Nathaniel Richards (Marvel)
Nathaniel Richards is a male comic character who features in Marvel Comics.
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Biography
Nathaniel Richards
At some point, he met and married Evelyn Richards who was a fellow scientist with the two having a son named Reed Richards. (Fantastic Four: Unplugged v1 #2)
He is a scientific genius, and his son Reed's aptitude for science is inherited from him, though Reed has proven himself to exceed his father's ability.
Nathaniel Richards is a time traveler. Though his son Reed is a superhero, Nathaniel Richards is not; his agenda is usually clouded and often sinister, though not outright villainous. He clearly has many plans in motion, but exactly what those are is unknown.
In the 1950's, Nathaniel Richards operated as an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and worked alongside Howard Stark. (S.H.I.E.L.D. v1 #1)
He created a time machine at his hidden laboratory and set it to transport him to three years into the future but damage to the machine caused him to be lost on a parallel Earth. As a result, he disappeared three years prior to the launch of his son's mission into space and was declared missing. A few million dollars were provided to his son for his project. (Fantastic Four v1 #271) On this parallel world, Nathaniel discovered a civilization that was struggling to survive following a nuclear war that devastated the planet. With his knowledge of science, Richards sought to rebuild society and utilized the talent of the women warriors known as the Eyriennes. As a show of gratitude, they gave one of their own named Cassandra who became Nathaniel Richards wife. In the years that followed, a new threat emerged in the form of the Warlord that preyed on the rest of the world and it was believed by some that the masked figure was actually Nathaniel Richards. (Fantastic Four v1 #273)
On Other-Earth, he he monitored the arrival of the Fantastic Four through advanced surveillance systems, observing them with a mix of calculated detachment and recognition. When the team was attacked by the local, primitive inhabitants of that world, Nathaniel chose to intervene, though he did so with an air of cold authority rather than sentimental warmth. He utilised his superior technology and combat prowess to disperse the attackers, asserting his dominance over the savage landscape. Throughout the encounter, he maintained a mysterious and somewhat weary demeanor, acknowledging Reed Richards not just as an intruder, but as the son he had left behind in another reality years prior. His actions were those of a man hardened by decades of multiversal travel and conflict, prioritising the security of his current domain while finally confronting the family he had abandoned to pursue his scientific and temporal ambitions. (Fantastic Four v1 #272) Nathaniel Richards acted as a cautious guide and a weary sovereign as he led the team into his massive, high-tech fortress situated in the heart of a prehistoric jungle. He explained to Reed and the others that he had arrived on this Earth decades prior and had used his scientific knowledge to bring peace to a warring world, eventually marrying a woman named Cassandra and fathering another child. In fact, the Warlord was not Nathaniel, but his wife, Cassandra. She kept him lulled in his citadel, pretending to love him and eventually bearing him a son. But she secretly lusted after power and disguised herself as Nathaniel, in his armor. It was to this newly ravaged world that the Fantastic Four traveled, searching for Reed's father so that Reed could fill in certain holes in his memory. They found people dressed as cowboys from the Old West, but carrying laser guns and riding on flying, metal steeds. The four soon met with the Queen, who told them the history of the Warlord, and Reed himself approached the fortress, alone, to reason with his father. Yet the Warlord attacked him, sending her troops against his team, until Wyatt Wingfoot snuck around and threw a rock into a powerful, antimatter weapon that the Warlord prepared to end the fight with. The resulting explosion knocked Wyatt out but killed the Warlord, Nathaniel's wife. When Wyatt recovered, Nathaniel had joined them and spoke with his son. He was ashamed that he had been fooled for so many years by his wife and vowed to rebuild the world that his technology had devastated. The Fantastic Four left shortly afterwards, returning to their own time. (Fantastic Four v1 #273)
Years later, Nathaniel appeared in Four Freedoms Plaza and explained to his grandson, Franklin Richards, that he had come to help him. The Fantastic Four soon arrived, and Nathaniel greeted his son, and his daughter-in-law, the Invisible Woman. He explained that while traveling through the time-stream he found a possible future of his home-Earth, where Sentinels took over the planet and eventually killed most of the mutant populace, including Franklin. Though Agatha Harkness announced that she detected truth in his words, she also revealed that he was hiding something that involved Reed. Nathaniel told them that the Sentinels were efficient because they used technology invented by Reed, himself. When Reed interrupted the conversation to speak with Matt Murdock, their attorney, concerning the Human Torch's brush with the law, Nathaniel was left with Agatha. She told him that she knew his mission, but would stay silent because she felt it necessary, and asked if they would hate them for it. Nathaniel replied that they would, as they should. (Fantastic Four v1 #376)
Richards at one point went to Uatu the Watcher's citadel on the Moon in order to gather some of the advanced technology located there. (Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising v1 #1)
During one of Doctor Doom's absences, Nathaniel actually impersonates him, convincing even Doom's technologically advanced servitor robots.
After Doom vanishes during the Onslaught incident, Nathaniel teams up with Cable and his team, X-Force. Both men agree Doctor Doom's time platform should be made secure against those who would mis-use this. During the course of this endeavor, Nathaniel assists in helping Meltdown out of Doom's Liddleville. It is a shrunken town, where many of Doom's enemies had been imprisoned.
Unfortunately, a SHIELD squadron follows the X-Force group into Doom's castle. A firefight results in Nathaniel, his companions and the entire castle vanishing in a teleportation effect
Reed has several flashbacks to his father. They have a long conversation about what it means to be a father and a man, before he heads out on his time machine.
After Johnny Storm's seeming death, Nathaniel Richards found his way to Earth after being lost in the timestream where he appeared in the Baxter Building to be reunited with his son. He was armed with knowledge of the future and joined the newly formed Future Foundation. During the family dinner, he disagreed with his son's idea to terraform the Moon following the return of the Inhumans there with Reed finding this to be a refreshing change of pace. He also came to agree with his granddaughter Valeria in looking to restore the mental faculties of Doctor Doom. (FF v1 #1)
Once Doom was restored, he called a gathering consisting of supervillain scientists into a Council of Doom with this consisting of the High Evolutionary, Diablo, the Mad Thinker, Wizard along with A.I.M. as they worked to develop strategies to defeat three members of the Interdimensional Council of Reeds operating on Earth-616. (FF v1 #4)
At some point, Nathaniel Richards was said to had died and left a pre-recorded message for his son. This came to be known as the Prize with Kang and his variants attempting to claim it though they knew not about its nature. They were thwarted by Reed Richards who recovered the device where it revealed that he had a half-sister that stemmed from another marriage by Nathaniel. (Fantastic Four v6 #15)
Overview
Personality and attributes
He claimed that it was a terrible thing for someone to not reach their full potential. As he grew older, he came to a realisation that he did not have the character to be both a good and great man at the same time. (Fantastic Four v1 #572)
He believed that his son Reed had the potential to be both a good and great man. In fact, all his hopes and desires rested on Reed growing up to become a man that Nathaniel had failed to do so. As such, he expected better from his son as he wanted him to be a better friend, husband, father and man. (Fantastic Four v1 #572)
It was known that he would also have a daughter in another relationship with his child being named Joanna Jeffers. She was a black woman who grew up to be a world renowned marine biologist and environmental activist. (Fantastic Four v6 #46)
Powers and abilities
Notes
- Nathaniel Richards was created by John Byrne where he made his first appearance in Fantastic Four v1 #272 (November, 1984).
Alternate Versions
- In Ultimate Fantastic Four v1 #1 (2004), an alternate version of the character named Gary Richards appeared in the Ultimate Marvel reality that was designated as Earth-1610 in the Multiverse. This version was shown as a cruel father with no knowledge in science who treated his own son dismissively because of how he never developed as an athlete. He praised the athletic Ben Grimm as the son he wanted, though unlike Gary, Ben was kind-hearted to Reed. When Reed was accepted into the Baxter Building think tank, his father only agreed because Reed's family would be paid to send him. After the team is exposed to the Negative Zone and gains superhuman powers, Reed was forced to remain estranged from his family due to government secrecy. Even after they make their existence known to the world following a battle with Annihilus, he chooses to keep from making contact with them. When his younger sister Enid is infected with powers of her own, he finally reestablishes contact with his parents; his mother is overjoyed to see him again, while Gary blames him for causing Enid's condition. In the mini-series "Ultimate Requiem," Reed moves back in with his family.
- In Fantastic Four v1 #581 (2010), an alternate version of Nathaniel Richards appeared in a reality that was designated as Earth-12498 in the Multiverse. This version came to be the only survivor of a great disaster where he gained the power to traverse through time. He was then approached by Immortus who decreed that only one version of him was allowed to have this power with this incarnation being a homicidal killer who began to ruthlessly murder his counterparts from across the Multiverse. In time, this version of Nathaniel Richards came to be known as the Beast and feared as a result of his actions.
In other media
Films
- In Fantastic Four, a character named Mr. Richards had a minor appearance in the 2015 live-action film where he was portrayed by actor Tim Heidecker.
Appearances
- Fantastic Four v1: (1984)
- FF v1:
- Fantastic Four v6:
External Links
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