The X-Men and Fantastic Four have been clashing over possession of Franklin Richards, the son of Reed and Sue Richards, for the past two issues. Battle lines have been drawn and tensions are boiling over on both teams. However, just as the conflict reached a crescendo with Dr. Doom and his army of Doom-Sentinels, the conflict’s end might be in sight - thanks to a preview of the upcoming Empyre crossover Marvel recently posted.
The X-Men have taken an unhealthy amount of interest in teenage Franklin Richards since he is essentially one of the most powerful mutants on Earth. The Fantastic Four and the X-Men both fight in what is essentially a superhero custody battle that culminates in Franklin and his sister Val hitching a ride with Kate Pryde on a ship bound for Krakoa, only to be intercepted by Doctor Doom.
The conflict between the X-Men and the Fantastic Four seemed to reach an explosive chapter, that is until the Marvel preview of Empyre dropped. The preview shows the Fantastic Four on a family vacation in the far reaches of space - with Franklin and Val in tow - where the team encountering the nascent Kree/Skrull alliance created by Hulking. Whatever awaits the Fantastic Four from here on out, it seems likely they have reunited with their children after the events of X-Men/Fantastic Four crossover.
It is clear that the X-Men/Fantastic Four crossover does take place before Kitty’s controversial death on the pages of Marauders. Kitty Pryde is instrumental in leveraging her friendship with Franklin to the X-Men’s advantage, despite some reluctance on her part. Despite her appearance in the crossover, however, Kitty Pryde perished in Marauders #7, with Bishop finding her body in the subsequent issue. Her presence in X-Men/Fantastic Four seems to indicate that the story takes place before Kitty Pryde met her untimely end, though it’s worth noting both stories are still ongoing.
Since comic books are a serialized medium, some discordance between titles and their respective creative teams is to be expected. However, seeing Val and Franklin reunited with their family undermines much of the tension in X-Men/Fantastic Four. The mini-series has thus far called out both the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, one for their increasingly racial ideology, and Reed Richards for his tampering with Franklin to prevent him from accessing Krakoa via a gateway. The momentum of the miniseries seemed to indicate major changes in the status quo for at least Franklin Richards, given the X-Men’s persistent interest in him. The fact that he is next seen with his sister on a deep space family vacay raises serious questions about the crossover’s trajectory from here. Still, given the last issue concluded with Doctor Doom unveiling several Sentinels-turned-Doombots, here’s hoping the crossover still has a few surprises left.
X-Men Fantastic Four #3 is on sale at your local comics shop and online.
More: Why is Marvel’s King of Space Attacking Earth in Empyre?
Source: Marvel
