Franklin Storm
| Franklin Storm | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Fantastic Four #31 (Oct 1964) |
| Created by | Stan Lee and Jack Kirby |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Dr. Franklin Storm |
Franklin Storm is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.
Dr. Franklin Storm, the father of Susan Storm and Johnny Storm, was an accomplished surgeon. While driving to a dinner being held in his honor, one of the tires in his car blew out and the car sweved off the road and crashed, fatally injuring his wife Mary. Dr. Storm operated on Mary Storm in a desperate attempt to safe her life, but he was unable to save her and he blamed himself for her death. He gave up his career and turned to gambling, eventually borrowing money from a loan shark. When Dr. Storm was unable to pay, a criminal sent by the loan shark threatened Storm and his children, and Storm grappled with the man. During the fight, the man shot himself and Storm was sent to prison for 20 years for manslaughter. Upon his request, Susan did not visit him while in prison and told Johnny that he was dead.
Susan and Johnny subsequently gained superhuman powers and became members of the Fantastic Four. Franklin Storm escaped from prison early in the Fantastic Four's career, and when he learned that Susan had been seriously injured while escaping from the Mole Man's lair, he came out of hiding and operated on her, saving her life. After the operation, Dr. Storm was returned to prison.
Shortly thereafter, the Super-Skrull came to Dr. Storm in his cell, and used his shapechanging powers to take Storm's appearance. Storm, meanwhile, was teleported to the Skrull homeworld and held captive there. The disguised Super-Skrull took on the name "the Invincible Man", claiming to be Dr. Storm with newly-acquired superhuman powers, and broke out of prison. The Super-Skrull confronted the Fantastic Four, hoping to demoralize them by tricking them into thining that Dr. Storm was attacking them. Reed Richards was able to recognize the impostor and forced the Skrull leaders to exchange their agent for the real Dr. Storm.
The Skrulls attached a concussive energy beam projector to Dr. Storm's chest; the projector was set to go off the moment he saw the Fantastic Four. When Storm appeared, he warned the heroes to stay away and rolled over on the floor, taking the full force of the deadly concussive blast on himself.
Susan Storm later named her son Franklin after her father in honor of his memory.
Other versions
Ultimate Franklin Storm
In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, Franklin Storm is a Doctor and was at first the lead scientist behind the Baxter Building project. He removed Dr. Molhevic from the project for experimenting with creating biological life. After the creation of the Fantastic Four and the rearrangement of the Baxter Building's funding to support them, he took on the role as their mentor and supervisor. His relationship with his children Sue and Johnny is strained at times due to his instincts to protect them from danger conflicting with Reed's continuously dangerous scientific explorations and the Four's superhero adventures. He is proud of Sue's academic achievements and brilliance but less supportive of Johnny's slacking. The revelation that their mother had not died in a car crash as he had told them, but in fact had left the family on a scientific foray to discover Atlantis with no illusions of returning, briefly distanced himself from his children although the family would later reconcile. He continues to play a part in the day to day operations of the Baxter Building and be a father figure to Reed Richards.