The MCU’s New Most Powerful Character Makes an Infinity Stone Look Weak

The Fantastic Four: First Steps brings Marvel’s First Family into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and with them comes one of the most powerful beings in all of comic book lore: Franklin Richards. In the first cinematic adaptation to include the extended Fantastic Four family, the story immediately establishes the infant son of Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) as a being whose abilities will have consequences for the entire MCU.

In the comics, Franklin is a reality-warper of almost limitless ability, capable of making any thought or desire manifest. This power set puts him in direct comparison with the Reality Stone, the infamous Infinity Gem that Thanos (Josh Brolin) used to achieve his universe-altering goals during the Infinity Saga. So, what is the difference between the Reality Stone and Franklin Richard, anyway? The release of First Steps now provides a detailed look at how the MCU is adapting Franklin’s god-like powers, allowing for a direct analysis of how he measures up to the formidable artifact.

Warning: Spoilers for The Fantastic Four: First Steps below.

The Reality Stone first appeared in the MCU as the Aether, a fluid weapon sought by the Dark Elf Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) in Thor: The Dark World. Malekith’s plan was to use the Aether’s power during the Convergence, a rare alignment of the Nine Realms, to extinguish all light in the universe, plunging it into eternal darkness. As a result, the movie immediately established the Reality Stone’s true potential for universe-scale destruction, as the Aether is capable of rewriting the fundamental laws of existence on a grand scale.

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Years later, when Thanos acquired the Reality Stone in Avengers: Infinity War, he demonstrated its powers were not boundless. For instance, Thanos used the Reality Stone to create a convincing illusion of a thriving Knowhere to trap the Guardians of the Galaxy, and he effortlessly altered the physical forms of his enemies, temporarily turning Drax (Dave Bautista) into a pile of living cubes and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) into a cascade of ribbons. However, this usage also highlighted a key limitation: without the support of the other Infinity Stones, once Thanos left the scene, Drax and Mantis immediately reverted to their original states, indicating that the Reality Stone’s power requires continuous application to sustain its changes.

The most critical limitation of all Infinity Stones was then established in the Disney+ series Loki. In the series, the Time Variance Authority, an organization operating outside of time, was shown to possess countless Infinity Stones gathered from pruned timelines. Within the TVA’s headquarters, these artifacts were completely powerless, reduced to nothing more than colorful paperweights. This revealed that, in the MCU, the power of an Infinity Stone is fundamentally bound to its native timeline. As such, the Reality Stone cannot function or exert any influence on a multiversal scale, a restriction that Franklin Richards does not appear to share.

How Powerful Is Franklin Richards in the MCU?

In The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Franklin’s power is presented as a latent force. The film’s antagonist, Galactus (Ralph Ineson), is drawn to Earth by his insatiable hunger, but his ultimate objective becomes the newborn Franklin. The Devourer of Worlds reveals that the child possesses the Power Cosmic, an energy source so immense that it can absorb Galactus’ eternal hunger, freeing him from his curse by allowing Franklin to take his place. While the Fantastic Four doesn’t understand the nature of the Power Cosmic, the film’s plot immediately frames Franklin as a being whose innate abilities can rewrite the fundamental nature of a cosmic entity that precedes the universe itself, making the baby incredibly powerful.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps’s climax provides an even more staggering demonstration of Franklin’s abilities. The Fantastic Four’s plan to defeat Galactus is to use Franklin as bait, luring the world-eater away from his ship and through a teleportation portal to a distant corner of the universe. In a desperate act to save her child, Sue uses all her strength to telekinetically contain and push Galactus’s massive form through the portal. The exertion is too much for her body, and after saving the world, she dies in Reed’s arms. As a grieving Reed holds her, the infant Franklin begins to cry. Reed places the baby on his mother’s chest, and in that moment, Franklin’s power brings her back to life, her eyes glowing with blue energy for an instant. The family realizes that Franklin, as a baby, already wields the power to conquer death itself, a permanent alteration of reality that suggests Franklin surpasses the temporary manipulations of the Reality Stone. 

Finally, The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ post-credits scene hints at a much larger scale for Franklin’s powers. The scene reveals Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) kneeling near the child, signaling his awareness of the boy’s power and his intent to use it. Given that Avengers: Doomsday is a multiversal story, Doom’s interest strongly implies that Franklin’s abilities are not confined to a single timeline. In the comics, Franklin is an Omega-level mutant whose powers grew to the point where he could create fully-formed, self-sustaining pocket universes from his imagination and even defeat cosmic entities like Celestials. If the MCU’s Franklin can perform similar feats, he possesses a capability that the MCU Reality Stone explicitly lacks. While the Stone is a universal tool, Franklin is shaping up to be a multiversal engine, putting him on an entirely different level.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is currently available in theaters.

What do you think is the full extent of Franklin Richards’ powers in the MCU? Share your theories in the comments!