices open his throat, [...] him.

Ultimate Marvel

In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, Reed Richards is brought closer to the stereotypical scientist; he is as brilliant as his original counterpart (with an IQ of 267), but he is somewhat awkward, younger, and wears glasses. He becomes part of a "think tank" with other advanced youths, their headquarters being the Baxter Building. He is mentored by Professor Storm and meets Johnny and Sue Storm. As in the normal universe, Ultimate Reed Richards is romantically involved with Sue Storm. Ben Grimm is his only friend and protector.

In issues 21 through 23 of Ultimate Fantastic Four, Reed Richards is able to establish a link to what readers believed was the normal Marvel Universe, communicating with a projection of the original Reed Richards via a special device. When he attempts to travel to the alternate universe, however, he arrives in a world infested by zombies, including a zombified Fantastic Four. Ultimate Reed Richard's conversations with the false projection of his regular counterpart suggest that in the Ultimate universe, Mr. Fantastic is less skilled and has much less experience than the Zombie Mr. Fantastic, if the false projection is to be believed.

While it is still questionable as to whether or not the intelligence of the Mister Fantastic of the Mainstream Marvel Universe (Earth-616) was affected by the Cosmic Rays, this version of Mister Fantastic definitely experiences an increase in his intellect from the accident that empowered him, making his "mind as flexible as his body," and "getting smarter every day", and has shown a reduced need for sleep due to the hyper-efficient workings of his brain.

According to Ultimate Fantastic Four #7, Ultimate Reed's body has been radically transformed, and his only internal organ is a "bacterial stack" that generates energy (presumably from air) to fuel his body. This obviates the need to explain, for example, how his circulatory system can pump his blood when his body is stretched the length of a football field; he simply has none. Lacking a digestive system, he has no need to eat or drink. Similarly, because he has no lungs, Ultimate Reed doesn't need to breathe in any conventional human sense and can survive in environments lacking oxygen; however, during his time in the N-Zone, where the atmosphere is essentially acid, he is unable to breath the air there, suggesting that he still requires air to a certain degree.

The Ultimate Mr. Fantastic does have a limit to the length he can stretch to. In Ultimate Fantastic Four #44 he is able to catch a falling Carol Danvers after she is dropped by the Silver Surfer, and upon setting her down, he admits that it hurt him to stretch that far.

Reed comes from an abusive family. His father Gary shows no regard for him and views his accomplishments with contempt. His mother is more warm toward him but is constantly trying to maintain peace between the two. His middle name is also given as Nathaniel.

After the events of Ultimatum, the Ultimate Fantastic Four decided to disband and Reed and Sue break up. He is later shown to now be living with his parents again. Unfortunately as of the events of Ultimate Comics: Enemy #1 Ultimate Reed and his entire family are missing because of the purple smoke monster.

As of Issue 1 of Ultimate Mystery, a tie-in to Ultimate Enemy, he has been assumed dead by Carol Danvers and Nick Fury. However, in Ultimate Comics Mystery 4, Susan Storm and Rick Jones teleport to Project Pegasus where it is revealed that Reed Richards is alive and apparently in alliance with the attacking aliens.

What If?

Marvel's What If? comic book series featured several alternate versions of Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four.

Spider-Man in the FF

In at least three issues of What If?, Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four, but his presence resulted in Sue feeling increasingly sidelined in favour of the four male members of the team, resulting in her leaving the team to marry the Sub-Mariner. Although Reed was briefly driven insane and decalred war on Atlantis, he eventually recovered and the two apparently reconciled, resulting in the 'Fantastic Five' reforming once again.

Vol. I #6

In What If? #6 (Dec 1977), after the team are exposed to cosmic rays, they develop powers based on their personalities. Ben Grimm grows large dragon-like wings (because he loves flying), Johnny Storm gains metallic skin and the ability to control metal (due to his love of cars), Sue Storm gains the ability to stretch and reshape her body (because her personality caused her to try and fit in with the more dominating friends), while Reed Richards vast intellect causes him to become a giant floating brain. Reed's brain is destroyed during a battle with Doctor Doom, but not before he manages to transfer his mind into Doom's body.

Vol. II #11

In What If? vol. 2 #11 (March 1990), the origins of the Fantastic Four are retold, showing how the heroes lives would have changed if all four had gained the same powers as the individual members of the original Fantastic Four.

• Fire Powers: In this alternate history the cosmic rays give the four the powers of the Human Torch. They decide to use their powers for good, and become the Fantastic Four. They battle such menaces as the Mole Man and the alien race Skrulls. While battling the mystic Miracle Man, he brought to life a statue advertising a monster movie called "The Monster from Mars." When the heroes set fire to the monster statue of the monster, the fire engulfs a local apartment building, [...] young Angelica Parsons. Following Parsons's death, the team disbanded.

• Elastic powers: In this alternate history, Reed Richards, Sue and Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm are bombarded with cosmic radiation and develop the ability to stretch. Deciding not to become superheroes, Ben Grimm and Sue Storm discover their love for one another and settle down to raise a family, never using their stretching powers again. Reed Richards devotes his life to science. Johnny Storm becomes the celebrity Mister Fantastic.

• Monstrous forms: The cosmic rays in this alternate history transform Ben Grimm, Reed Richards, Johnny Storm, and Sue Storm into monstrous creatures. They relocate to live on Monster Isle.

• Invisibility powers: In the final What If? story, Ben Grimm, Reed Richards, Johnny Storm, and Sue Storm gain different aspects of the mainstream Sue Storm's power—Sue can turn invisible, Reed project invisibility, Ben projects invisible force-fields, Johnny can become intangible. They join Colonel Nick Fury's new C.I.A. unit, codenamed S.H.I.E.L.D..