Editing Mister Fantastic (section)

==Fictional character biography==
===Pre-Fantastic Four===
Born in Central City, [[California]], Reed Richards is the son of [[Evelyn Richards|Evelyn]] and [[Nathaniel Richards (Marvel Comics)|Nathaniel Richards]]. Nathaniel was a scientific genius, and Reed inherited a similar level of intellect and interests. A [[child prodigy]] with special aptitude in [[mathematics]], [[physics]], and [[mechanical engineering|mechanics]], Reed Richards was taking college-level courses when he was 14.<ref>{{cite book |title=Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe 7 |quote=Reed was taking college-level courses by the time he was fourteen.}}</ref> He attended such prestigious universities as the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], [[California Institute of Technology]], [[Harvard University]], [[Columbia University]], and the fictional Empire State University. By the age of 20, he had several degrees in the sciences under his belt.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://comicvine.gamespot.com/mr-fantastic/4005-2151/|title=Mr. Fantastic (Character)|website=Comic Vine}}</ref>

It was at Empire State University that he met [[Thing (comics)|Benjamin J. Grimm]].<ref>''The Thing'' #2 identifies the college that Reed and Ben met at as "Empire U," so State University has been retconned away. They now officially met at Empire State University.</ref><ref name="mnyc">{{cite book | last = Sanderson | first = Peter | title = The Marvel Comics Guide to New York City | publisher = [[Pocket Books]] | year = 2007 | location = New York City | pages = 30–33 | isbn = 978-1-4165-3141-8}}</ref> Reed had already begun designing a starship capable of traveling in hyperspace. Sharing his plans with his new roommate, Grimm jokingly volunteered to pilot the craft.

Also while at State U<ref>{{cite book |title=Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe 7 |quote=It was at State University that Reed Richards first met two of the most important individuals in his life. He was assigned to room with a foreign student, a scientific genius named Victor Von Doom.}}</ref> he met a brilliant fellow student, [[Doctor Doom|Victor Von Doom]]. In Richards, Doom met the first person who could match him intellectually; regarding Richards as his ultimate rival, Doom became increasingly jealous of Richards. Determined to prove he was better, Doom conducted reckless experiments which eventually scarred his face and would lead him to become Doctor Doom.

During the summer months, Reed rented a room in a boarding house owned by the aunt of a young woman named [[Susan Storm]], who was an undergraduate student at the time.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' vol. 4 #4 altered the origin story so that Sue is closer in age to Reed. When she is afraid that Reed is on the verge of breaking up with her, she tells him that he should "find a new undergrad" to date, implying that she is an undergraduate herself. Both ''Fantastic Four'' vol. 4 #4 and ''The Thing'' #2 specify that Reed was attending Empire State University at the time.</ref> Reed fell in love with Sue instantly and began courting her. Ultimately, Reed was too distracted from his work on his dissertation due to his romance with Sue and decided that the best thing for the both of them was to move out of Marygay's home.

Moving on to Harvard, Reed earned [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhDs]] in [[Physics]] and [[Electrical Engineering]] while working as a military scientist, all this by the age of 22.{{Citation needed|date=June 2010}} He also worked in communications for the Army and was involved in the Sin-Cong Conflict. Three years later, in his mid-20s, Reed used his inheritance, along with government funding, to finance his research. Determined to go to [[Mars]] and beyond, Richards based the fateful project in Central City. Susan Storm moved into the area, and within a short time, found herself engaged to Reed. Reed's old college roommate, Ben Grimm, now a successful test pilot and astronaut, was indeed slated to pilot the craft.

All seemed well; however, when the government threatened to cut funding and cancel the project, Reed, Ben, Sue, and Sue's younger brother [[Human Torch (Johnny Storm)|Johnny]], agreed to sneak aboard the starship and take it up immediately. They knew they had not completed all the testing that had been planned, but Reed was confident they would be safe. Ben was initially skeptical about the unknown effects of radiation, while Reed theorized that their ship's shielding would be adequate to protect them.

It was on Reed's initiative that the fateful mission which had Susan Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm accompanying him into space took place. When their ship passed through the [[Van Allen belt]] they found their cockpit bombarded with nearly lethal doses of [[cosmic radiation]]. Reed had neglected to account for the abnormal radiation levels in the belt's atmosphere. The cosmic rays wreaked havoc on the starship's insufficient shielding and they were forced to return to Earth immediately. When they crash-landed they found that their bodies were changed dramatically. Reed's body was elastic and he could reshape any portion of his body at will. At his suggestion, they decided to use their new abilities to serve mankind as the Fantastic Four. Reed was chosen to lead the group, under the name "Mr. Fantastic".<ref name="Fantastic Four #1">''Fantastic Four'' #1</ref> He later told [[Valeria Richards|his daughter]], by way of a [[bedtime story]], that the reason he suggested they become adventurers and gave them such outlandish costumes and names as "Mister Fantastic" and "[[Thing (comics)|The Thing]]" was that he knew they would likely be hated and feared for their powers without such an over-the-top public image.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' vol. 3 #60</ref>

This history has been changed over the years to keep it current. In the original comics, Richards was a veteran of World War II who had served behind enemy lines in occupied France, and the goal of his space mission was a crewed space flight to the Moon [[Space race|before the Communists were able to]]. This was later changed to getting there before the [[People's Republic of China|Chinese Communists]] and to explore the interstellar areas of the red planet and beyond. Also, Reed originally states that he and Sue "were kids together" and that Sue was the "girl next door" who Reed left behind to go fight in the war.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #11</ref> This origin story was, many years later, altered so that Sue was thirteen years old when she first met Reed, who was in his early twenties, at her Aunt Marygay's boardinghouse.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #291</ref> Current official Marvel canon has since altered this origin story by combining elements of both—it eliminated the large age gap but maintained that Reed and Sue did not meet until their late teens at Aunt Marygay's boardinghouse.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' vol. 4 #4</ref> The change in age was an editorial decision made in 2013 as Reed developing, several years later, a romantic interest in a girl he first met when she was thirteen years old was deemed inappropriate.

===Leadership of the Fantastic Four===
The early career of the Fantastic Four led Mister Fantastic to a number of discoveries, and had their first encounters with many unusual characters. In the team's first appearance, they battled the [[Mole Man]].<ref name= "Fantastic Four #1"/> They then battled the [[Skrull]]s.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #2</ref> Soon after that, the team encountered the [[Namor|Sub-Mariner]].<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #4</ref> They then had the first of many battles with Doctor Doom.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #5</ref> They later journeyed to a subatomic world.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #16</ref> Soon after that, they encountered [[Kang the Conqueror|Rama-Tut]].<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #19</ref> They then battled the [[Molecule Man]].<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #20</ref>

As the team leader, Mr. Fantastic created numerous exotic devices and vehicles for the team to use such as clothing made of '[[unstable molecules]]' so that it can be used with their powers safely. Furthermore, he often leads the team into daring expeditions such as into the [[Negative Zone]] in addition to opposing evil. Also, he has felt personally responsible for Ben Grimm's grotesque change and has labored off and on to reverse it permanently.

Under his guidance, the team went on to become Earth's most celebrated band of heroes. Together, they would save the world countless times. Ever driven by his quest for knowledge, Reed is believed by most to be the Earth's foremost intelligence. There is little he cannot create, fix, or understand given time. The patents and royalties on his inventions alone have funded the group over the years.

However, there are drawbacks to his association with the team. Chief among them is the team's violent encounters with Doctor Doom, who believes that Reed was responsible for the accident that scarred him. Doom has never forgiven Reed and has sworn revenge. Doom has even gone as far as transforming Reed into a monstrous freak, attacking Reed's children, and attempting to seduce Sue.

===Subplots and story arcs===
After many adventures as the Fantastic Four, Reed married Sue.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' Annual #3</ref> Not long after that, the team encountered the [[Inhumans]] for the first time.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #44–48</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Brian |last=Cronin |url= https://www.cbr.com/a-year-of-cool-comics-day-261/ |title=A Year of Cool Comics – Day 261 |publisher=[[Comic Book Resources]] |date=September 18, 2010|access-date=May 6, 2022}}</ref> They next encountered [[Galactus]] and the [[Silver Surfer]].<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #49–50</ref> Reed then opened a portal to the [[Negative Zone]] for the first time.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #51</ref> Soon, the team first battled the [[Psycho-Man]].<ref>''Fantastic Four'' Annual #5</ref> Before long Reed and Sue had a baby, [[Franklin Richards (Fantastic Four)|Franklin]]; the team battled [[Annihilus]] right before Franklin's birth.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' Annual #6</ref> Franklin was a [[Mutant (Marvel Comics)|mutant]] with incredible powers, but, due to the cosmic ray alteration to his parents' DNA, they manifested while he was still very young (in the Marvel world, most mutants like the [[X-Men]] get their powers while teenagers). Franklin appears to have power that can rival a member of the [[Celestial (comics)|Celestials]]; the power of a god in the body of a small child. The couple briefly separated,<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #130</ref> and Reed further alienated Sue by shutting down Franklin's mind to prevent his power from causing global catastrophe;<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #141</ref> Sue Storm initiated divorce proceedings but the two were reconciled soon after.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #149</ref>

Reed also saved Galactus's life during the course of his adventures.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #243</ref> He then bought the [[Baxter Building]].<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #244</ref> Later, he was tried by the [[Shi'ar]] for saving Galactus's life, but the charges were dropped when [[Eternity (Marvel Comics)|Eternity]] briefly granted all those attending the trial a moment of 'cosmic awareness' that allowed them to understand that Galactus was necessary for the continued well-being of the universe.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #262</ref> Reed's battle with [[Gormuu]] prior to getting his powers was recounted.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #271</ref> Just after that, Reed was reunited with his father in an alternate timeline.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #272–273</ref> Some time later, Reed and Sue retired from the Fantastic Four,<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #304</ref> and then joined the [[Avengers (comics)|Avengers]], although Reed's past experience as leader of the Fantastic Four meant that he had trouble adjusting to following [[Captain America]]'s lead regardless of his respect for the other man.<ref>''The Avengers'' #300–305</ref> Eventually, Reed and Sue did rejoin the Fantastic Four.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #326</ref>

In the course of fighting an alien called Hunger, Doctor Doom was seriously injured. The Fantastic Four were also part of the battle against Hunger and Doom asked for his old enemy to take his hand. At that point they both disappeared in a flash, leaving nothing but ashes. It would appear as if the two sworn enemies had fittingly died in each other's hands.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=February 2011}}

However, unknown to anyone else at the time, Reed and Doom had actually been thrown back into the time of barbarians and onto an alien world by a being called [[Hyperstorm]], Reed's grandchild from an alternate future, the child of Franklin Richards and [[Rachel Summers]], daughter of [[Cyclops (Marvel Comics)|Scott Summers]] and [[Jean Grey]]. They were so far into the past, and with no technology, that even their brilliant minds couldn't find a way back home. Doom was captured and held prisoner by Hyperstorm. Reed wandered aimlessly for about a year.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=February 2011}}

Meanwhile, the rest of the FF recruited [[Ant-Man (Scott Lang)|Scott Lang]] as scientific advisor. They even confronted an insane alternative version of Reed called the Dark Raider who was traveling from reality to reality, destroying all the various versions of himself after his own failure to save his world from Galactus in their original confrontation.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #392</ref>

A while later, the remaining members of the FF along with the Sub-Mariner, [[Lyja]] and [[Kristoff Vernard]] found themselves trapped in the same era as their Reed and Doom. They found Reed but faced a new problem: during his time alone, Reed had resigned himself to the reality that it was impossible for his old friends to stage a rescue and attacked them but soon realized that these truly were his friends. After returning to their own time period, he sought Galactus, as he was the only being in the Universe who could defeat Hyperstorm. Upon Hyperstorm's defeat at the hands of Galactus, the FF returned to the present day where they continued their lives, not only as a team, but as a family.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=February 2011}}

===Onslaught and Heroes Reborn===

Shortly after their return, the FF were confronted by a being called [[Onslaught (Marvel Comics)|Onslaught]]. Onslaught took control of an army of [[Sentinel (comics)|Sentinels]] and invaded [[New York City]], hunting down every mutant being he could find. Onslaught wished to add the abilities of the godlike Franklin Richards to his own. Only through the apparent sacrifice of the Fantastic Four's own lives and that of many of the heroes in the Marvel universe was Onslaught finally vanquished. The heroes would have died then and there if not for Franklin, who created an alternate reality for them to reside in. Completely oblivious to what had taken place, Reed and his compatriots relived most of their lives. In their absence the Fantastic Four's headquarters, [[Four Freedoms Plaza]], was annihilated by a super villain group called the [[Masters of Evil]], posing as heroes, [[Thunderbolts (comics)|The Thunderbolts]]. One year later, Franklin returned with his family along with the other heroes from the parallel reality. Reed was overjoyed to see his son again, but he and the rest of the FF found themselves without a home, moving into Reed's storage warehouse on Pier 4, overlooking the East River. Making this their home, the Fantastic Four continued with their lives, eventually managing to move back into the Baxter Building.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=February 2013}}

It has emerged that Reed is one of the members of the "[[Illuminati (comics)|Illuminati]]", unknown to his wife. He is also in possession of the "Power" gem of the [[Infinity Gems|Infinity Gauntlet]].{{Volume needed|c=y|date=February 2013}}

===Pro-Registration===
{{Main|Civil War (comics)}}
In Marvel's [[Civil War (comics)|Civil War]] miniseries and [[fictional crossover|crossover]] event, Reed Richards is one of the leading figures, along with Iron Man, on the side which is in favor of the [[Registration Acts (comics)|Superhuman Registration Act]]. He speculates that this will lead to conflict with his wife, which came true in issue #4 of the miniseries when a [[Ragnarok (comics)|clone]] of [[Thor (Marvel Comics)|Thor]], created by him and Tony Stark, went out of control and killed [[Bill Foster (comics)|Goliath]] and nearly killed all the rest of the Secret Avengers until Sue Storm stepped in and saved them. Soon after, Sue left Reed, along with Johnny, to join the Secret Avengers in hopes that it would drive Reed to end the conflict quickly.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=February 2013}}

In ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' #535, which takes place shortly before the events of ''[[Civil War (comics)|Civil War]]'' #5, [[Spider-Man|Peter Parker]] demands to see the conditions inside the detention facility designed by Reed to hold unregistered superhumans. After being escorted to and from the prison by [[Iron Man]], Parker returns with more doubts than ever about whether he is on the right side and asks Reed why he supports the Superhuman Registration Act, a question Reed answers by telling the story of his paternal [[uncle]], Ted. A professional writer, Reed remembers his uncle as "funny", "colorful", and "accepting". As a boy, Reed loved spending time with Ted. Unfortunately, Ted was also "an eccentric" and "stubborn". Because he had a career in the arts and because he stood out, Ted was called before [[HUAC]], imprisoned on [[contempt of Congress]] charges for six months, and was unable to find work after he'd served his sentence. He was even shunned by Reed's father. Ted lost everything, which Reed says finally "killed him" without going into greater detail. Richards opines that his uncle was wrong to take such a stand, to pick a fight he couldn't win, and to fail to respect the law.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=February 2013}}

However ''Fantastic Four'' #542 reveals that the real reason for supporting the registration act is due to his development of a working version of [[Isaac Asimov]]'s fictional [[Psychohistory (fictional)|psychohistory]] concept. His application of this science indicates to him that billions will die in escalating conflicts without the presence of the act. In the final battle of the war, he is shot by [[Taskmaster (character)|Taskmaster]], saving Sue Storm's life. With Reed on the brink of death, a furious Sue crushes Taskmaster with a telekinetic field. Reed survives, however, and Sue returns to him in the aftermath of the battle, having been granted amnesty. Seeking to repair the damage done to their marriage as a result of the war, Sue and Reed take time off from the Fantastic Four, but ask [[Storm (Marvel Comics)|Storm]] and the [[Black Panther (comics)|Black Panther]] to take their places in the meantime.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=February 2013}}

===World War Hulk===
Within the midst of Civil War, Reed Richards learned from a brief conversation with [[Amadeus Cho|Mastermind Excello]] that the Hulk is not on the planet where the Illuminati attempted to exile him. After a conversation over the good the Hulk has done for humanity, Reed tells Iron Man of what happened to the Hulk and also states that the Hulk has friends, and "may God help us if they find him before we do".{{Volume needed|c=y|date=March 2011}}

Within the aftermath of Civil War, Reed Richards had been keeping tabs on Mastermind Excello and when the [[She-Hulk]] learned about the Hulk's exile, Reed Richards sends out [[Doctor Samson|Doc Samson]] to confront her when he sees her meeting with Mastermind Excello.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=March 2011}}

In ''[[World War Hulk]]'' #1, Reed is shown with Tony Stark as Iron Man. Both men were trying to convince [[Sentry (Robert Reynolds)|Sentry]] to fight the Hulk, thinking that the calm aura that the Sentry produces may be able to stop the Hulk's rampage.<ref>''World War Hulk'' #1</ref> In ''World War Hulk'' #2, with the aid of the rest of the Fantastic Four, Storm, and the Black Panther, Reed is able to create a machine that projects an image of the Sentry and recreates the hero's aura of calm. He uses the machine on the Hulk just as he is about to defeat the Thing, but the Hulk knows it is not the real Sentry and destroys the machine. In a last line of defense, Sue Storm tries to protect her husband by encapsulating the Hulk in an energy field while pleading with him to spare Reed. The Hulk does not listen and is able to easily exert enough strength against her force field to cause Susan to collapse and experience a nosebleed from the stress, before she dooms Reed to the Hulk's wrath.<ref>''World War Hulk'' #2.</ref>

Reed is later seen among the various heroes that the Hulk defeated so far, within the depths of the Hulk's Gladiator arena located within [[Madison Square Garden]]. He and all of the heroes are implanted with "obedience disks" that are used to suppress their powers.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=March 2011}} These disks are the same that were used upon the Hulk during his time on Sakaar.<ref>''The Incredible Hulk'' vol. 3 #109 Oct. 2007.</ref> The Hulk orders Iron Man and Mr. Fantastic to face off in battle. Richards, after having the upper hand on Stark, is then given the thumbs down by Hulk, instructing Richards to kill Stark.<ref>''World War Hulk'' #4</ref> However the Hulk spares their lives, showing them that he proved his point to the world. They survived the encounter by Hulk's mercy and the timely intervention of the Sentry. The Illuminati are partially cleared from the responsibility of Sakaar's destruction when [[Miek]], one of the Hulk's alien allies, admits he saw the Red King forces breach the ship's warp core. Miek kept quiet to initiate what he felt was Hulk's destiny as the "Worldbreaker".<ref>''World War Hulk'' #5.</ref>

===Secret Invasion===
{{Main|Secret Invasion}}
Mister Fantastic is at the [[Illuminati (comics)|Illuminati]]'s meeting discussing the threat of the Skrulls when the Black Bolt with them is revealed to be a Skrull in disguise.

Mister Fantastic and Hank Pym autopsy the body of the Skrull who impersonated Elektra (with Reed pretending to be seeing the corpse for the first time, thus keeping the secret of the Illuminati). After completing the dissection, Reed claims to have discovered the secret of how the Skrulls have been able to conceal their identities. Before he can elaborate, "[[Hank Pym]]" reveals himself to be a Skrull and shoots Richards with a weapon that violently leaves his elastic body in a state of chaotic disarray similar to [[Silly String]].<ref>''Secret Invasion'' #1</ref> In ''Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four'' #1, it is shown that a Skrull assumed Reed's form to successfully ambush and capture Sue Richards, to facilitate an attack on the Fantastic Four's headquarters.

A conscious but still mostly shapeless Reed Richards is seen being forcibly stretched in all directions to cover the floor of a medium-sized arena aboard a Skrull ship, with all of the seats filled by Skrull onlookers.<ref>''Secret Invasion'' #4</ref> He is freed by [[Abigail Brand]], and then travels with her to the [[Savage Land]] and uses a device to reveal all the Skrull invaders present.<ref>''Secret Invasion'' #5</ref> After helping the Avengers to defeat the imposters and return to New York, Reed aids the heroes and villains of Earth in their battle against the Skrulls.<ref>''Secret Invasion'' #6</ref>

===Dark Reign===
Mister Fantastic aids the New Avengers in the search for the daughter of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones.<ref>''New Avengers #48''</ref> He and the rest of the Fantastic Four are magically reduced to television signals by the chaotic activities of the Elder God Chthon, to prevent them from intervening, though after Chthon is defeated, he and the other three are turned back.<ref>''The Mighty Avengers'' #21</ref>

Norman Osborn has sent H.A.M.M.E.R. agents to shut down the Fantastic Four and capture them, expelling them from the Initiative and stripping them all their rights. Taking place a week from the Secret Invasion, which has caused Richards to seriously reevaluate his own life and the life he has built for his family, resulting in turbulent internal conflicts. Richards, as he takes a long, hard look at the life, is prompted to construct a machine that is capable of bending reality itself, to do so. Agents from H.A.M.M.E.R. (sent by Norman Osborn, a man well aware Reed is one of the few that have intellect exceeding even his own and thus pose a great threat to his carefully constructed shadow world) arrive just as Reed activates the machine, interfacing with the Baxter Building's power supply, resulting in an energy fluctuation that sends Sue, Ben and Johnny back to the prehistoric era, fraught with dangers, which manifest in the form of the First Celestial Host. Reed searches for answers which can only be found in alternate timelines as the three find themselves in a super hero Hyborian-age civil war; Franklin and Valeria are the only ones available to confront the agents Osborn sent. Richards studies other parallel Earths to see if any found a peaceful solution to the Civil War, which resulted from the Superhuman Registration Act. Reed peers into different worlds, some more bizarre than our own, to see what they did differently. This is an insightful look into where the Marvel Universe has gone in the past "year" (in Marvel time) and to see who was at fault, if anyone. Reed meets with the other five Illuminati to handle the problem. Ultimately, after seeing about a million alternate Earths, he had concluded that there was no way for the Civil War to be resolved but that he, as the cleverest man in the Marvel Universe, had a responsibility to put things right. But before turning the machine off, he searches for other realities where they have the same machines he is using; the machine locates them and the people he finds tell him that they can help him.<ref>''Dark Reign: Fantastic Four'' #1–4</ref>

Reed Richards reappeared in ''The Mighty Avengers'' #24 refusing to give [[Hank Pym]] an invention previously left in the care of the Fantastic Four, following [[Bill Foster (comics)|Bill Foster]]'s untimely death,<ref>''Civil War'' #4</ref> causing the Wasp to lead the team of Mighty Avengers to retrieve the device.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=February 2013}} In the next issue, Pym's attempting to knock down the Baxter Building (due to Loki's manipulations, likely) sows further displeasure and leads to a direct conflict between the Fantastic Four and Loki's Mighty Avengers,{{Volume needed|c=y|date=February 2013}} stretching across to ''The Mighty Avengers #26''. This conflict eventually ends in a new base for the Mighty Avengers and a shockingly disturbing alliance of the ''Dark Reign'';{{Volume needed|c=y|date=February 2013}} the next issue of the Mighty Avengers will show a new character, a ruler known as [[the Unspoken]], one more powerful than any other in the universe, to the point he had to be erased from history, and how his return will impact the planet and the cosmos beyond, in the ''[[War of Kings]]''.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=February 2013}}

After the Secret Invasion and some time into the ''[[Dark Reign (comics)|Dark Reign]]'', in the ''[[War of Kings]]'', when Blastaar is about to open the portal to Earth, on the other side in Camp Hammond, Star-Lord and the Guardians tell Reed Richards and others to never open the portal, or they will face the wrath of Blastaar. Mister Fantastic agrees and says they will not open the portal and then asks who they are. Star-Lord replies, "We're the Guardians of the Galaxy" before leaving.<ref>''Guardians of the Galaxy'' #10</ref>

===Future Foundation===
Tragedy strikes the team when Johnny is apparently killed in the Negative Zone.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #588</ref> As the Fantastic Four recover from Johnny's apparent death, Mister Fantastic grows disillusioned at how scientists see science and its applications. Therefore, he creates a new team, the [[Future Foundation]], to help create a better future for mankind.<ref>''FF'' #1</ref> However, the team's initial tasks are complicated when they are forced to deal with the '[[#Council of Reeds|Council of Reeds]]', a group of alternate versions of Reed Richards who lack his morality or family that became trapped in the FF's reality after an accident with Reed's dimensional portal.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=May 2012}}

===The Quiet Man===
After Johnny is returned and the team resume using the Fantastic Four name, they are systematically attacked by the mysterious Quiet Man, a figure who reveals that he has been behind many of the villain attacks the FF have faced over the years, now stepping forward to take a more active role as he shuts down Johnny's powers, frames the Thing for murder, has Reed and Sue Richards declared unfit guardians for their children, and then abducts Reed with the intention of framing him for a series of attacks committed by the heroes created in Franklin's pocket universe.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=October 2015}} However, Reed is able to defeat the Quiet Man's plan to proclaim himself the hero who defeated Reed's 'attack' on the world when he realizes that the [[Psycho-Man]] – one of the Quiet Man's allies – intended to betray him, forcing Reed and the Quiet Man to work together to deactivate the Psycho-Man's equipment.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=October 2015}}

===Secret Wars===
During the ''[[Secret Wars (2015 comic book)|Secret Wars]]'' storyline, Reed is one of the few survivors of Earth-616 to come through with his memories intact, hiding in a 'life raft' with various other heroes and eventually released by Doctor Strange.<ref>''Secret Wars'' #3</ref> Learning that the new 'Battleworld' is now ruled by Doctor Doom, who has absorbed the power of various Beyonders and Molecule Men to become a virtual god, Reed and the other heroes disperse across Battleworld to come up with a plan.<ref>''Secret Wars'' #4</ref> 
Reed eventually starts working with his counterpart from the Ultimate Marvel universe who calls himself [[Maker (character)|Maker]]. The two find themselves disagreeing on their methods, with Reed preferring to find a way to save the world while Maker is more focused on killing their enemy, Reed countering his other self's accusations that he is weak by musing that he simply has things to care for outside of himself.<ref>''Secret Wars'' #6</ref> In the final confrontation, Reed and the Maker discover that the source of Doom's power is the [[Molecule Man]] (Owen Reece), but although the Maker attempts to betray Reed by forcibly devolving him into an ape, Reece reverses the Maker's attack and turns him into pepperoni pizza. When Doom comes down to confront Reed, Reed challenges Doom as Reece temporarily deprives Doom of his new god-level powers, Reed proclaiming Doom to be nothing more than a coward for taking control of what was left of existence rather than trying to reshape it. Inspired by Reed's words, Reece transfers Doom's power to him, with Reed recreating the former Earth-616 before he, Susan, their children, and the rest of the Future Foundation move to use Franklin and Reed's powers to rebuild the multiverse.<ref name="Secret Wars #9">''Secret Wars'' #9</ref>

===Return to Prime Earth===
Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, and the Future Foundation were later confronted by the Griever at the End of All Things after Reed had expended most of his Beyonder-based energies while Franklin was left with only limited reality-warping abilities. Due to the Griever causing the collapse of 100 worlds, the Future Foundation had to make a stand even after Molecule Man was killed. When Mister Fantastic tricked the Griever into bringing their Fantastic Four teammates to them, Thing and Human Torch were reunited as every other superhero that was part of the Fantastic Four showed up as well.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' vol. 6 #2</ref> Faced with these numbers, the Griever was eventually driven back when most of her equipment was destroyed, forcing her to return to her universe or be trapped in this one, while the heroes were able to repair the damaged equipment to create a new teleporter to send them all home.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' vol. 6 #3</ref>