Turns out the Fantastic Four are much more powerful than they seem, as their leader makes multiple Marvel heroes and villains redundant. The Fantastic Four are probably the most beloved superhero team in-universe due to their selflessness, their sense of union, and their wholesome public persona. Marvel’s First Family is also extremely effective against supervillains considering their small line-up.

Sue Storm is widely considered the Fantastic Four’s most powerful member due to her force fields, which are capable of crushing virtually any opponent. Johnny Storm’s flames can harm Galactus’ heralds and melt nearly anything. Ben Grimm’s strength rivals the Hulk’s, and his rocky physiology grants him immense durability. Famously, Reed Richards’ true power goes beyond his stretching abilities. To this day, Mister Fantastic has yet to showcase the full potential of his intellect.

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Reed Richards Is Secretly Many Marvel Characters In One

Fantastic Four #7, Written by Ryan North; Art by Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba, Jp Mayer, and Edgar Delgado

Scrambling to understand why Galactus left an encrypted message urging Earth to “find Susan Storm,” the Fantastic Four venture into space while their family stays on Earth. After the Mad Thinker’s thwarted attempt to attack their children, Alicia Masters decides to show the kids Reeds’ secret inventions. Reed Richards’ secret lab stores countless devices he has effortlessly replicated but hasn’t used, including Iron Man’s suits of armor, Ant-Man’s size-shifting tech, Doc Ock’s tentacles, Green Goblin’s weaponry, and both Spider-Man and Hawkeye’s gadgets.

It makes a lot of sense for Reed Richards to have a whole armory filled with every Marvel weapon and gadget. Whereas Tony Stark enjoys a variety of earthly pleasures during his breaks from inventing and crime-fighting, Reed’s hobbies are studying and creating even more. And considering how advanced Reed’s inventions are, most technologies in the Marvel Universe may feel like a beginner’s puzzle for Mister Fantastic.

Reed Richards’ Excuse Not To Be More Powerful Actually Makes Sense

Mister Fantastic Not Being More Effective Is His Main Character Flaw

Reed Richards takes a selfie of the Fantastic Four family in Marvel Comics

If he so wished, Reed Richards could equip himself and his team with advanced versions of every hero and villain’s weaponry. The Fantastic Four could be web-slinging, size-shifting, tech-enhanced, fully armored superheroes in all of their missions. Yet, Reed keeps his best weapons and tools stored in a secret lab. While this may sound like a contradiction of his intellect, it may actually be a direct consequence of it.

Reed Richards’ brilliant mind makes him Marvel’s smartest hero, but his stubbornness and ego often cloud his judgment. Reed is usually intelligent enough to craft the exact tool he needs to save the world, but it’s only until the rest of the Fantastic Four intervene that he knows how to really use it, or whether to use it at all. Likewise, Reed may have countless game-changing weapons, gadgets, and tools gathering dust because he probably considers them below his intellect.

Fantastic Four #7 is now available from Marvel Comics.