The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Invisible Woman Twist Is a Huge Deal for the MCU

Warning: this nonfiction contains basal crippled spoilers for The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

This year’s CinemaCon has been particularly eventful, including the uncover of the rubric of Tom Holland's adjacent Spider-Man movie and an extended look astatine James Gunn’s Superman. CinemaCon has besides fixed america a person glimpse of Marvel’s upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Along with yet seeing Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer successful action, this caller Fantastic Four footage dropped a large bombshell. Vanessa Kirby’s Susan Storm is pregnant.

Anyone acquainted with the Fantastic Four comics volition cognize that this is simply a large woody for the team. Marvel Studios is astir to present arguably the astir almighty mutant successful existence. And possibly his super-genius sister for bully measure? Let’s instrumentality a person look astatine wherefore Sue’s gestation has large implications for the MCU and the Marvel movie multiverse.

The Children of the Fantastic Four: Who Are Franklin and Valeria Richards?

There’s a crushed the FF are known arsenic “Marvel’s First Family.” They’re a loving (if somewhat dysfunctional) household archetypal and a superhero squad second. That household constituent lone becomes each the much pronounced erstwhile Reed Richards and Susan Storm go parents. In the comics, Reed and Sue presently person 2 children. Their elder lad Franklin was introduced successful 1968’s Fantastic Four Annual #6. Franklin’s younger sister Valeria followed successful 2002's Fantastic Four #54.

As you mightiness expect from parents whose bodies were inundated with cosmic radiation, Franklin and Valeria are some acold from mean children. Franklin is easy 1 of the astir almighty beings successful the Marvel Universe. He has the quality to warp world and substance astatine will, a powerfulness that adjacent allows him to make full pouch dimensions retired of nothing. This powerfulness besides manifests successful different ways, giving Franklin everything from telepathy and telekinesis to the quality to task his consciousness crossed the astral plane.

Essentially, Franklin is the 1 being connected Earth whose powerfulness is truthful large it rivals that of cosmic entities similar the Celestials and Galactus. And he’s destined to lone turn much almighty with age. The FF person met aggregate big versions of Franklin from the future, suggesting that he’ll 1 time turn to go an immortal defender of the full Marvel Universe.

That’s a pugnacious enactment to follow, but Valeria has ne'er had overmuch occupation holding her ain successful the Richards clan. She doesn’t person immoderate superhuman abilities (not yet, astatine least), but her caput much than makes up for that. Despite her young age, Valeria is each spot arsenic superb a idiosyncratic arsenic her father. She’s a skilled inventor and an integral subordinate of the Future Foundation, a squad spearheaded by Reed that brings unneurotic the astir superb young minds successful the Marvel Universe.

As they’ve grown older, Franklin and Valeria person begun to instrumentality a much progressive relation successful the Fantastic Four’s adventures. They adjacent person their ain superhero codenames (Franklin is Powerhouse and Valeria is Brainstorm). Whatever the aboriginal holds for the Marvel Universe, Franklin and Valeria volition beryllium determination to signifier it.

Art by Paco Medina. (Image Credit: Marvel)

Doctor Doom’s Relationship With Valeria

One of the much absorbing elements erstwhile it comes to Valeria Richards involves her transportation to Doctor Doom. As overmuch arsenic Doom hates the Fantastic Four successful wide and Reed successful particular, he’s really beauteous fond of Valeria. She whitethorn beryllium the 1 idiosyncratic connected Earth the incredibly self-absorbed Doom genuinely loves.

In fact, Doom is Valeria’s godfather. When Sue went into labor, complications from her cosmic ray vulnerability caused Valeria’s commencement to beryllium highly difficult. Her member Johnny was forced to telephone connected Doom’s assistance to present the baby. Doom’s terms was to take Valeria’s name, and helium named the babe aft his erstwhile lover.

Art by Mark Bagley. (Image Credit: Marvel)

Ever since that day, Doom has shown a peculiar affection for Valeria. That enslaved has lone grown arsenic Valeria’s superb caput has begun to asseverate itself. Much to her father’s chagrin, Valeria reciprocates Doom’s love, adjacent referring to him arsenic “Uncle Doom.” Doom volition ne'er bring himself to admit Reed arsenic the superior scientist, but helium has nary specified hang-ups erstwhile it comes to Valeria.

As overmuch arsenic Doom hates Reed, helium besides covets what his nemesis has - a warm, loving household and the respect and adulation of the full planet. That’s wherefore erstwhile Doom remakes world into Battleworld successful 2015’s Secret Wars, helium steals Reed’s household for his own. Susan becomes God Emperor Doom’s consort, and Franklin and Valeria his adopted children. Naturally, Sue was nary excessively thrilled to recognize what happened erstwhile her memories returned. But contempt each that, the enslaved betwixt Uncle Doom and Valeria Richards endures.

Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman’s Children successful the MCU

One happening is wide pursuing Marvel’s CinemaCon presentation. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is going to present Franklin Richards to the Marvel multiverse, if not Valeria arsenic well. The footage screened during the Marvel sheet confirms that Kirby’s Sue Storm is pregnant. As galore suspected, the “First Steps” information of the rubric does so person aggregate meanings.

We presume that First Steps volition instrumentality spot implicit a agelong capable play of clip that Sue yet gives commencement to Franklin (or twins?) during the people of the film. And conscionable arsenic successful the comics, Sue and Pedro Pascal’s Reed volition observe that their lad is acold from an mean child. He’s fundamentally a deity successful the assemblage of a young boy.

It remains to beryllium seen what nonstop relation Franklin volition person successful the struggle of First Steps, though it’s astir apt nary coincidence that Ralph Ineson’s Galactus is paying a telephone conscionable arsenic Reed and Sue are confronting parenthood. Does Galactus spot Earth arsenic conscionable different snack successful his never-ending cosmic feast? Or is helium specifically funny successful Franklin Richards? We could easy spot a script wherever Galactus craves Franklin’s powerfulness specifically. If you tin conjure full universes retired of bladed air, past adjacent Galactus request ne'er spell bare again.

It’s besides capable to wonderment however Reed and Sue’s children mightiness origin into the larger Multiverse Saga. We cognize from films similar 2022’s Doctor Strange successful the Multiverse of Madness and 2023’s The Marvels that the multiverse is facing an expanding menace from Incursions - that improvement wherever 2 parallel universes statesman to collide. Is Franklin someway connected to the Incursions? Is helium the catalyst that brings the FF from their beingness into the MCU successful Avengers: Doomsday?

And what astir Robert Downey, Jr. 's Doctor Doom? It remains to beryllium seen what, if any, relation Doom volition play successful First Steps. We don’t adjacent cognize that helium hails from the First Steps universe. But we bash person to wonderment if First Steps volition present Valeria alongside her member and acceptable up that important enslaved betwixt the youngest subordinate of the Richards household and Uncle Doom. Will Avengers: Secret Wars travel the comics and spot Doom bargain Reed’s household for his own?

Whatever happens, it’s harmless to accidental that the children of the Fantastic Four person a large portion to play successful the aboriginal of the MCU. One of them is among the astir almighty beings successful existence. The different is 1 of the smartest. Together, they person the imaginable to reshape the climax of the Multiverse Saga and immoderate comes adjacent for the MCU.

For much connected Fantastic Four: First Steps, cheque retired IGN’s breakdown of the archetypal teaser trailer and brushwood up connected each Marvel movie and bid successful development.

Jesse is simply a mild-mannered unit writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intelligence thicket by pursuing @jschedeen connected BlueSky.