MCU: Franklin Richards Will Become Evil In Avengers: Doomsday Due to Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom Multiverse Plan, According to New Theory

Marvel Studios may be setting up Franklin Richards to join Robert Downey Jr.'s Multiversal plan in Avengers: Doomsday after The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Alongside introducing its all-new Fantastic Four, Marvel Studios did something no adaptation has done before by introducing Franklin Richards. Despite famously being Marvel's First Family, the Fantastic Four's children, Franklin and Valeria, have never come to the big screen before First Steps.

Marvel Comics readers will be well aware that not only is Franklin Richards one of the youngest heroes ever, but he is also among its most powerful. Infused with the power cosmic, Franklin found himself being chased by Galactus in his MCU debut, with the planet-eater seeing the Fantastic Four's son as the successor to his curse.

Does Franklin Richards Become Evil In the MCU After Fantastic Four: First Steps?

Throughout most of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Franklin Richards is a newborn baby, and as such, appears neither evil nor heroic. But there is an inkling he may be heading toward heroism when he resurrects his mother, Sue Storm, after her short-lived demise during the Galactus conflict.

For a young child, Franklin is not just insanely powerful thanks to his cosmic abilities, but also rather intelligent. While the Fantastic Four's child was still in the womb, Galactus told them their son was hiding his true power from them, hence why his abilities weren't highlighted in any of Reed Richards' scans.

Before things got exciting in the "Four Years Later" mid-credit stinger, the now-alive-and-well Sue noted Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species as one of Franklin's favorite books, highlighting his grand intelligence and potential.

Of course, this doesn't answer whether the MCU's Franklin is evil after The Fantastic Four, only whether he is capable of even having such thoughts.

While he still certainly seems like an average, albeit all-powerful, child after The Fantastic Four, his interaction with Doctor Doom raises curious questions. Having been left briefly unattended by his mother in the Baxter Building, he was found holding an unmasked Doom's face, leaving questions about what comes next.

What Comes Next for Franklin Richards in Avengers: Doomsday?

Despite the Fantastic Four having just fended off Galactus' attempt to abduct Franklin Richards to inherit his planet-eating curse, it seems likely he has now been taken by Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom going into Avengers: Doomsday.

Some have theorized that Doom may have been using Franklin to alter his face in The Fantastic Four: First Steps since he was holding his unmasked face. This could explain Downey Jr.'s Doom casting as his face may be transformed into that of the founding Avenger to fool the heroes of Earth-616 into trusting him.

But it's hard to see Doom's intentions with Franklin ending there, as his cosmic powers could offer unlimited potential to completing his Multiversal plan. For instance, Franklin has a history of creating whole universes in the comics, so he could be the one to create Battleworld going into Secret Wars.

That said, Franklin certainly has the means to resist a kidnapping by Doom, so he may be boarding his Multiversal plan by choice. Perhaps the Avengers 5 villain may have convinced the Fantastic Four's child that going with him is the only way to save his family or even all of reality from Incursion-induced extinction. 

It's important to note that Victor von Doom is a master manipulator and could even use Franklin's comic-universe sister, Valeria, to trick him. While it seems unlikely Valeria Richards will ever join the MCU, the promise of finding and saving his sister in another universe from an Incursion may prompt him to join his side.

Regardless, it's tough to imagine Franklin will ever turn truly evil, and he ought to be back by his family's side before The Fantastic Four 2, which is reportedly already in development. Instead, Franklin will likely be manipulated by Doom for his power until he finally lands back with Reed and Sue by the end of Secret Wars.

Is Franklin Richards Evil in Marvel Canon?

Since he was introduced in 1968, Franklin Richards has, unsurprisingly, been depicted as a superhero with immense reality-warping powers. 

Following the Incursion destruction of "Secret Wars II," Franklin was instrumental in reforming alternate universes and piecing the Multiverse back together. 

Currently, Franklin goes by the alias Powerhouse after placing a blocker on his powers, restricting him to using them just once a year, so he could have a healthy and normal(ish) childhood alongside his superhero family.

In Fantastic Four #32, Franklin was depicted as the ruler of his own alternate universe, where he ensured everyone was happy and behaved themselves, which could be described as somewhat villainous, albeit with good intentions.