Solve Everything: Part One

Once upon a time, a young boy stood about to jump out of a treehouse but was afraid. His father, standing below, said he understood his fear, but if the boy would not even try, then he was a coward. Promising to do his best, the boy jumped into his father's arms.

Today, the boy is Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, and his home is under attack by a quartet of giant robots designed to attack each member of the group. By swapping robotic partners, the Fantastic Four beats them and realizes that each robot is controlled by an artificial man created using the DNA of The Wizard. Quickly capturing all four artificial men, Richards tracks the signal they are generating back to the Wizard's lab using a translocator device that teleports him there. He finds the Wizard has been making other such people and notices a small boy being ignored in the corner. When the Wizard starts raving that "Gods make mistakes", Richards captures him for the authorities.

Later that night, Richards is telling his children about the adventure he had that day. Valeria does not worry about it, but Franklin asks about the little boy in the Wizard's lab, asking if Richards will help him, saying "You have to try, right?"

Afterward, the Human Torch convinces the Thing to come to Nu-Earth with him at some point in the future. The Invisible Woman is amazed at how intelligent Valeria is becoming, but Richards keeps thinking about something the Wizard said before he was taken away: according to his math, the world is going to tear itself apart and they can not stop it. As his team-mates go to bed, Richards goes down to a secret area in his lab to look at the Psychohistory room. He looks through the Damien Sharpe List, containing one hundred ideas on how to make the world a better place. However, his list has run out, leaving only Idea #101: Solve everything.

To fulfill it, he resolves on using The Bridge, a device for traversing the universe and glimpse parallel realities. Here, he is met a mysterious trio - and they are all Reed Richards. They have come to invite him to join the Council, a mysterious group that meets outside of time and space to do great things. It is an organization composed entirely of alternate versions of himself.

As the majority of the Council departs to deal with a Galactus incursion on Earth-2012, the founders of the Council - three versions of Reed Richards who each bear their universe's Infinity Gauntlet - inform the Reed from Earth-616 that it is time for him to fulfill his potential.

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Franklin Richards, Valeria Richards, Bently-23, Interdimensional Council of Reeds, Wizard, Galactus-2012, Nathaniel Richards

Continuity Notes

• Reed created the Bridge in Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #1 and Reed hid it in Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #5.