The Fantastic Four remains shrouded in secrecy, but it's become apparent in recent weeks that the movie takes place in a reality that is not Earth-616 (the home of The Avengers).
Rumour has it Franklin Richards will be a key part of the story and that he'll likely have ties to Galactus.
Wait, what?
Well, with a female Silver Surfer set to take centre stage in The Fantastic Four, it makes all the sense in the world because Marvel Studios is clearly pulling inspiration from Alex Ross and Jim Krueger's Earth X comic book. We're sure many of you are keen to know what this means for the reboot and we have you covered.
In this breakdown, we take a deep dive into the Earth X Franklin Richards/Galactus and what this could mean for both this movie and the wider Multiverse Saga. To check it out, you just need to hit the "Next"/"View List" button below.
4. A Tragic Backstory
For the most part, Earth X's Franklin Richards had a similar backstory to his Earth-616 counterpart. The son of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, he was a mutant with seemingly no limit to his reality-warping powers.
However, in this reality, Franklin was so powerful that he was on the cusp of entering the second tier of mutation, granting him a type of "every-power" similar to the shapeshifting Skrulls. Eventually joining the Fantastic Four, the boy saw life as little more than a fun adventure...until it wasn't.
The team went into battle against Doctor Doom and Namor the Submariner when they attacked the U.N. Namor broke the Human Torch's neck, pushing Franklin over the edge. His powers evolved to that second tier and he made it so that whenever the Atlantean left the ocean, he'd burst into flames.
Meanwhile, Doom's attempt to kill Reed backfired, leading instead to his and Sue's death.
3. The New Galactus
Heartbroken, Reed and Franklin were later approached by the High Evolutionary, the Silver Surfer and Adam Warlock. They explained that, when Mister Fantastic previously killed Galactus by turning him into a star, he'd left the universe unbalanced and vulnerable to attack from the Celestials.
As the only being powerful enough in existence to become the new Galactus, Franklin - with some help from the High Evolutionary - evolved his power to a third tier. Losing his memories, he roamed the universe and specifically only consumed planets which would one day give birth to a Celestial.
He eventually saved Earth, but only after being pulled back to Earth by his father (who had asked Black Bolt to use his voice to call to "Franklin"). For fear of restoring his memories and robbing the universe of Galactus a second time, Reed had no choice but to remain silent.
Galactus, however, was plagued by that name and demanded The Watcher show him Franklin's story. He witnessed it all, but instead of seeing his own transformation into the World Eater, The Watcher showed Galactus an alternate-reality Franklin, dooming the hero to an eternity spent in this form.
2. Two Heralds
What you've read above could easily be adapted in The Fantastic Four. However, we'd likely add a larger Multiversal element, either making Galactus a Variant of Franklin unleashed on the Multiverse or a version of the mutant from a possible future.
We'll get into more of that shortly, but there's already a pretty strong indication that Marvel Studios is pulling from Earth X due to the presence of the female Silver Surfer known as Shalla-Bal.
In this reality, when Franklin became Galactus, he was accompanied by Norrin Radd (who had vowed to keep this Galactus on the right track). With a greater level of humanity, the World Eater reunited his Herald with his former love and turned Shalla-Bal into a second Silver Surfer.
She'd eventually fall in battle against the Celestials, leaving Norrin to remain on Earth and mourn the woman he loved. In the MCU, we'd bet on him eventually showing up, even if it isn't until Marvel's First Family reaches Earth-616...
1. The Significance Of Franklin Richards
Franklin's rumoured presence in The Fantastic Four is a big deal not just for this movie, but the Multiverse Saga as a whole. He has God-like powers and rebuilt the universe after the Multiverse was destroyed by a series of incursions.
The teenager has even created a pocket reality to keep his family (and The Avengers) safe after the consciousness of Professor X and Magneto merged to become the unstoppable Onslaught. You can see how he'd be key to a post-Secret Wars reboot, right?
It's obvious The Fantastic Four takes place in its own reality as the movie's New York City skyline is unrecognisable. This might be where they've taken refuge courtesy of Franklin or, once Galactus destroys Earth, the world they say goodbye to before arriving on Earth-616.
Alternatively, Marvel Studios might leave them as Multiversal heroes before merging all these alternate realities to create a new Sacred Timeline, similar to how Miles Morales went from the Ultimate Universe to the mainstream Marvel Universe after Franklin's reboot.