Copyright Screen Rant
Fans of Fantastic Four: First Steps have been introduced to Reed and Sue's son Franklin, but he isn't the only Richards child who could be in the films. In the critically acclaimed First Steps, the birth of Franklin is treated as a cosmic-level event due to his reality-warping abilities. Even Galactus wants to take the child for his own purposes. However, he's missing an important dynamic in the current state of the universe due to the absence of his sister. Val Richards is a much more recent creation, formally debuting just before the turn of the century. In that time, though, she's become the kind of compelling character that could give the Marvel Cinematic Universe a shot in the arm. Val Richards In The Fantastic Four, Explained Valeria Richards is the second child of Reed and Susan in the original Marvel Comics, and it wouldn't be surprising to see her eventually follow her brother and join the MCU. Valeria Richards formally debuted in Fantastic Four #15 by Chris Claremont and Salvador Larroca. Initially introduced as a young woman from the future. Various cosmic conflicts revealed she was the child the Fantastic Four had believed Sue had miscarried years prior. She had been saved by Franklin's reality warping abilities and sent into a separate timeline for safety. Restored to her natural timeline and actual age, Val quickly became a key part of the Fantastic Four stories. While she doesn't have any of the reality-warping abilities that Franklin possesses, she did inherit her father's staggering intellect. This has left the character often defined by her innocent appearance and condescending personality, with Reed and Sue sometimes struggling to help Val see the world from a more heroic perspective. One of the most compelling elements of Valeria as a character is her connection to Doctor Doom. The Fantastic Four villain may hate Reed Richards and despise the rest of the team as a whole, but he absolutely adores Val. Having helped ensure her safe birth in the present day, even naming her.. This connection was played up in stories like Secret Wars and One World Under Doom, where Doom's love for Valeria is one of his only redeeming qualities. Val is a fun character, especially when contrasted against her more innocent brother. Recent comics have aged the pair into teenagers, allowing them to be more proactive in the Fantastic Four adventures. Will Val Come To The MCU? Val's potential arrival in the MCU is a genuine possibility now that the Fantastic Four are formally part of the franchise. Although there's no indication in the post-credits scene of Fantastic Four: First Steps that Susan is pregnant again, it wouldn't be a hard reveal to make. It could even be used as a plot point in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars films, especially if they take inspiration from Secret Wars, briefly recasting Susan as Doom's wife. The existence of the multiverse could allow the creatives behind the MCU to pull from her original story and have her be from a different dimension. They could play with time-travel as a way of bringing back the storytelling mechanic without having to address Kang. However, there are some inherent challenges to having Val around. Child actors are typically tricky in long-running properties, as their growth spurts and natural aging can throw off the immersion of a storyline. Her complex backstory might be something the MCU wants to avoid, at least for a time. Audiences have also not gotten the chance to even really get to know Franklin yet, so it might be too much to introduce another baby to the mix. However, that doesn't mean it's impossible. The movies could even take a similar route as the comics by having Reed and Sue disappear for years from their perspective with the kids in tow, only to return to the present day with only months having passed. This way, Franklin and Val could be teenagers and capable of being more proactive in the future of the MCU.
