Reed Richards was among the very first heroes Marvel Comics created. He’s always been a complicated character – incredibly intelligent, but also often arrogant and unlikeable. He frequently belittles others, even his wife, and tends to act as if he’s always right, even when he isn’t. This has led to him creating as many difficulties as he’s solved throughout his career as a superhero.
Whether it’s the classic Reed Richards or some of his darker alternate versions, here’s a ranking of the most dangerous versions of the character, based on how much of a threat they pose.
7) Reed Richards (Earth-616)
Throughout his career as a Marvel hero, Reed Richards has made several questionable choices. As a member of the Illuminati, he participated in actions with disastrous consequences, such as sending the Hulk to Sakaar, unintentionally triggering the Secret Invasion, allowing Captain America’s mind to be erased, and delaying the revelation of the Incursions – ultimately failing to save Earth. These decisions, while made with good intentions, proved to be deeply flawed.
During the Civil War event, Reed Richards built a prison in the Negative Zone to hold heroes who wouldn’t register with the government. He was also the one who originally opened a gateway to the Negative Zone, which later allowed the devastating Annihilation wave to enter and cause immense destruction, resulting in billions of deaths. Because of these and other incidents, Reed Richards’ pursuit of scientific advancement has often had unintended and harmful consequences, making him one of the most potentially dangerous heroes in the Marvel Universe.
6) The Brute
I’m a big fan of the Reed Richards from Counter-Earth! He’s a lot like our Reed from Earth-616, but his origin story is pretty different. When that space accident happened, it only really affected him. Ben and Johnny were okay, thankfully, and Sue ended up in a coma for years, which was awful. But Reed was the only one actually mutated by those cosmic rays. It’s a fascinating twist on the familiar story!
He didn’t gain the ability to stretch, but instead transformed into a werewolf-like being. During each full moon, he’d become a large, purple creature called Brute. Fortunately, his intelligence allowed him to master the transformation and eventually change whenever he wanted. Although Man-Beast attempted to keep him in check, Brute craved cosmic power and became villainous once he obtained it. Possessing Reed’s intellect and immense strength – comparable to The Thing – Brute is also cunning and resourceful. He even traveled to Earth-1123, where he became President of the United States.
5) The Dark Raider
The Dark Raider is a version of Reed Richards from another universe (Earth-0944) who experienced a terrible loss. His entire planet was destroyed by Galactus, and he felt responsible. In his universe, the Watcher tasked him with finding the Ultimate Nullifier on Galactus’s ship, instead of the Human Torch. While the Human Torch quickly retrieved it in our universe (Earth-616), this Reed Richards spent too much time studying other weapons, delaying his return. This delay allowed Galactus to devour his Earth.
An explosion from one of Galactus’s weapons injured Reed Richards, leaving a scar. When he returned to Earth, he discovered his efforts had failed. Taking complete responsibility, Reed decided to punish himself by traveling the multiverse and eliminating every alternate version of himself. He killed at least four other Reed Richards before he was finally defeated on his home Earth, Earth-616.
4) Reed Richards (Zombie)
Reed Richards is already a formidable opponent thanks to his incredible intelligence. But in the Marvel Zombies universe, he and other heroes and villains become zombies with an insatiable hunger while retaining their intellect. What makes him truly terrifying is that he and his family are also linked to the Galactus entity, granting them immense cosmic power. It’s a frightening combination.
Reed Richards of the Ultimate Universe was responsible for bringing the zombie outbreak to his world by deceiving his alternate self into opening a portal. Later, in Marvel Zombies: Resurrection, he and his wife, Susan, attempted to reach their son, Franklin, with the goal of turning him and harnessing his immense cosmic power to dominate the universe. This version of Reed Richards is not only dangerous but also remarkably ruthless and morally compromised.
3) Alpha (Earth-12498)
Alpha is a version of Reed Richards from another universe (Earth-12498). He’s incredibly dangerous because he was one of the three Reed Richards who created the Interdimensional Council – a group that each possessed a complete Infinity Gauntlet. He was the sole survivor when the Mad Celestials destroyed the Council and later appeared on our Earth (Earth-616) to initiate a massive conflict known as the War of Four Cities.
I’ve always been fascinated by this other Reed Richards. He really connected with our Reed – the one from Earth-616 – after our Reed built that incredible Bridge to other universes. This version was unbelievably powerful; he even managed to capture Doctor Doom! He teamed up with our Reed’s ancestor, Nathaniel Richards, and together they fought the Mad Celestials. He ultimately fell in battle against one of them, but even in death, it’s clear just how important and strong he was across the multiverse.
2) Doom (Earth-20208)
Earth-20208 was a planet destroyed by Immportus and cast into the Null-Time Zone. Facing its own destruction, scientist Reed Richards attempted to save it. Knowing he would have to make the ultimate sacrifice, he replaced his eyes with the Time and Reality Stones, hoping to manipulate the timeline and preserve his world.
Reed was consumed by rage and began using his abilities to eliminate anyone opposing him. He murdered Celestials to steal their power and even risked collapsing the entire timeline in a desperate attempt to save his own reality. Ultimately, he was defeated in combat by Kang, who arrived with Anatoly Petrov – an ordinary man who unexpectedly killed Reed. However, this incredibly powerful version of Reed Richards was taken down by a sudden, unexpected attack.
1) The Maker
When it comes to sheer danger, the most formidable version of Reed Richards is the one from the Ultimate Universe, known as the Maker. Like his counterpart on Earth-616, he began as a hero, but his excessive pride led to the breakdown of his family and the Fantastic Four. After Susan Storm chose Ben Grimm over him, he spiraled into becoming one of the most dangerous villains on Earth-1610.
He founded the Children of Tomorrow and unleashed them in a devastating attack that completely destroyed Asgard. Reed Richards was then scattered across the multiverse at the atomic level, but he was eventually reborn and forged a new reality called Earth-6160, becoming a god in the process.
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2025-12-24 22:15