Mr Fantastic: Bio, Origin & History

Real Name: Reed Richards

First Appearance: Fantastic Four #1 (November, 1961)

Powers: Can Shift and Stretch His Body.

Affiliation: Fantastic Four, Illuminati

Love Interests: Sue Storm

Enemies: Galactus, Doctor Doom and so much more

Did you know: Mr Fantastic’s suit is made up of molecules that stretch and shape as he does.

A Little History

Reed Richards was born with incredible intelligence. Like most other comic characters, his mother died when he was very young.  This left his father, who was also an intellect, to raise him.  Before he was out of his teenage years, he had attended 4 different Universities, earning various degrees.

While attending one of the schools, Reed met and befriended future mortal enemy, Victor von Doom. Wanting to associate with those of the same or greater intelligence, Reed asked Victor to room with him, to which Victor promptly denied him. Instead, Reed roomed with his future best friend, Ben Grimm.

The two became inseparable and on one occasion, Reed told Ben stories of the spaceship he would create, which prompted Ben to jokingly reply with, “I will fly it.”

While at another University, Reed reacquainted himself with his friends from the past, Sue and Johnny Storm.  Eventually, Reed and Sue would marry and he and Johnny would become good friends.

Keeping his promise to Ben, Reed would, in fact, construct his spaceship and ask Ben to fly it. Along with Sue and Johnny, the two would fly the ship to space. The launch of the ship went off as smooth as could be expected but once up in space the ship was bombarded with cosmic rays. The bombardment coupled with the pressures of space, sent the ship hurling back to Earth all-the-while mutating their genes.

Reed, now alternatively known as Mr. Fantastic, became ‘stretchy’. He used his intelligence, his family fortune, and some additional income to establish and create the Headquarters for the Fantastic Four, The Baxter Building.