The movie “Fantastic Four: First Steps” is now playing in cinemas globally, where audiences are meeting Franklin Richards, the offspring of Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman. Although Franklin is a fresh face in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), he’s been a pivotal figure in the Marvel Comics Universe for many years. He has been crucial to significant comic book tales like “Fantastic Four Versus the X-Men,” which earned high praise. However, Franklin has also been involved in less favorable storylines, and his actions even led to one of the darkest moments in the history of the Avengers saga.
In the year 1996, Marvel Comics was facing some tough times. Although characters like Spider-Man and the X-Men had gained widespread recognition through their Fox cartoons, the Avengers and Fantastic Four titles were struggling to attract new readers and maintain cultural relevance. To make matters worse, many of the characters underwent drastic changes, with Tony Stark being replaced by a young version and Janet Van Dyne transforming into a mutated Wasp. Feeling the need for a fresh approach, Marvel decided to hand over the Avengers and Fantastic Four comic series to the studios of Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld. As a consequence, the titles of Captain America, Iron Man, Avengers, and Fantastic Four were all rebooted with significant new directions.
Prior to the inception of the Ultimate Universe, these reboots provided a new lease of life to Marvel’s characters like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, offering fresh takes on their original stories. This wasn’t merely an alternate reality, but rather a deliberate move by Marvel to exclude these characters from the 616 universe. Notably, significant changes in comic book continuity often arise from major crossover events. In this instance, the menacing villain Onslaught posed a threat to the Marvel Universe, with the roots of the conflict stemming from X-Men titles. The tale concluded with the Avengers and Fantastic Four making an ultimate sacrifice to protect their realm. However, it seemed they perished, as their comrades assumed. In reality, Franklin Richards employed his extraordinary power over realities to rescue the heroes, transferring them to a separate “pocket dimension,” where they stayed for approximately a year.
Unfortunately, the Heroes Reborn project failed to impress fans. Jim Lee’s Fantastic Four had magnificent artwork, but the rebooted Avengers and Captain America books fell short of expectations. Rob Liefeld’s art for his two books became internet jokes decades before social media was a thing, and the stories were not much better. Instead of attracting new readers as intended, these books actually repelled them, particularly Captain America fans who had been following Mark Waid and Ron Garney’s acclaimed run. In fact, Marvel terminated Liefeld’s contract early due to poor sales.
During the time of Heroes Reborn, while it was certainly a setback, it actually spawned some significant advantages for the Avengers universe and Marvel as a whole. Writers Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley took advantage of the absence of the Avengers to introduce the Masters of Evil as the first version of the Thunderbolts. This series thrived on the concept that the Marvel Universe was yearning for heroes who were admired by the public, in contrast to the ones who disappeared after Onslaught, such as Spider-Man and the X-Men. Among all the outcomes from the Heroes Reborn period, the emergence of the Thunderbolts could arguably be considered the most beneficial.
Ultimately, Heroes Reborn concluded, allowing Franklin Richards to assist the Fantastic Four and Avengers in reclaiming their original reality. Despite the initial confusion of Heroes Reborn, the writers capitalized on this change to rectify several issues that necessitated the reboot. Upon their return from an alternate reality, Tony Stark resumed his adult form (instead of the teen version), Janet was no longer a mutated Wasp, and each series aimed to restore the fundamental aspects long lost. Mark Waid was given another opportunity for Captain America, with collaborators Garney and Andy Kubert. Notably, Busiek restarted Avengers with a fresh #1 issue, alongside renowned artist George Perez. This led to an acclaimed run on the book that remains an all-time classic.
Despite my initial reservations about Heroes Reborn, I’m intrigued by the possibility of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) revisiting that storyline with a fresh perspective. Given how formidable Franklin’s powers have proven to be and attracting attention from villains in the MCU, it seems plausible that he might find himself in a situation where he needs to employ his abilities to save numerous heroes again. The MCU has demonstrated its knack for reinterpreting controversial storylines, like how Spider-Man: No Way Home drew inspiration from One More Day, and I’m optimistic that the outcome this time will surpass the original material.
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2025-07-30 16:43