Central City, California 1978 (Earth-6161650) Orphanage
"GASP! H-HUH... HAAAH…. HAAAAH…. haaaaah... haaaa?"
He bolted upright, gasping, his eyes wide open, his mouth forming an "O" shape. Fear—or maybe even trauma—was etched on his face, his heartbeat skyrocketing like pounding drums.
"HAAAAAH…. HAAAAH…. HAAAAH….. HAAAAA!"
He breathed in and out rapidly, still terrified from the memory of the truck. His loud, uncontrolled breathing woke his little roommates. At first, they were scared by the sound, but then they grew even more frightened because they couldn't see anything. The room was pitch black, as if they'd been swallowed by a black hole—thanks to the blinds blocking all light. Soon, they burst into loud, panicked cries.
"WAAAAAAHHH…. WAAAAAH… WAAAAAH… SCHNIIIIEF!"
"WAAAAAAAAH… WAAAAAAH… WAAAAAH… SCHNIIIIEF!"
"WAAAAAAHHH…. WAAAAAH… WAAAAAH… SCHNIIIIEF!"
They were crying their lungs out. "I KAN'T CEE!" they screamed simultaneously.
'I didn't die?!' he asked himself, puzzled. 'I swear to God, I got hit by a truck and turned into a blob. Lucky me, I'm alive!'
'But damn, these kids in the hospital are loud as fuck,' he noted. His own breathing still sounded monstrous, scaring them even more.
'Wait a minute… Shouldn't my whole body hurt?' He touched himself all over, searching for injuries, but found none. Meanwhile, the other children continued crying and screaming for the matron.
'I got fucking reincarnated into a little kid's body,' he realized.
The door creaked open, revealing the silhouette of a woman. Instantly, every child stopped crying and stared at the door. The woman flicked on the light, making them all squint.
"Ugggh…"
"Ugggh…"
"Ugggh…"
"Ugggh…"
"Everything is alright, children. I'm here. You don't need to cry."
Her voice was angelic—soft, warm, and welcoming. She gave them a gentle smile overflowing with kindness.
"Aunt Margeret!"
Overjoyed, the children ran to her and hugged her. She patted each one on the head—except for Reed Richards, who stood frozen in confusion.
"Reed."
No answer.
"Reed Richards."
He pointed at himself. 'Me?'
"Yes, you. Nobody else has that name," she said with an affectionate smile. "Wouldn't you like a hug from Aunt Margeret?"
Reed's eyes widened in understanding.
Reed Richards' POV
Shit. I reincarnated into Marvel as Reed fucking Richards.
This was too much to process. If I didn't shut my brain off, it'd be obvious something was wrong. For now, I had to play the role of a child.
I scrambled up, ran to her, and hugged her. She patted my head like the others.
"What scared you all so much?" she asked softly.
A little boy with black hair and brown eyes shouted, "A Monster!"
A blonde kid added, "Yessh, a Monster! It went 'Haaaaa… huuh!'" (Adorable, really.)
A girl with twin ponytails nodded in agreement. I did too—no reason to draw suspicion.
Aunt Margeret puffed out her chest, clenched her fist, and declared, "Heh, really? Don't worry—Aunt Margeret will fight this monster so you can sleep in peace!"
"Really?" we all asked in unison. (Including me—gotta keep up appearances.)
She smiled. "Of course! I'm strong, after all. But you must promise to sleep after I defeat it. Deal?"
We grinned toothily. "Promise!"
We hurried to our beds—simple wooden frames with mattresses and bedding. Mine had a Batman theme. The kids tucked themselves in, excited for Aunt Margeret's "battle." (Me? Not so much.)
She searched every corner, closet, and under every bed until she "found" the monster—pretending to struggle beneath the blonde kid's bed before clapping her hands together victoriously.
"The monster is defeated! It now lies trapped between my hands—gone forever! So sleep well, children. It'll never return. Sweet dreams."
She held up her clasped hands triumphantly, as if squashing an invisible creature between her palms.
"Sweet dreams!" the kids cheered. I mumbled it half-heartedly.
The lights went out.
Damn. That woman is dangerous.
I'd forgotten—I was in the Marvel universe. But which one? Comics? MCU? A game? I had no fucking clue.
Breathe… Haaaaah… Haaaaa…
Wait. I got reincarnated. What if the TVA shows up and prunes me? I just altered the timeline. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
5… 4… 3… 2… 1… 0…
…Nothing.
Phew. Either the TVA doesn't know I'm here, I was always part of this universe, or—
OAA, my glorious king, blessed me. Thank you, OAA!
Now, the real problem:
Why the hell did I reincarnate as Reed "Problem" Richards—high intelligence, low wisdom?
Couldn't I have been Johnny Storm? Peter Parker? Hell, I'd even take Professor X (aka the friendly neighborhood mind-rapist). But no. Reed fucking Richards.
At least I've got better wisdom than every Reed in the multiverse combined. Maybe I'll become Reed Richards Prime? Superior Reed? Sorcerer Supreme Reed?
Wait…
The Sorcerer Supreme.
What if they sense me as a threat and erase me? Shit. I'm pathetic.
There are too many cosmic, multiversal, omnipotent beings who could blink me out of existence.
All this thinking exhausted me. Yaaaaawn…
POV END
His body—still that of a four-year-old—couldn't keep up. His mind shut down, and he fell asleep.
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Author here:
Yes, I made this Reed Richards an orphan from the start—MUHAHAHA! (Just kidding, of course. I have nothing against orphans.)
His father died in his fight against Nikola Tesla, and his mother, overcome with grief, gave birth to Reed three weeks early and died in childbirth. Maybe I'll write a whole origin chapter for his parents later. Yeah their death are a bit cliché, but I don't care. :)
I hope you guys like it! I might post another chapter today, but I'm not sure.
Who shall be the Female Lead? I thought about Emma Frost or Susan Storm?