Warning: Contains a preview for Fantastic Four #42!
It appears that being the leader of the Fantastic Four and one of the smartest men in the Marvel Universe is no longer enough for Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic. After acquiring dangerous technology from the Watchers, Reed has gained all the powers of that godlike race, rising to the same level as Marvel's cosmic beings, as shown in a preview for Fantastic Four #42, by Dan Slott, Rachael Stott, Jesus Aburtov, and Eric Arciniega.
The Fantastic Four are currently caught in the middle of the Reckoning War, a huge, cosmic-scale conflict that dates back to the earliest days of the Marvel Universe. The Watchers, then known as the Luminous, were a powerful and benevolent race who mastered the secrets of cosmic energy. They decided to share their "gifts" with other species, including the Prosilicans, who used this knowledge to become unstoppable warmongers, becoming known as the Reckoning. Feeling responsible, the Watchers sealed the Reckoning away in a part of the universe that was turned into a toxic wasteland by their weapons, and took an oath to never interfere again in the affairs of other races. However, after millennia, the Reckoning have returned, and they are planning to destroy the entire universe as an act of revenge. They have armed other warlike races with advanced technology, and one of their first targets was Uatu, Earth's Watcher, who recently came back to life.
Uatu survived the attack and fled to his home planet, trying to rally the Watchers against the common threat, but in the process, he left behind a device that stores all the knowledge of his ancient race. Reed Richards used it and was instantly imbued with an almost impossible amount of knowledge. This gave the heroes of Earth an important edge in the battle against the Reckoning, but at a great cost, as Reed's human body will quickly collapse under the strain of Watcher technology. In Fantastic Four #42, it is also revealed that Mister Fantastic's new abilities go beyond "simple" knowledge, as shown in this preview shared by Marvel Comics.
Reed has all the knowledge of the Watchers, including the process they use to convert their bodies into energy to travel across the cosmos. Having to pursue two members of the Reckoning, who stole the dangerous M'Kraan Crystal from the Shi'Ar, Reed uses that process to instantly move himself, She-Hulk, Jack of Hearts, and a wounded Ben Grimm to Obscura Minor, a planet thousands of light-years away. This is an unbelievable feat, which proves that Reed does not only possess all the knowledge of the Watchers but also their vast powers, including the manipulation of cosmic energies. In the past, the Watchers have proved to be similar to the cosmic predator Galactus in individual might, and coupled with Reed's existing genius, his knowledge appears to have brought him to the edge of godhood.
It is hard to predict how this huge power-up will affect Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four. Mister Fantastic has only three days to live before his new abilities literally melt his brain. However, Reed has long had a bad habit of allowing pure logic to overtake his more heroic impulses, and with the Thing's hands wrapped around his throat on the cover and their children in danger, it's clear that three days may be long enough to save the galaxy and destroy his family. To find out how Reed Richards will handle this unprecedented power, readers should check out Fantastic Four #42 when it is released on April 6.