The kids are all right?

[colonel_green]

Four scans from Fantastic Four #577.

It's Franklin's birthday (how old is he you ask? Sssh), which means a parade of semi-forgotten past supporting characters show up, including the now much older Power siblings, Artie, and Leech (Reed gives him a room key since he's living in a sewer and might want better accommodations). But at the end of the day, a mysterious man from the future arrives. He holds off the Four and makes his way to the kids' rooms; he touches Franklin on the head, which knocks him out, and then goes to speak to Val:




Val asks why she should believe this, he says that she herself sent him back to deliver this message. Val recognizes him as an AU version of Franklin himself ("Happy birthday, retard.").

Future-Franklin leaves:

Comments

[crinos]

GAH! what the hell did future Franklin do to present Franklins face!?!

[thokstar]

Franklin is really eager to eat a delicious pocket Universe.

[thokstar]

So, I suppose we're suppose to play guess what Rip Hunter's blackboard Franklin's words mean.

There will be war within the four cities. I'm guessing Asgard, Atlantis, and New York are three of the four (partially based off of the background images, which also suggest an elemental connection), not sure what the fourth would be, which would likely have a fire connotation.

The Dead must not be forgotten probably relates to the underworld casino scene in Incred. Hercules (and probably not Necrosha).

The Future Man must return to save the past suggests Cable, or possibly Freedom Force stuff.

And all hope lies in Doom. Well duh.

[ulf_boehnke]

Maybe the city of the Inhumans.

[jlbarnett]

One of the drawings seems to be the moon. That suggests Attilan, even if it's not currently there. Others seem to show that Council of Reed Richards that Reed worked with recently.

The future man is likely Franklin himself, with the message being a reminder to Val to send him back, once the whole thing is over with.

[tsunamiwombat]

4th city is Latveria. Calling it.

[theanswer]

Oh great, Uber Franky is back.

[koschei]

He was always going to have to come back to fix all of Wanda's messed up shit.

[long_silence]

Why is Leech still living in the sewers? Didn't the rest of the Morlocks move to Utopia and get replaced by Morbius and a bunch of other monsters in Punisher?

[phosfate]

Leech loves him some New York White.

[savitar]

Wouldn't it be a trip if Franklin's eventual fate is to use his powers that go horribly wrong, tosses him back into the past and makes him into Galactus.

[jlbarnett]

he'd have to go back before the beginning of the universe. We've seen Galactus' origin.

[galateus]

Isn't the green element symbol the same one used in Avatar for the Earth Kingdom? I thought that was original to the show.

Maybe Valeria's a fan.

[neuhallidae]

All four of them are the Four Nations in Avatar.

[theanswer]

Also, Old Franklin should have shaved the pedo-beard before coming back to warn Val.

[tsunamiwombat]

And that pedo-ponytail.

[cmdr_zoom]

That was a good thing you did, Franklin. Real good.

[lamashtar]

Valeria gives me the feeling everything is just fine too.

[shadowpsykie]

well if we are thinking Marvel U then the four cities:
New York
Atlantis

Possibly:
Attilan (because of the half moon/sun image)
Utopia That one image by namor could be asteroid M)
Asgard (The image near Namor could be Asgard)

look at it this way:
New York based Heroes
Mutants
Asgard
Atlantians
Inhumans

Mutants and Asgardians seem to be big lately

the only problem i have is that didn't we just do a civil war?

that said, yay! Franklin is a mutant again! eat that Scarlet Witch! (i was thinking it was morelike mental blocks that de powered him)

[theanswer]

Atlantis was destroyed though. What about Latveria and Wakanda?

[tsunamiwombat]

4 Cities: New York/United States, Atlantis, Asgard, Latveria.

The dead must not be forgotten: Dead Asgardians (since no superhero ever actually friggin dies)

All hope lies in Doom: INDEED MEDDLESOME RICHARDS, ALL HOPE ALWAYS LAY IN DOOM! FOR ONLY DOOM MAY BE PERMITTED TO DESTROY THE MEDDLESOME RICHARDS CLAN!

[valtyr]

I want Franklin's rug.

Also, I thought they were using mathematics to predict the future these days. >:[

[mugiwara]

I saw some preview art with Power Pack and it was as awfull as this: especially a pannel with Franklin huging Katie.
Aloso Alex Powers was stated to be 19, but the artist draw him as he is in the All Ages Power Pack comics. Same with Katie and Jack.

[newnumber6]

Franklin's reality warping powers at play, temporarily making them look the age he remembers them best at?

[kainnived.livejournal.com]

So which Future Franklin is this, I don't follow Fantastic Four particlularly closely. He looks older than Psi-Lord Franklin (nevermind that Psi-Lord Franklin was de-aged into current Franklin) doesn't look like the Days of the Future Past Franklin... is this a new future Franklin or was there another one I didn't know about?

[darkknightjrk]

The Four Cities thing sounds kinda new, so I'm guessing it's a new future.

[blake_reitz]

Oh future Franklin, with your crazy future ways. Anyone have scans of the first time future Frank came to visit? All my FF's are deep in storage.

[aulayan]

If it wasn't for the DOom thing (And I'm still not writing it off) I wonder if this ties in a little with that Early Marvel History miniseries announced for 2010.

[nothingbutcake]

The symbols of the elements in Avatar!

[bwhahahabeck]

I'm surprised no one said anything dripping in innuendo about the last page there.

[foxhack]

I was going to say something about that just now. :x