As both the leader of the Fantastic Four and one of the most important characters in the Marvel Universe, Reed Richards has many abilities, some of which he has yet to use in his movie appearances. Since the character’s creation back in 1961, Reed Richards has become firmly established as one of Marvel’s most consistently popular and important characters. Soon set to make his first major appearance in the MCU’s movie timeline, Reed Richards is seemingly on track to become equally important to Marvel’s flagship movie franchise.
Over the character’s long history in the Marvel Universe, he has undergone many changes and evolutionary shifts. In that time, Reed Richards’ stretching abilities have manifested in a number of surprising ways, and on other occasions, he has exhibited other noteworthy abilities. Despite having made appearances in 4 movies in the MCU and other franchises, Reed Richards has yet to display all of these abilities in film. With that in mind, here are eight superpowers that Reed Richards’ Mister Fantastic hasn’t used in 4 Marvel movie appearances.
8
Hypnotism
Reed Richards Is A Trained Hypnotist
Depicted in the comics as early as Fantastic Four #2, Reed Richards is a trained hypnotist. At that time, he used it to hypnotize a group of Skrulls into peacefully living out the rest of their lives as cows on Earth, but he has used the ability in different ways in other Marvel Comics stories. Despite hypnosis having been an interesting part of the character’s comic book history, he has yet to use the ability in any movie adaptations of the Fantastic Four’s story.
The reason why is relatively obvious: it doesn’t exactly fit with the more modern iteration of the character. Reed Richards is most commonly depicted as a man of science, who is dedicated to more tangible pursuits. Explaining Reed’s hypnotic abilities in a movie would be somewhat at odds with this characterization, and also wouldn’t have matched the more serious tones of his previous movie appearances.
7
Knowledge Of Martial Arts
Richards Has Been Established As A Martial Artist
The history of the Fantastic Four in Marvel Comics is long and storied, and, at one time, it was established that Reed Richards was a trained martial artist. Of course, appearing as a hero in so many stories has often required Mister Fantastic to engage in combat, and explaining his ability to survive using martial arts training is as reasonable a justification as any. However, none of the Fantastic Four movies have established Reed Richards as being trained in martial arts.
Mister Fantastic’s role as the leader of the team is usually limited more to intellectual pursuits, with his stretching abilities giving him an edge in action-heavy situations.
The reason behind this largely seems to be that it hasn’t been necessary. Much of the direct fighting is done by the Thing in Fantastic Four movies, owing to the fact that he’s by far the best suited for the task. Mister Fantastic’s role as the leader of the team is usually limited more to intellectual pursuits, with his stretching abilities giving him an edge in action-heavy situations. As such, Reed Richards’ martial arts abilities have never needed to be called upon for his live-action appearances.
6
Semi-Solid Liquefaction
Mister Fantastic Can Turn Himself Into a Human Puddle
One of Reed Richards’ many abilities to stem from his elasticity is known in the comics as semi-solid liquefaction. In layperson’s terms, that means that Mister Fantastic has been able to render himself in a mostly liquid state on occasion due to his extreme stretchiness. Though it may not seem the most useful ability in the hero’s arsenal, it has proved helpful at times for the hero and his teammates. Even so, it has not been used in any of his movie appearances.
The practical uses of the ability are admittedly limited, and there are very few situations in which it would have proven useful in any of Mister Fantastic’s movie appearances. Additionally, it would seem to be an incredibly difficult power to get right in live-action, as the CGI technology needed to make semi-solid liquefaction look realistic was not available when many of the Fantastic Four movies were made. With that in mind, it’s hardly surprising that the power hasn’t appeared in the movies, even though it has been established in the comics.
5
Voice Mimicry
Reed Richards Can Duplicate Any Voice
One of Reed Richards’ more creative uses of his elasticity has seen him learn to mimic any voice. Doing so requires stretching his vocal cords in a way that changes his voice at will, allowing him to carefully alter his speech to match just about any other person. The ability has been used a few times in the comics, and though it isn’t the most helpful of powers, it’s not difficult to see where it could be used to the Fantastic Four’s advantage.
Like the other abilities on this list, Mister Fantastic’s voice mimicry has not been adapted for his live-action movies ahead of the release of Fantastic Four: First Steps in the MCU. It could potentially be applied in the future, particularly as the MCU often makes use of superpowered impersonations for added levity, as previously seen by Loki in Thor: The Dark World, for example. However, there simply hasn’t been a particularly good opportunity for Reed to stretch his vocal cords in such a way in any of his previous film appearances.
4
Shapeshifting
Richards Can Stretch His Face To Look Like Anyone
Another of Reed Richards’ interesting uses of his abilities comes in the form of shapeshifting. Using his elastic stretching power, Mister Fantastic has learned to stretch and manipulate his facial features and body to replicate the appearance of other people. Though the ability comes with some limitations, Mister Fantastic has used his shapeshifting power on numerous occasions in the comics, for a mulтιтude of reasons.
The ability has yet to be employed in any of the Fantastic Four’s live-action outings, though. Despite being obviously useful in many situations and boasting many potential benefits, shapeshifting is something that has so far eluded movie adaptations of the character. Though it may appear in Reed Richards’ MCU future, it’s not a power that he has been able to demonstrate yet in his live-action tenure, even though it could have proven hugely helpful on many occasions over his four previous appearances.
3
Elastic Mitosis
Mister Fantastic Can Create Duplicates Of Himself
Elastic mitosis is one of Reed Richards’ most complex and somewhat mysterious abilities. Having been established in the comics as a part of Mister Fantastic’s elasticity powers, mitosis is currently more of a hypothetical power for the hero, as it has yet to be put to full use. Even so, the comics have confirmed it, with SHIELD’s files on Reed Richards outlining that he is capable of splitting into multiple copies of himself should he unlock the ability.
As one of the character’s newest and most complex abilities, it’s unlikely to feature in any of his upcoming appearances, either, as the parameters of the power haven’t even been explored in the comics as yet.
Naturally, as he has yet to use in the comics, Mister Fantastic hasn’t displayed this mitosis ability in the movies, either. As one of the character’s newest and most complex abilities, it’s unlikely to feature in any of his upcoming appearances, either, as the parameters of the power haven’t even been explored in the comics as yet. Even so, it’s one of Reed Richards’ most exciting powers, and could potentially make for an incredible live-action spectacle in the future.
2
Resistance To Telepathy
Reed Richards Can Manipulate His Brain To Resist Telepaths
Reed Richards’ stretching ability has been defined in numerous ways across his long tenure as a Marvel Universe character. One of the applications of the ability involves stretching his own brain, which has proven to have multiple uses. An ill-defined example of this is Mister Fantastic’s resistance to telepathy, which has previously been established in comics. Should Reed be aware of impending telepathic threats, he can stretch his mind accordingly to resist its effects.
Despite having been established, the ability is reasonably ill-explored within the comics, and so hasn’t featured in live-action, either. The best opportunity for this might have been in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Illuminati scene, which saw Reed Richards and Charles Xavier share the big screen for the first time. However, a live-action exploration of Reed Richards’ telepathic resistance may well appear in the future, with the characters set to return for Avengers: Doomsday.
1
Elastic Consciousness
Mister Fantastic Has Complete Control Over His Intellect
Reed Richards has often been declared the smartest person in the Marvel Universe for good reason. In addition to being a brilliant inventor and scientist, Reed Richards also possesses the ability to stretch his brain to expand his own intellectual abilities at will. This skill has been demonstrated on many occasions in the comics, but has never been depicted in any of his live-action appearances.
As two of his movie appearances served as origin stories for the Fantastic Four, the movie versions of Mister Fantastic have never reached the point in their Marvel journey where the ability has become necessary. In addition, it’s a complex power to explain and justify, especially in franchises as short-lived as previous live-action incarnations have appeared in. As such, Reed Richards’ elastic consciousness is yet another ability that hasn’t been adapted into any of his previous Fantastic Four movie appearances.
Fantastic Four
- Created by
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Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
- First Film
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The Fantastic Four
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Fantastic Four
Summary
The Fantastic Four is a superhero franchise centered on Marvel Comics’ first family of superheroes. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the team made its comic book debut in 1961 and quickly became a cornerstone of Marvel’s success. The franchise follows four astronauts—Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm—who gain superpowers after being exposed to cosmic radiation. Over the years, Fantastic Four has been adapted into several live-action films, animated series, and video games. The films have seen multiple reboots, with varying levels of success, and are now set to be integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with a new film slated for release in 2025.
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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Spider-Man: Brand New Day
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July 31, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
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May 7, 2027
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