The Fantastic Four‘s Reed Richards sets his sights on the biggest act of heroism in Marvel history, but even though his plans technically make him the greatest hero on Earth, they could also doom his universe. A select few Marvel characters are absolute masters of their respective sciences. Tony Stark singlehandedly pushes the weapons, energy, and home technology industries forward several decades, while Bruce Banner is the top authority on nuclear physics and gamma radiation, Adam Brashear is the leading mind in theoretical physics, and Hank Pym’s name is synonymous with sub-atomic physics.
Two of the most brilliant characters in the Marvel Universe find themselves in perpetual war. Victor von Doom is a rare renaissance genius who masters the fusion between hyper-advanced science and occult sorcery, and his archnemesis, Reed Richards, is universally acknowledged as the apex of human intellect, as Mister Fantastic is the most capable polymath on Earth. Reed Richards and Victor von Doom’s lifelong rivalry is at the heart of multiple world-threatening conflicts, including the multiverse-reshaping Secret Wars event that rewrote all reality and Doomquest, which also endangers the time-space continuum.
Reed Richards has created so many revolutionary inventions that crafting new technological devices is no longer enticing, even if they could change the world for the better. For someone as smart as Mister Fantastic, the very fabric of reality is the true final frontier.
Reed Richards Wants To Fix Every Moment In History
Doomquest #1; Written By Ryan North; Art By Francesco Mobili & Frank D’Armata
In Doomquest, Doctor Doom currently lives peacefully in Latveria without executing any scheme on the level of One World Under Doom. However, it’s only a matter of time until Doom’s ego leads him to endanger the world. During an interview, Reed Richards admits he believes that the “final task of intelligence” is to “optimize” history by going back in time and undo all mistakes, thus creating a perfect version of human history. In this hypothetical scenario, humanity would create a truly utopian timeline with no pain or tragedy.
Fantastic Four Officially Resurrects The One Character Nobody Expected To Return
Doctor Doom faces the opportunity to rewrite history and resurrect one of the most important people in his life, which may have major consequences.
Reed Richards doesn’t intend to dabble in time travel anytime soon in Doomquest, but if he were to achieve such an ambitious goal, he would basically become a god. Mister Fantastic wouldn’t need to fight any villain or confront any problem directly. With nothing but a single time travel device, all struggles on Earth would disappear from history, meaning they would never have existed in the first place. If that sounds like a dangerous idea, however, Reed himself agrees, as he tells Doctor Doom he only mentioned it as a distant, theoretical scenario.
Reed Richards’ Time Travel Plans Are A Terrible Idea, Even Before Doctor Doom Takes Over
Erasing Tragedy And Struggle From History Only Creates More Problems
Reed Richards’ concept of total chronological optimization is a textbook example of scientific hubris that underestimates causality. The immediate result of altering history is the erasure of millions of people who were born as a direct consequence of otherwise undesirable events. Attempting to suppress or delete part of history also sends ripples across the timestream and across the multiverse. For example, neutralizing a war in the mid-twentieth century might prevent immediate casualties, but its butterfly effect could trigger an entirely new geopolitical crisis further down the timeline. The more Reed Richards changes history, the less familiar and more chaotic it becomes.
Reed Richards’ plan would inadvertently unravel the precise sequence of meetings, migrations, and births that shape the world he knows. Without international conflict, Bruce Banner doesn’t get bombarded with gamma energy, Tony Stark doesn’t develop the Iron Man suits, and none of the world’s heroes have any reason to do what they do. Iconic couples like Sue Storm and Reed Richards themselves could pass like strangers, and countless works of art wouldn’t be made. In his well-intentioned crusade to construct a flawless paradise, Mister Fantastic would likely become the ultimate cosmic executioner.
Would you like to see a timeline where the Fantastic Four create a total utopia?
Doomquest #1 is now available from Marvel Comics.
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The Fantastic Four
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Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach
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Fantastic Four
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
