Reed Richards

Lore & Background

Originally introduced as the daughter of Invisible Woman and Doctor Doom from an alternate universe, Valeria materialized in Reed and Sue's headquarters, claiming to be from the future. The narrative later clarified that Valeria is actually the second, unborn child of Reed and Sue Richards. Years prior, Sue had seemingly miscarried this child. However, during a cosmic crisis involving Abraxas, Roma guided Franklin Richards to use his powers to save Valeria, removing her from her native reality and sending her 'someplace else.' There, she was raised by Invisible Woman, who had married a now-heroic Doctor Doom after the death of Reed's first husband. In the restructuring of reality that followed the battle with Abraxas, Valeria regressed to an unborn fetus before being reborn. Unknown to Reed and the Fantastic Four at the time, Doctor Doom placed a spell on Valeria, making her his familiar.

In Their Own Story

The timeline of Valeria's existence created a unique dynamic for Reed Richards' family. Because of time travel events involving Roma and Franklin, Valeria has sometimes been older than her brother, Franklin Richards. During the battle against the cosmic menace Abraxas, Valeria was summoned by Roma to help reconstitute Galactus. This event led to a restructuring of reality where Valeria regressed to an unborn fetus before being reborn into Reed and Sue's care again. Later, in the Secret Wars: The Runaways crossover, Valeria served as the headmistress of the Victor von Doom Institute for Gifted Youths in Latveria. After these events concluded, she left with Franklin, Reed, and Sue to explore the multiverse, eventually returning at an older age similar to her original appearance. Tragedy struck again when Doctor Strange became Sorcerer Supreme; in a timeline where Doctor Doom took over Earth, he detonated his armor during a conflict with Earth's heroes, inadvertently killing Valeria. In a final act of redemption, Doom made a deal with the Living Tribunal to resurrect Valeria at the cost of his own life.

Reader's Guide

To understand Reed Richards' connection to Valeria, one must recognize her dual nature in Marvel continuity. She is both the daughter of Reed and Sue, saved from miscarriage by Franklin's powers, and originally presented as the daughter of an alternate-universe Doctor Doom and Sue Storm raised in that reality. Readers should note her name changes: she first appeared as Marvel Girl and currently operates as Brainstorm. Her intelligence is remarkable, with Valeria claiming to surpass her father's intellect; she solved a Rubik's Cube at a young age and created advanced technology like an artificially intelligent toy and a special belt that recreates force fields. This belt also allows her to neutralize her brother Franklin's powers and travel through time. In 2021, CBR.com ranked Valeria Richards/Brainstorm 2nd in their 'Marvel: 10 Smartest Female Characters' list.

Did You Know?

• Valeria Richards was originally named von Doom and is the goddaughter of Doctor Victor von Doom.
• Due to time travel, Valeria has sometimes been older than her brother Franklin Richards.
• Valeria created a special belt that can neutralize her brother's powers and allow time travel.
• In an alternate timeline version found in Marvel Knights 4, Valeria developed Sue Storm's invisibility power.
• Doctor Doom resurrected Valeria by making a deal with the Living Tribunal at the cost of his own life.