Nathaniel Richards

Nathaniel Richards is a fictional time-traveling scientist appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the father of superhero Reed Richards, a founding member — and the leader — of the Fantastic Four. He is the namesake of his descendant, the futuristic villain known as Kang the Conqueror; unlike his descendant, the original Nathaniel is more of an adventurer who has a genuine love for his son. Publication history Nathaniel Richards first appeared in The Fantastic Four #272 (November 1984) and was created by writer-artist John Byrne. Fictional character biography Dr. Nathaniel Richards was a successful scientist who specialized in multiple fields. He was married to Evelyn and together had a son named Reed who possessed an intellectual mind like his father. When Evelyn died, Nathaniel continued to raise his son by supporting his scientific endeavors. Later, Nathaniel is approached by the Brotherhood of the Shield and joins their group. Along with Howard Stark, the two meet a super powered individual named Leonid and help him resolve a dispute between the time traveling Leonardo da Vinci and Isaac Newton who had split the organization in two. These events somehow resulted in Nathaniel gaining the ability to travel through time. Nathaniel found himself in the far future along with several other alternate versions of himself. The villain Immortus had gathered them together and forced them to kill each other off. Nathaniel fled. To protect Reed, Nathaniel provided for his future and then disappeared from his life.