Born to Marvel’s first family, inheritor of genius intellect, time traveler of utter nonsense, these are all things that Valeria Richards is. How does someone so young have so many adventures in that amount of time? What powers did she inherit from her parents, if any? Why does Doctor Doom have such a claim in her life? Let’s find out!
Valeria Meghan Richards is the daughter of Susan Storm Richards and Reed Richards, the younger sister to Franklin Richards except when she wasn’t alive. Due to the cosmic rays that granted her powers their superpowers, Valeria was irradiating her mother from the inside and dying from her own radiation. Her father would bring the greatest minds he could gather together but in the end, Valeria would die. That would be the end if it weren’t for her brother, you see, Franklin has/had reality-altering powers. His sadness at the loss of his sister would take her on a bizarre trip across the multiverse where a he shunted her to leaving the family with what appeared to be a stillborn. Eventually, he would be able to bring her back but the same problem of irradiating her mother and herself would begin again. This time though, her father couldn’t help, her uncle Johnny Storm would call upon their greatest enemy, Doctor Doom to help them.
Doom is a master of science and magic, using these combined, he was able to save bother mother and child. His only wish was to be allowed to name her, Valeria was finally born into this reality. Though, with Doom’s intervention also came a cost, he would use her as a magical anchor to allow him to mess with the Fantastic Four. It would take bringing in Doctor Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme to undo the spells Doom had placed upon the child. Valeria was allowed to grow up among her family as normal as a superhero family can be. Valeria inherited her father’s intellect, being a child genius, she would decide to hide this fact from her family for as long as she can. Worried that this could make things more difficult for their already weird lives. It would take her new nanny, who was actually her mother from the future, to eventually make her feel comfortable and safe enough to reveal to her family her gifted mind.
As Valeria grew, so did her intelligence, she would go on strange adventures, especially with the Future Foundation, her family’s school for children with powers. She would discover that her father had a dubious council of alternate realities of himself, many of whom seem to be dangerous individuals. She would witness what appeared to be the death of her uncle Johnny, filling her with an understandably immense sadness and rage. Valeria was beginning to worry about the safety of her family and if her father’s ideas were really going to be able to protect them and the world.
While her uncle Johnny would return, Valeria was still worried about her family and the world. The Future Foundation would bring her up to speed on new problems the world was saving and she wanted to help everyone. Her nanny, who was her mother from the future, would betray and attack the family, furthering Valeria’s distrust in the ones she loved. She would grow so distant from them that she would seek out the man who named her, Doctor Victor Von Doom. Her reasoning was if she could turn him into a force for good, she could save the whole world then. The two became quite the pair, less parent and child but more mentor and student. Who was teaching who would often change pending on the subject. Though she knew she was on the right path with rehabilitating Doom, she would return to her family when she realized how much they needed her.
As the multiverse had a collision course for reality 616, Valeria’s home reality, and reality 1610, she would work with her father and others to try and stop the collision or failing that, save as many people as possible. This would cause new minor realities to be created to save as many people as possible until a new whole one could be formed. Though when it was done, Valeria and her family would go off to deal with problems outside this new reality until they were needed once more.
There you have it! Valeria is a powerful member of the Fantastic Four who have very much grown beyond their name’s number set. She’s yet to appear on the big or small screen but who knows what will happen for her and her family next? Guess we’ll have to wait and see. Until then, see you next time!
Suggested Reading
Fantastic Four #254
Fantastic Four Vol. 3 #54
Future Foundation
FF
Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net
