Warning! Spoilers for Fantastic Four: Life Story #5 by Marvel Comics
Taking down Galactus is a feat few heroes or villains can claim to have accomplished, but Franklin Richards just teamed up with his Fantastic Four family to defeat the cosmic juggernaut in epic fashion. In Fantastic Four: Life Story, a fully grown Franklin uses his incredible powers combined with Reed Richards' connection to the massive villain to fry his brain and save the Earth from being devoured.
Fantastic Four: Life Story reimagines Marvel's First Family in a new tale that takes place in real-time in the Marvel Universe. Starting in the '60s, the entire history of the Fantastic Four unfolds, with each issue focusing on a specific decade of their history. The '60s saw the Fantastic Four form, with the superteam gaining the attention of Galactus. Reed Richards would obsess over the Devourer of Worlds' arrival, which would lead to the end of his marriage. In the '80s, Johnny Storm sacrificed himself to stop a nuclear threat. In the '90s, Silver Surfer arrived on Earth and revealed their planet was doomed. Now, in the 2000s, Reed is finally confronting Galactus head-on.
In Fantastic Four: Life Story #5 by Mark Russell, Sean Izaakse, Carlos Magno, Nolan Woodward, and VC's Joe Caramagna, Earth prepares for its inevitable end as the countdown for Galactus' arrival begins. The Silver Surfer visits the Fantastic Four and says Reed Richards can save the planet by replacing him as Galactus new Herald - which Richards declines. The story continues, with Franklin Richards returning to Wakanda to be with his family. T'Challa offers him a Vibranium headband to help control his massive psionic powers. When Silver Surfer returns years later with one last offer to save the world, Reed agrees to become Galactus' new Herald. However, Reed accepting the role turns out to be an ambush attack - as Franklin uses his new psionic headband, combined with Reed's connection to Galactus, to fry the supervillain's brain.
Franklin Richards has long been considered one of the most powerful Marvel heroes ever. His ability to manipulate reality made him an Omega Level mutant - although his powers were recently taken from him. In this case, he channels his psionic powers with his father to stop one of the biggest threats in the known universe. However, it comes with a cost, as it fries Reed Richards' brain as well, putting the genius-level hero into a vegetative state.
Fantastic Four: Life Story has done a tremendous job at jam-packing and remixing decades worth of Fantastic Four stories into its decades-spanning tale. Franklin Richards teaming up with Reed Richards to take down Galactus was epic and showed the hero remains a true powerhouse - even in out-of-continuity stories. Fantastic Four: Life Story #5 is in comic book stores now.