The Fantastic Four Character Who May Be Too Powerful To Join MCU
There is no shortage of powerful beings in Marvel comics (via Fortress of Solitude). From Galactus, the "Devourer of Worlds," eating entire planets to One-Above-All, thought to represent the creators of Marvel and taking the form of Jack Kirby, the universe is always in great peril from something that could destroy everything as we know it.
The MCU's first three phases set a new standard in filmmaking, with over 20 movies making up one large overarching storyline that follows the most powerful being in the franchise to date, Thanos (Josh Brolin), collecting the Infinity Stones. Even though the heroes defeated Thanos and brought peace back to the universe, Marvel is in no way ready to retire the MCU. With the release of "The Eternals" and "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," there's more happening in the future.
Now that Marvel has reacquired the rights to use the X-Men and Fantastic Four properties, audiences will likely get to see the emergence of mutants in the MCU at long last. The likes of Wolverine, Professor X, and Magneto are undoubtedly possible, along with Marvel's first family in Reed Richards and the rest of the Fantastic Four. They come with mighty beings like Galactus, Silver Surfer, and Dr. Doom. But there is one character you can almost guarantee you won't see in the MCU.
Who is Franklin Richards?
Now that the Fantastic Four are a viable and possibly inevitable option for the MCU, Reed Richards and Sue Storm's love affair could hit the big screen again. However, it may not progress in the same way. In the comics, the couple eventually welcomes their first child, Franklin Richards (via Marvel). Even though his parents aren't mutants, the accident that gave them their powers is believed to have jump-started his mutant gene, and Franklin was born a powerful mutant. While most mutants develop their capabilities during puberty, Franklin had his powers since before he was born, causing severe pregnancy issues and almost killing his mother in the womb.
Richards has powerful abilities of reality warp and can control the universe's fundamental forces. These powers are believed to equal that of the Celestials, one of whom we've already been introduced to in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." While others must navigate the universe around them to overcome adversity, Franklin Richards can reshape the universe as he sees fit. Imagine what Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) did in "WandaVision" on a galactic scale.
He would decimate the entire universe
The two most poignant moments in the MCU are arguably Thanos' Snap in "Avengers: Infinity War" and Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) Snap in "Avengers: Endgame." What made these moments so powerful were the stakes connected to them. The deaths of major characters like Wanda, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), and T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) stunned audiences. Tony Stark's sacrifice changed the entire course of the MCU.
Introducing a character like Franklin Richards to the mix significantly diminishes the stakes that any character would face. Even characters like Vision (Paul Bettany) and Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) had their powers significantly downplayed to raise the stakes (via Screen Rant). There is a real purpose for this tactic. If your hero doesn't have real stakes, the poignant moments above just become another moment lost in over 20 movies.
Franklin Richards is so powerful that Galactus himself was his herald at one point. For a character who was set up through "The Eternals" as a possible successor to Thanos as the next big bad, Galactus needs to be larger than life (via The Direct). Introducing a character that can make him subservient lowers the entire scope of the subsequent few phases.
While the Fantastic Four coming together can bring to fruition the formation of the "first family," it is almost certain that Franklin Richards will remain on the sidelines of the MCU.