History Main / AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome

For various reasons, StatusQuoIsGod is a common trope. Even if it doesn't apply to the characters and overall plot structure, the world and setting itself is unlikely to deviate significantly from its origin. This is especially true when ReedRichardsIsUseless, making any and all marvels made by these mad men meaningless to the masses. Before long, people inside and outside the story will start [[LampshadeHanging noting]] that they can only really count on the resident Reed Richards to rectify problems when doing so restores the status quo.

* Speaking of ''Comicbook/CivilWar,'' Reed once looked at other universes in order to see if he could've done something differently. Many of the realities he saw showed that the Civil War was averted. The reason why the 616 universe one ended as badly as it did: Reed Richards did it all himself in the other realities. In the 616 universe, he worked alongside [[TheLoad Tony Stark and Hank Pym.]]
** Not completely true; one of those universes had the Civil War being averted because Captain America and Natasha Stark(female Iron Man) were shacking up.

* Speaking of Comicbook/CivilWar, Reed once looked at other universes in order to see if he could've done something differently. Many of the realities he saw showed that the Civil War was averted. The reason why the 616 universe one ended as badly as it did: Reed Richards did it all himself in the other realities. In the 616 universe, he worked alongside [[TheLoad Tony Stark and Hank Pym.]]

* One issue of WhatIf, written by SimonFurman, featured Tony Stark, upon first inventing the Iron Man suit, make his technology available to governments around the world. This has many positive effects, especially in health care; unfortunately, it has many negative effects as well, as despite his best efforts, governments used it in arms races; and despite ''their'' best efforts, the tech filtered out to supervillains, who used it in arms races of their own. Years down the line, most non-armor based heroes and villains were made obsolete, an enhanced DoctorDoom killed the Fantastic Four, and Magneto declared that if the world's governments didn't back off from their use of Stark-tech--as it was being used to persecute mutants--he was going to start wreaking havoc on an unprecedented scale. Stark attempted to capture Magneto and use him to generate a worldwide electromagnetic pulse to shut down ''all'' technology, both his own and otherwise, in a last-ditch attempt to undo the harm he'd unwillingly caused; however, his best friend Jim Rhodes talked him out of it by reminding him of all the good Stark-tech had done and could still do. Stark chooses to TakeAThirdOption, using the threat of the Magneto pulse to blackmail the world's governments to stop using his technology for offensive purposes.

* Although Batman is already [[BadAss pretty awesome to begin with,]] ''CountdownToFinalCrisis'' features a universe where nobody stopped him from killing the Joker after the Joker beat Jason Todd to death. Batman decides, since he's already crossed the line, there's no going back, so he decides to ''kill every villain on the planet.'' And then, being Batman, he ''does.'' The world ends up a utopia with no crime, something every Batman dreams of. Unfortunately for him, Batman doesn't end up with any peace of mind out of the deal, [[NoPlaceForMeThere not that he ever expects to.]]

* There was an alternate universe version of Ben Grimm who traveled back in time, became a pirate (named Thingbeard), singlehandedly defeated the British Empire, and founded the United States of America. CrazyAwesome.

** Pictured above is the MostTriumphantExample: Reed Richards from Earth-70105, setting of the ''BulletPoints'' miniseries where, because of a single bullet, Peter Parker is Comicbook/TheIncredibleHulk, Steve Rogers is IronMan, Bruce Banner is Comicbook/SpiderMan and Reed Richards, well - at the cost of losing his three companions (and his eye in the process), becomes ''the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', and he's [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome damn competent at doing that, too.]]

* As the TropeNamer, Reed Richards has had (that my puny nerd knowledge knows of) created at least three such universes through AU's.

** {{Exiles}} has featured numerous Reeds, most of them pretty [[BadAssBookworm badass]]. Two particularly good ones include a rebel resistance fighter against the evil ruler of his earth, and a former gladiator who builds a device that forces a fully powered Galactus to flee.

** {{Exiles}} has featured numerous Reed's, most of them pretty [[BadAssBookworm badass]]. Two particularly good ones include a rebel resistance fighter against the evil ruler of his earth, and a former gladiator who builds a device that forces a fully powered Galactus to flee.

** In "What if The Punisher received the Venom symbiote", the Punisher kills KingPin too. However, upon realising that the symbiot started ''controlling him'' (blackouts, attacking allies, trying to kill SpiderMan etc), he has a CrowningMomentOfAwesome by ''telling off the symbiote'' that if he won't be in control, ''he'd rather die and take the symbiote with him''. That actually makes the symbiote compliant and the watcher of that universe does state that the Punisher actually got control over the symbiote "suit". Also turning the suit into physical firearm weapons like TheMask counts.
* There was an alternate universe version of Ben Grimm who traveled back in time, became a pirate(named Thingbeard), singlehandedly defeated the British Empire, and founded the United States of America. CrazyAwesome.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Reed_Richards_Earth-70105_0001_7596.jpg

** Also subverted in another AlternateUniverse where Reed Richards acquired the abilities of [[ReluctantMonster the Thing]] as opposed to Ben Grimm. Because of this, he became [[{{Angst}} reclusive due to his freakish appearance]]. In fact, the Ben of that universe ended up marrying Sue Storm, instead of him. When Reed Richards of the normal 616 universe met him and asked for his help (see the above points), this version of Reed agreed but quickly told him to leave soon after. This was because, not only did the 616 version look human but he also married Sue. The Thing-Reed warned that he could go into a [[BerserkButton rage]] at any moment due to jealousy.

*** To be precise, from what we've seen, the universes where one of the main cast causes the end of the world are more numerous than ones where they don't.

* In the {{Wildstorm}}-verse ''Stormwatch'', the arc "The Bleed" had the titular superteam get a video feed on a parallel universe in which Stormwatch had grown to HeroesUnlimited proportions by assimilating most of the other superteams in the Wildstorm universe, under the leadership of [[TheAuthority Jack Hawksmoor]] (with [[{{Gen13}} Roxy "Freefall" Spalding]] as his faithful BattleButler).

*** To be exact, the universes where one of the main cast causes the end of the world are more numerous than ones where they don't.

** Alternately, ''{{Watchmen}}'' ''is'' a {{Deconstruction}} of it for the DCUniverse, demonstrating that people with GameBreaker powers like those of the SilverAge {{Superman}} would have changed the course of history.

** Pictured above is the MostTriumphantExample: Reed Richards from Earth-70105, setting of the ''BulletPoints'' miniseries where, because of a single bullet, Peter Parker is TheIncredibleHulk, Steve Rogers is IronMan, Bruce Banner is SpiderMan and Reed Richards, well - at the cost of losing his three companions (and his eye in the process), becomes '''the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', and he's [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome damn competent at doing that, too.]]
** In ''Ultimate FantasticFour'', when Ben goes back in time to avoid being turned into the Thing, he changes time such that Reed and the Skrulls modernize the world even more and give everyone superpowers.

** Alternately, ''{{Watchmen}}'' ''is'' a {{Deconstruction}} of it for the DCUniverse, demonstrating that people GameBreaker powers like those of the SilverAge {{Superman}} would have changed the course of history.

* Although Batman is already [[{{BadAss}} Pretty awesome to begin with,]] there was a comic where nobody stopped him from killing the Joker after the Joker beat Jason Todd to death. Batman decides, since he's already crossed the line, there's no going back, so he decides to ''kill every villain on the planet.'' And then, being Batman, he ''does.'' The world ends up a utopia with no crime, something every Batman dreams of. Unfortunately for him, Batman doesn't end up with any peace of mind out of the deal, [[{{NoPlaceForMeThere}} not that he ever expects to.]]

[[BulletPoints http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Reed_Richards_Earth-70105_0001_7596.jpg]]