Fantastic Force #18
A Force of One
After secretly being knocked out by Diablo, Franklin finds himself in what appears to be the apocalypic future he grow up with fighting along side his aunt Huntara against the forces of Arachinoids of Metabelius 3. As the battle beigns, Franklin is completely unaware that this is merely an illusion and that he is really trapped in hell and battling demons on behalf of Diablo. On Earth, Diablo watches Psi-Lord's progress through his flaming brazer. With the rest of Fantastic Force imprisoned in crystals he gloats over his eventual overthrow and conquest of hell. He recounts how centuries ago he tried to sell his soul to Mephisto for immortality, but the demon tricked him forcing him to rely on using the alchemal formula to prolongue his life. Learning how Franklin Richards -- in his youth -- once used his powers to destroy Mephisto he decided to orchistrate events so he could manipulate the boy into doing the job for him. Part of his plan was enthralling She-Hulk to do his bidding and manouver the team into a vulnerable position for him to strike and capture them all.
While the candle forcing Franklin's illisions begins to wear off, Diablo mentally contacts his minion and has "her" spray Franklin with more of the formula to maintain his hallucinations. Watcihng all this unfold, Devlor pushes his body to the limit triggering a transformation into his bestal form, shattering the crystal he has been trapped in. Devlor then frees She-Hulk and Vibraxas and is about to attack Diablo, when he learns -- painfully -- that She-Hulk is still under his thrall. While in Hell, Franklin finally sees throught the deception and prevents himself from beind dosed by another hallucination enducing gas and uses his psi-powers to seemingly destroy the demon posing as his aunt Huntara.
Back on Earth, the Fantastic Force manage to fight off She-Hulk and when Diablo tries to escape they manage to snag him and destroy all the potions he carries on his body in order to prevent him from using them to evade capture. They then threaten him to return Franklin, so Diablo opens a portal to return Franklin home. Believing the boy has succeeded in his mission, Diablo then dives through the portal only to see an army of frenzied demons waiting for him on the other side. Back at She-Hulk's apartment, the members of Fantastic Force are cleaning up the mess when they are suddenly visited by the members of the Fantastic Four who suddenly have a surprise: Mister Fantastic has been found alive and well and is back. Franklin is happily reunited with his father whom he believed to be dead for so many long months.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Force (Psi-Lord, Vibraxas, Devlor, She-Hulk), Diablo, Mephisto, Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Lyja
Continuity Notes
The teenage Franklin seen here was delivered to the modern age by Nathaniel Richards from Earth-6311 to replace his Earth-616 counterpart. This occurred in Fantastic Four #376. Although everyone reacts as though this is Earth-616's Franklin all grown up, the young Franklin is returned in Fantastic Four #413. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #14 confirms that they are separate entities. Franklin believes that his mission was to stop the Dark Raider from destroying the Fantastic Four as explained in Fantastic Four #387, however this is part of a larger scheme to stop Hyperstorm that is not realized until Fantastic Four #414.
Diablo is seeking to use Franklin to destroy Mephisto because Franklin's younger self used his powers to do so (all be it briefly) back in Fantastic Four #277.
She-Hulk recalls how Diablo enthralled her and tried to make her steal the Guardian of Chthon statue. She was enthralled in Fantastic Force #12 and tried to steal the statue in the following issue.
Franklin is happy to see Mister Fantastic alive. Everyone believed that Reed had perished during a battle against Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four #381. In reality he has been a prisoner of Hyperstorm as revealed in Fantastic Four #406. The Fantastic Four rescued him during the events of Fantastic Four #406-409 and Fantastic Four Unlimited #12.
