Reed Richards is easily one of the most brilliant minds in the universe, and I've always appreciated his unique ability to take the impossible and turn it into something real, scientific, and plausible. Yet that same intellect is behind one of Marvel's most cunning, terrifying villains. Even the most dastardly deeds don't stack up to what I've seen Reed Richards effortlessly pull off as The Maker.

Reed Richards' first appearance as The Maker came in Ultimate Fallout #4, by Jonathan Hickman and Salvador Larroca, but his villainous streak began brewing before he had the look and moniker. Born of a mixture of trauma, entitlement, and genius, The Maker represents the darkest recesses of Mr. Fantastic. Even as a lifelong Reed Richards fan, I'm still shaken by the depths to which he's (enthusiastically) willing to sink.

Everyone wants something and The Maker has a goal in mind. He wants to create the "perfect" world, though I it it's hard to equate "perfect world" with the campaign of terror he uses to forge it.

Reed Richards Has Committed Some of Marvel’s Most Heinous Crimes as The Maker

The Maker has been a presence in the Marvel Universe for over a decade, and in that time, he's committed what I'd call a laundry list of unforgivable crimes. Although he got his start as a gifted student and intellectual prodigy, this particular iteration of Reed endured a difficult home life with an abusive father, had his greatest experiment sabotaged (resulting in the Fantastic Four gaining their signature abilities in the 1610 timeline), and was rejected by Sue Storm when he proposed marriage. In short, I can see a clear line from his life as Reed to the litany of the Maker's acts.

Perhaps destroying dozens of universes, trapping an alternate version of Reed Richards in a time-looping torture chamber, or essentially lobotomizing Tony Stark to get an Infinity Stone will get my point across.

One of the Maker's earliest crimes involved killing his own family, but I'm not sure anything could illustrate the unhinged danger he poses more than wiping out the Asgardian race. Perhaps destroying dozens of universes, trapping an alternate version of Reed Richards in a time-looping torture chamber, or essentially lobotomizing Tony Stark to get an Infinity Stone will get my point across. Nothing is too diabolical for The Maker. Reed Richards has saved the world from cosmic and God-tier threats on multiple occasions, but, as the Maker, he's capable of perpetrating acts far worse than his greatest enemies dream of.

Mr. Fantastic is One of Marvel’s Greatest Heroes, But The Maker is Everything Wrong With Him

In calling Reed Richards Marvel's most unsettling villain, I'm not attempting to discredit the veritable cornucopia of violence and terror that other rogues have enacted throughout the Marvel Universe. There's been plenty of death, corruption, and manipulation to go around, but Reed Richards isn't average. He's often classed as Marvel's smartest man, and the same intellect and ceaseless curiosity that makes him an incredibly effective hero is turned on its head when he walks the other path. Mr. Fantastic's elasticity is always secondary to his mind, and I would qualify his tireless pursuit of knowledge and discovery as his truest superpower.

In saying so, I'm also naming them his greatest weapons. Reed is a man who looks at the world and sees boundless possibilities - good and bad - and pours himself into realizing the ones he wants to bring to fruition. Even as a hero and leader of the Fantastic Four, this is frequently done with a sense of emotional detachment. It's Mr. Fantastic’s choice to keep in mind the needs and feelings of others, and neglecting to do so, or feeling as if they're not worthy when stacked against his own goals or projects, is the slippery slope that led to The Maker.

The Current Ultimates Universe is a Monument to The Maker’s Depravity

For a brief moment in Marvel history, there was only a single surviving universe (Earth-616). Once the others were restored, a replica of Reed was placed in every single one of them (thanks to Molecule Man), and he set about creating his own: Earth 6160, or the current Ultimates Universe. The Maker’s “perfect’ universe is exactly what I expected from someone with his particular blend of meticulousness and ego. Not only did The Maker eliminate all of the known "heroes" before they could emerge, but he split the world into seven regions constantly at war - with him at the helm.

While his ideal world isn't going quite according to plan anymore, it still proves just how far The Maker is willing to go to stay on course, and I find the Maker's commitment is as terrifying as Reed Richards' thoughtfulness is inspiring. His path toward becoming The Maker is littered with the bodies of his friends, loved ones, and entire universes and species he determined to be disposable. His journey leaves me convinced that Reed Richards’ combination of hyper-intelligence, wicked brutality, cold disregard, and ability to pivot toward new tactics makes him Marvel's most unsettling and dangerous villain of all time.