‘Fantastic Four’—Galactus, Franklin, And The Twist Ending, Explained

Finally, the Fantastic Four have arrived in the MCU, but are still separated from the Avengers, existing within a retro-futuristic world known as “Earth-828.”

Fantastic Four largely skips over the team’s origin story, jumping straight to the fateful pregnancy of Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) and the birth of her son, Franklin.

While the Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and the Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) are happy to have survived their encounter with Galactus, Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) can’t stop thinking about his son’s destiny.

What Happens In Marvel’s ‘Fantastic Four’?

Spoilers Ahead

After the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) heralds the arrival of Galactus (Ralph Ineson), announcing that Earth is next on the menu, the Fantastic Four head into space to negotiate with the big, hungry giant, and quickly learn that giving up baby Franklin is the only way to save their planet.

Galactus informs them that Franklin is astonishingly powerful, and is one of the few individuals who could inherit his role as the Devourer of Worlds.

After the team makes it safely back to Earth, they experience a loss of faith from the public, who want them to sacrifice the baby for the greater good.

Mister Fantastic focuses his considerable brainpower on a solution, while the Human Torch works to decode the alien language of the Silver Surfer.

Who (Or What) Is Galactus?

Galactus reveals that he used to be a human being, but has been alive for billions of years, a slave to his terrible hunger. He seeks a successor in Franklin, in order to finally put an end to his cosmic appetite.

In the comics, Galactus was originally known as Galan—he was an ordinary person born on a doomed alien world. In the wake of his planet’s destruction, Galan was reborn as Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds.

The Devourer of Worlds is actually an essential role in the Marvel universe, a natural part of the multiverse cycle, as the life and energy Galactus consumes will eventually return to the universe.

After he analyzes baby Franklin, Galactus seems to see a dark future for the boy.

Who Is Baby Franklin, And What Are His Powers?

Baby Franklin is an immensely powerful mutant, and we get a glimpse of his powers at the end of Fantastic Four, when he resurrects his mother after she dies to save him.

This is just a glimpse at his future potential—in the comics, Franklin can reshape reality, blast powerful energy beams, predict the future, and more.

Indeed, Franklin is practically a god, destined to survive the end of the universe and become the next Devourer of Worlds, within a new universe. It’s unclear if the MCU is going to embrace this almighty version of Franklin—his powers and destiny might be toned down somewhat.

However, it is implied that in this film, Franklin is not destined to inherit the role of Galactus, but is merely powerful enough to do so.

‘Fantastic Four’s’ Ending And Post-Credits Scene, Explained

The combined efforts of the team are not quite enough to conceal baby Franklin from the all-seeing eye of Galactus. But the giant’s powerful ally, the Silver Surfer, has experienced a change of heart, thanks to the Human Torch.

It is revealed that the Surfer’s name is Shalla-Bal, and like Galactus, she was once mortal, choosing to sacrifice her humanity to save her own planet, bound in the service of Galactus.

After the Human Torch reminds her of her tragic past, the Surfer rediscovers her empathy, and decides to sacrifice herself once more.

The team succeeds in pushing Galactus into a powerful teleporter, thanks to the final push from the Silver Surfer, transporting her and the giant into a galaxy far, far away.

Notably, this has delayed Galactus, but is not guaranteed to stop his return.

The Fantastic Four has protected Franklin and survived their brief PR crisis, but a new villain is immediately introduced in the film’s post-credit scene—Doctor Doom.

Doctor Doom is the adversary of the Fantastic Four, and one of Marvel’s most iconic villains, a genius scientist who also dabbles in magic.

While Doom usually conceals his face, either due to a terrible mutilation (or sometimes, vanity, bearing an amusingly minor scar), he is shown in the post-credits scene with his mask off.

Marvel made an unusual and fairly controversial casting choice with Doom, casting Robert Downey Jr. in the role.

Notably, this is not an alternative version of Iron Man, but a brand new character in the multiverse who resembles Tony Stark, seemingly by coincidence.

As Doom is shown crouching over Franklin, it is clear that the devious Doctor is interested in harnessing the boy’s superpowers for his own ends.

At the moment, the Fantastic Four remain in their original universe, disconnected from the main MCU, but will surely require the help of the Avengers to deal with Doom.

The two universes will surely collide in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, which aims to repeat the spectacle of Infinity War and Endgame, bringing back beloved characters to face an almighty super villain.

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