10 Worst Things Reed Richards Has Ever Done

9. He Hid The Fact That The FF Were Dying

Reed Richards The Maker
Marvel Comics

Reed Richards' main flaw, bar none, is the fact that he thinks he can fix everything all by himself. It is that flaw that gives birth to pretty much every decision on this list, and it's why his and Sue's marriage can get more than a little rocky at times.

One of the most egregious examples in recent years came in the form of Matt Fraction's excellent run on Fantastic Four back in 2013. In it, Reed makes the horrifying discovery that - shock of all shocks - getting hit by cosmic rays might have some longer term negative side effects.

While the four DID get amazing powers from the cosmic rays, those same powers are basically a form of super cancer that is slowly killing them all.

But, does Reed TELL his family this? Of course he doesn't - did you forget who we're talking about here? Reed felt that he could fix this on his own, and not even need to tell them. So he hides this fact from his family until it blows up in his face.

Contributor
Contributor

John Tibbetts is a novelist in theory, a Whatculture contributor in practice, and a nerd all around who loves talking about movies, TV, anime, and video games more than he loves breathing. Which might be a problem in the long term, but eh, who can think that far ahead?