Nathaniel Richards

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Nathaniel Richards is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He is the father of Reed Richards, Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic Four, and the grandfather of Franklin Richards. It is speculated that he is also the secret identity of Iron Lad/Kang the Conqueror/Immortus. Besides Reed he has other children. In an alternate timeline he visited he fathered an unnamed son with a woman named Cassandra (this has long been assumed to be the ancestor of Kang). He also claims to have fathered Tara Richards aka Huntara as well as Kristoff Vernard.

[edit] History

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 always clouded and often sinister, though not outright villainous. He clearly has many plans in motion, but exactly what those are is unknown.

There is evidence which has fueled long-term speculation among the Avengers and Fantastic Four fan community that he is somehow related to Kang the Conqueror: either he is an ancestor of Kang the Conqueror or, possibly, a future variant of himself became Kang the Conqueror. It has been strongly hinted at that he is the biological father of Doctor Doom's adopted son Kristoff Vernard. Despite this speculation, current evidence states that Kang is not to be confused with Reed Richards' father, after whom he is named. In fact, he was born in an alternate timeline. The Earth there had been transformed into a paradise thanks to Mister Fantastic's father, the Nathaniel Richards after whom he was named.

One of Nathaniel's most famous moments was kidnapping his grandson Franklin and raising him in the future.

[edit] Ultimate Marvel

In Ultimate Marvel, Reed's father is named Gary. Unlike Nathaniel, Gary is a cruel man with no knowledge in science who treated his own son like dirt because of how he never developed as an athlete. He praised the athletic Ben Grimm like the son he wanted, but wasn't as kind as Ben. He would have treated Reed much worse than the bullies at his school. When Reed was accepted into the Baxter Building think tank, his father only agreed because Reed's family would be paid to send him.