Meet the Future Foundation, the Marvel Universe's Next Generation of Geniuses and Heroes

The Fantastic Four always keep an eye on the future. Under the leadership of Mister Fantastic, the Fantastic Four try to build a better tomorrow through science, research, and exploration. So, when Reed needed a group who could stretch their minds as much as he does, he gathered several young heroes and geniuses together as the Future Foundation. With members from every corner of the Marvel Universe, the Future Foundation has played a critical role in solving the kinds of universal problems that Reed can’t solve by himself.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the Future Foundation and how they solved some of the most complicated problems in the Multiverse. From outsmarting Reed Richards to repairing the Multiverse, this is how the Future Foundation forged a better future for the Marvel Universe.

WHAT IS THE FUTURE FOUNDATION?

The Future Foundation began when Reed Richards tried to “solve everything,” as he put it. While looking for solutions to several existential problems, Reed grew deeply disappointed by the established scientific community and their lack of innovative ideas. After gathering several young minds with fresh ways of thinking, Mister Fantastic assembled the Future Foundation for the first time in FANTASTIC FOUR (1998) #579 by Jonathan Hickman and Neil Edwards.

For their first project, the Future Foundation found a way to turn the Thing back into his human form for one week of the year. With that accomplishment, the think tank achieved something Reed had never been able to do and proved how useful their new ways of thinking could be.

After their first meeting, the Future Foundation expanded to include a few dozen of the greatest minds in the Marvel Universe, from misunderstood young geniuses to Doctor Doom. The Future Foundation worked closely with the Fantastic Four through several crises, and the Human Torch (Johnny Storm) seemingly died to protect several Foundation members.

For a time, the Fantastic Four folded fully into the Future Foundation. After designing ships that survived the collapse of the Multiverse in SECRET WARS (2015), the Future Foundation also played a key role in restoring countless worlds across reality.

WHO IS IN THE FUTURE FOUNDATION?

The Future Foundation was initially built around several young geniuses and their adult tutors. Both of Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman’s children, the super-smart Valeria Richards and the super-powerful Franklin Richards, joined the Future Foundation. The first group also included a young clone of the villainous Wizard named Bentley-23, two Morlock mutants named Artie and Leech, two young Atlanteans, and several Moloids from the underground kingdom of the Mole Man. The cybernetic Dragon Man and Alex Power, who used to be a child hero himself as a member of the Power Pack, oversaw this group.

Every member of the Fantastic Four also belonged to the Future Foundation, and Spider-Man fulfilled one of the Human Torch’s last requests by stepping into his role with the group. Both Doctor Doom and Nathaniel Richards, Reed’s time-traveling father, brought their experience to the Future Foundation, which later added a few young Wakandan and Inhuman members as well.

While the Fantastic Four adventured off-world, Ant-Man (Scott Lang), She-Hulk, Medusa, and a pop star codenamed Ms. Thing led the Future Foundation. Like her brother, Lightspeed (Julie Power) also taught the Future Foundation, which later recruited the reality-hopping Nomad (Rikki Barnes) and Lyja, a shape-shifting Skrull with ties to the Fantastic Four.

THE FUTURE FOUNDATION AND THE FANTASTIC FOUR

The Future Foundation and the Fantastic Four began working as one team after the Human Torch sealed himself in the Negative Zone to protect the young geniuses from Annihilus. In Johnny’s absence, Spider-Man adopted the group’s black and white uniforms and joined the Future Foundation in FF (2011) #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting.

When several of Reed’s villainous alternate reality variants formed the Council of Reeds, Valeria and Nathaniel Richards urged the Future Foundation to heal an injured Doctor Doom in exchange for his help. After his mind was restored, Doom upheld his deal with Valeria to assist the Future Foundation and worked with several other genius villains to stop the Council’s plots.

As the Supreme Intelligence and the alien Kree invaded Earth, the Human Torch returned with control over the armies of the Negative Zone and fought the invasion. When the younger members of the Future Foundation fled the conflict, they ran into universe-conquering cosmic entities called the Mad Celestials. After they destroyed the Council of Reeds, these Mad Celestials targeted the main Marvel Universe.

Although the heroes tried to use a powerful weapon called Sol’s Anvil and a fully powered Galactus against the Mad Celestials, the Future Foundation was ultimately saved by adult versions of Franklin and Valeria from the future. With his fully matured reality-warping abilities, Franklin teamed up with Galactus to stop the Mad Celestials, and the adult Richards children briefly joined the Future Foundation.

THE NEW FUTURE FOUNDATION

When the Fantastic Four embarked on a cosmic adventure away from Earth, a small team of heroes replaced them in the Future Foundation while they were gone starting in FF (2012) #1 by Matt Fraction and Mike Allred. The replacement team included several longtime Fantastic Four allies, including Ant-Man (Scott Lang), Medusa, and She-Hulk. Darla Deering, a musician who was dating Johnny Storm at the time, also used a robotic Thing suit to join the team as Miss Thing. Although the Fantastic Four’s mission was only supposed to last for four minutes, an older Human Torch reappeared instead and claimed that Doctor Doom had killed everyone else.

While the Fantastic Four were away, the Future Foundation faced several of their old foes, including Annihilus, Mole Man, the Wizard, Red Ghost, and Maximus the Mad. During this era, the Future Foundation recruited Adolf Impossible, the reality-warping son of the all-powerful prankster called the Impossible Man. With some help from Uatu the Watcher, Ant-Man and the Future Foundation successfully confronted Doom, stopped him from increasing his powers, and rescued the Powers’ kidnapped parents before the Fantastic Four returned.

THE FUTURE FOUNDATION AND SECRET WARS

As the many worlds of the Multiverse began to collapse in the lead-up to SECRET WARS (2015), the Fantastic Four and the Future Foundation faced another crisis starting in FANTASTIC FOUR (2014) #1 by James Robinson and Leonard Kirk. After several giant creatures escaped from a portal in the Baxter Building, the Future Foundation was left in the care of the original Human Torch, an android and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent named Jim Hammond.

Although the Wizard tried to get Bentley to betray his friends, the villain reconsidered and encouraged his young clone to stay with the Future Foundation. The Future Foundation and the Fantastic Four also worked together to stop the Quiet Man, a vengeful villain who went to college with Reed, and the corrupted Avengers of Counter-Earth, a forgotten reality Franklin had created.

When only a few worlds remained in the Multiverse, the Future Foundation built a “life raft,” a ship that could survive the end of the universe, in FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2015 #0 by Jonathan Hickman and Paul Renaud. Although the life raft saved several heroes, most members of the Future Foundation still died when their universe collapsed.

After saving reality, Reed and the reality-warping Molecule Man restored the Future Foundation. Franklin and Molecule Man used their vast powers to create new universes, and Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, and the Future Foundation left Earth to help them rebuild the Multiverse.

THE END OF THE FUTURE FOUNDATION

During their several years away from Earth, the Future Foundation rebuilt the Multiverse. Just as Franklin used up most of his powers, the Griever at the End of All Things—a cosmic spirit of entropy—attacked the Future Foundation in FANTASTIC FOUR (2018) #2 by Dan Slott and Sara Pichelli. The Griever destroyed hundreds of universes and also seemingly killed Molecule Man. After bringing together every hero who had ever been part of the Fantastic Four, Reed outsmarted her and pushed her forces back.

While the Richards Family decided to stay on Earth and restart the Fantastic Four, the rest of the Future Foundation kept on traveling through the Multiverse. While tracking a strange signature, the group found the shape-shifting Lyja and Rikki Barnes imprisoned in FUTURE FOUNDATION (2019) #1 by Jeremy Whitley and Will Robinson.

The Future Foundation also encountered the Maker, a twisted version of Reed Richards from the Ultimate Universe. After escaping the Maker by traveling through a pocket dimension, the Future Foundation finally returned to Earth through the Forever Gate, an artificial reality nexus designed by Valeria, in FANTASTIC FOUR (2018) #26 by Slott and R.B. Silva. Following years of rebuilding and traveling through the Multiverse, the Future Foundation disbanded, and its members took the many lessons they had learned back to their homes.

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