Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 (November 1961).

Possessing a mastery of mechanical, aerospace and electrical engineering, chemistry, all levels of physics, and human and alien biology, Richards is considered to be the most intelligent human being in the Marvel Universe, first among a select group which includes Bruce Banner (the Hulk), Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy (the Beast), Hank Pym (Yellowjacket), Tony Stark (Iron Man), T'Challa (the Black Panther), Victor von Doom (Doctor Doom), Amadeus Cho and Charles Xavier (Professor X). He is the inventor of the spacecraft which was bombarded by cosmic radiation on its maiden voyage, granting the Fantastic Four their powers. Richards gained the ability to stretch his body into any shape he desires.

He is the leader of the Fantastic Four, although his methodical manner sometimes makes him seem cold and distant to his teammates, particularly his best friend the Thing, who somewhat blames Richards for his transformation into a large, rocky creature. Whenever he is confronted with a scientific challenge, his attention can be so focused that he can neglect even his own family which has caused marital problems between him and Sue and has put his family in danger on rare occasions. He is, however, the husband of Susan Storm, father of son Franklin Richards and daughter Valeria Richards, and mentor of his brother-in-law, the Human Torch.

According to BusinessWeek, Mr. Fantastic is listed as one of the top ten most intelligent fictional characters in American comics. Reed Richards is portrayed by Ioan Gruffudd in the 2005 film Fantastic Four and the 2007 film sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Similar to 0 things you like: