Reed Richards
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| Reed Richards | |
|---|---|
 Portrayed by Ben Barnes | |
| Codename: | Mr. Fantastic |
| Affiliations: | |
| Birthdate: | October 31, 1989 |
| Journal: | xp_fantastic |
| Player: | Available for Applications |
My name is Dr. Reed Richards.
I live here now.
Too smart for his own good, Reed's experiments made him homeless and ultimately led to a new home at Xavier's. Eventually he moved out to work with a scientist friend in France in August 2019.
Contents
Details
Character Journal: xp_fantastic
Real Name: Reed Richards
Codename: Mr. Fantastic
Aliases: N/A
First Appearance: November 23, 2015
Date of Birth: October 31, 1989
Place of Birth: Central City, California
Citizenship: American
Relatives: Nathaniel and Evelyn Richards, parents
Education: Has his PhD in: Mathematics (Columbia, 2006), Chemical Physics (Harvard, 2010) and Biomedical Engineering (MIT, 2015) and various post-graduate certificates and diplomas (1 year)
Relationship Status: Single (was/is in a relationship with Susan Storm)
Occupation: Researcher/Inventor
Team Affiliation:
Biography
Childhood
It always seemed fitting to Evelyn Richards that her only child was born on Hallowe'en. From the moment Reed opened his eyes, Evelyn swore he was different. It seemed as if Reed was constantly assessing the world around him, trying to find his place in it. He didn’t cry much as a baby, and seemed to always be surrounded with a sense of curiousity.
As a renowned physicist, Nathaniel was pleased at Reed's obvious intelligence. By the age of 2, Reed already had a basic understanding of math, and his intelligence only kept increasing. Because of this, Nathaniel had a close relationship with Reed, allowing Reed into his lab to work on various projects and contracts, regardless of the complexity. Theoretical equations were his bedtime stories, and quantum physics were his lullabies.
By the time Reed reached the age most children started kindergarten, he was completing classes at his local high school, where he graduated by age 9. This was then followed immediately with university classes. Reed scored off the charts in all major intelligence tests, and while no one could agree on what to do with him, it was agreed that he be given as much education as he wanted. It was lonely at times, since Reed moved so quickly through school it was impossible to become friends with anyone. No one wanted to be friends with the weird smart kid, and frankly, Reed didn't want to be friends with them either. His relationship with his parents was all he needed (or so he told himself), and their support and love helped him get through his schooling. Sometimes though, he did find himself watching neighbourhood kids through his window, wondering what it would be like to join in and play a game of baseball. There were a few children that he maintained somewhat of a friendship, but it was always more of a pen-pal relationship than an actual physical presence.
At the age of 14, he decided to take a semester off of his doctoral studies and headed home. Surprised, his parents welcomed him but they were concerned -- Reed had never once taken a break from his studies, and they didn't know how to approach it. They didn't have to wait long to find out why.
A few weeks later, he sat them down at the kitchen table and presented them with a research paper titled: Reed -- Mr. Fantastic. Curiously, they looked at the documents as Reed explained very matter-of-factly that he had the X-gene and it had manifested itself in a very linear fashion. He had charts and graphs outlining his new powers. His body could stretch in amazing ways, with a few limitations. The materials also documented various experiments and testing he had done on himself over the course of his time at home.
In shock, his parents continued to read the materials as Reed proceeded to give them a demonstration of his powers. The only question his stunned father had was, "And you want to be called Mr. Fantastic?" Reed grinned. For a 14 year old, that was one amazing codename. And everyone knew that mutants needed codenames.
To their credit, both his parents took it into stride, and chalked it up to one more thing their amazing son could do. They also resolved to never let him forget his codename. Evelyn, rather than Nathaniel, took the lead on Reed’s mutant ‘socialization’. She found all the literature she could, took the time to learn the political landscape for mutants, and essentially provided Reed with the tools he needed to live his life. Both his parents recognized that it would never be easy to be a mutant, but they wanted to do what they could to make it easier. For Reed, being a mutant meant absolutely nothing to him. It was a physical manifestation that did not impact his mental acuity.
Heading back to school, he continued to excel, receiving a few more doctorates and landing several prestigious university grants but as he grew older, his lack of social skills started to show. He was unable to present his projects in meaningful, important ways. It was always explained in language that was beyond his target audience, and he had difficulties in making his inventions relatable for the average American. Desperate, he continued to try to prove his worth by taking on even more ambitious projects but as the funding dried up, so did his bank account.
He didn't want to admit to his parents that he wasn't doing well, so in an act of desperation, he sold a patent for a theoretical weapon, something he'd always promised himself he would never do. In fact, it would be the first and last time he would give up any of his intellectual property. The thought that he had no further control on his own invention, no say in how it was used…it was horrifying. After all, how would he be able to ensure it wasn’t going to be used nefariously? He had implemented a fail-safe, secretly in the designs, but he was worried it would be discovered and fixed. After all, it wasn’t his invention anymore.
Spiraling into a depression, Reed tried harder and harder to make inventions and sell products that could be used but he continued to struggle. Not only that, but finding a place to rent was also becoming a challenge. It was almost impossible to find the space he needed AND be left alone by his landlord. Before too long, his debt was piling up, creditors were calling, and he was being threatened with eviction.
M-Day, oddly enough, was the catalyst for him changing his life. The sudden and random deaths around him caused him to realize that life is short. He hadn’t really had a concept of mortality before – in fact, he was fairly certain he could invent something to prolong his life anyways, but a random, self-combustion? One that is inexplicable and unpreventable? He could see the fear in his parents’ eyes, and recognized it as the same look he had in his own eyes. He had to do something, and he couldn’t keep on floundering like this.
Heading to New York, he spent a month researching various companies, and systematically went through his list, trying to find a steady, reliable job. It was difficult, considering he had no real world experience, but he kept persevering. Meeting Franklin at a conference in early February 2015 had been a stroke of luck, as had the 15 minute pitch meeting he was allowed to give. Shortly afterwards, with the slight push of Sue Storm, Reed was given a short-term contract with Storm Tech, where he continues to work to this day.
Reed's journey to the mansion involved an untimely explosion in the labs of Storm Tech. In order to save Sue's life (or so he thought), he revealed his powers and created a barrier around Sue and the explosion. Fear set in almost immediately, and Reed planned to flee New York. Sue talked him out of it, and presented the option of staying at the mansion. After minimal hesitation, Reed agreed.
Living At The X-Mansion
Immediately upon arrival, Reed went directly to the labs and made his first friend in Hank McCoy. From there, he realized how lacking he was in physical ability, and sought out Jessica Jones, who recruited Reed to the Generation X team.
As he is someone who is not very socially active, nor socially aware, he has managed to butt heads with a few of the Mansion's residents, most notably Amanda Sefton who tried her best to get Reed to understand that magic exists; however, Reed's very practical mind was closed to that notion.
One constant was his undying (and unrequited) love for Sue Storm. Gabriel Cohuelo tried to introduce Reed to Tindr, but Reed found all that confusing. Instead, he continued to pine from afar. He also continued to fly under the radar, resurfacing every now and again to talk about an interesting scientific discovery or whatever project he was working on at the time.
As time went on, however, Reed found himself sought out by the mansion residents. Monica Rambeau asked him and Hank for help studying her powers; Molly Hayes often asked him to collaborate on various mechanical projects; and Hope Abbott asked him to do some hacking for her - the latter request earned Sue's wrath as she tried to protect her naive friend from potential repercussions, and not just because it was into her family's company. Notwithstanding, Reed continued to help where needed, and was recruited by Everett Thomas for the new eXcalibur team. He was also able to assist on various team missions, usually with scientific tech such as a Faraday cage to imprison an astral projector; containment for a mutant-specific toxic rock; helping rescue civilians trapped in a fiery android's attack on New York; installing (and then fixing) new tech for the Danger Room; and studying a mysterious island which seemed to defy all known science (as well as producing giant monsters). It was a good thing Reed was receiving physical training with various mansionites, because otherwise he might not have survived. He found a greater reason to take care of himself, however: his passion for Sue Storm was eventually requited, with the two of them beginning to date sometime in early 2018.
Everything came crashing down in Reed's world in June 2019, when Sue was possessed by the Asgardian Worthy, Skirn. She attempted to kill him several times, but he still kept trying to save her. Eventually he was successful, with Sue returning to her senses, but the trauma and stress had been too much. Shortly afterwards, once sure that Sue was safe and returning to normal, he took on a research position with old college friend Dr. Paul Duval, who had also been targeted by the Worthy and was himself recovering, as well as dealing with new-found mutant powers. Reed left the mansion in August 2019 for France.
Physical Characteristics
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 180 lbs
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Dark Brown, slightly shaggy hair. Although it’d be easier if he would just get it cut, he tends to have a habit of brushing it out of his face on a regular basis as he can’t be bothered to get regular haircuts.
Other Features: Reed has always been on the slender side,
but that could be more to do with the fact that he never eats. In
addition, he is usually generally pale, with dark circles under his
eyes, as he rarely sleeps and even more rarely is found outside his
lab.
Powers
Reed’s powers manifest in extreme cellular and molecular elasticity . This means that he can convert any part of his body into a malleable state on his command. He can make his body larger and smaller at will, but this does not affect his physical strength. Instead, using physics, he creates shapes that can incapacitate someone easily. It takes great mental effort to hold and create these shapes, but as he has been practicing since he was 14, he is fairly proficient at it now. That being said, it takes a small measure of concentration to remain in a solid state, as his new natural form is a more fluid one. If he tries hard enough, he can rearrange the general shape of his face, but he cannot change his hair or eye colour. At times of great relaxation (and inebriation) he finds himself forgetting and will slowly start to ‘melt’ .
He can turn himself from a solid to a non-newtonian liquid but he cannot change his actual mass or his molecules. He cannot enter a gaseous state and he will always remain 180 lbs. He can stretch up to 1500 feet; however, he does lose some dexterity, and tries not to over extend himself. Reed extend his body in two directions, creating a canopy, parachute, or sheath, its thickness determined by the extent of its distention, or into an aerodynamic shape such as a parachute or hang glider. Due to the extra surface area, he is able to support an additional 1000 lbs, but that would be very taxing on his body. He can also form a trampoline or other cushion-like objects, and he can create other geometric shapes. He can roll his body into a the shape of any solid that he can envision clearly, of a volume no greater than 1.7 cubic feet (a sphere about 18 inches in diameter He can also contain explosions by enveloping them and allowing their force to expand him. He can enclose and absorb the energy of a large explosive, on the order of 8 to 12 pounds of TNT (excluding exotic, high density explosives) but would not be able to withstand any type of radioactive explosion. Such shocks to his system are physically exhausting and take quite a while to recover from as he has no healing factor.
Equipment
N/A
Trivia
N/A
External Links
Plots
2016
2017
2018
2019
Meta
Player: Available for applications
E-mail:
Player Icon Base: Ben Barnes
Meta Trivia Reed was introduced to X-Project by Zoila in November 2015, and played by her until August 2019.
