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Quote1 I'm saying that I believe in inalienable human rights for all -- even non-humans! I'm saying together we can kick both Dracula and Shiklah asses! Together! What say you? Surely we hang together, or... we shall all hang separately? Quote2
Ben Franklin[src]

Benjamin Franklin was an American polymath and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. He was a leading author, politician, scientist and diplomat. Franklin founded the University of Pennsylvania. He was part of the Brotherhood of the Shield.[3]

History

American Revolutionary War[]

Benjamin Franklin (Earth-616) from S.H.I.E.L.D

Wearing a badge of the Brotherhood of the Shield

Franklin along with the other Founding Fathers began the American War of Independence from between Great Britain declared themselves the independent United States of America.

Franklin was a member of the Brotherhood of the Shield. The war was predicted by Nostradamus.[3]

Franklin experimented with electricity, one night he flew a kite in a storm, conducting the electrical charge into a key. A time traveller named Tommy Tyme arrived from the future. He showed the visitor some his inventions. Revolutionary troops visited Franklin and asked him to write up the Declaration of Independence a. Inspired by this, Tommy asked to join the fight.[4]

In March of 1775, while Dr. Strange and Clea were traveling through time to study America's occult history, they made the acquaintance of Benjamin Franklin in London and joined him aboard the frigate carrying him from England to the American Colonies. Soon after the voyage began, Dr. Strange left Clea with Franklin when he went to fight Stygyro and it was during his absence that Franklin seduced Clea into having sexual intercourse with him.[5] Weeks later, after they had arrived in America, Dr. Strange observed the two of them kissing and realized that they were in love. Feeling that he had somehow been manipulated for some time, Strange told Clea that it was time for them to return to their own time but Franklin and Clea announced that they were engaged. Strange promptly used his powers to seemingly destroy Franklin, explaining that, since it was May 5th, he had realized that the real Benjamin Franklin was at the Second Continental Congress so the Franklin who had been there with them must have been an imposter, something that Stygyro confirmed when he appeared out of the smoke left behind after Franklin's destruction. Soon afterwards, Strange came to understand that what he had been experiencing was actually a test being conducted by the Ancient One. After consulting the Ancient One, who refused to provide the answers he sought, Strange returned to Franklin's cottage and found Clea there with the real Benjamín Franklin who had just returned from being selected for the Continental Congress. Strange concluded that whatever he had thought had gone on between Franklin and Clea had simply been a shadow play for his mind alone. As Strange and Clea prepared to leave, Franklin bid them farewell, told Clea that he wished the two of them could have talked some more and declared that she was indeed a most lovely creature.[6]

Franklin encountered Captain America who was being sent through time by Mister Buda. His costume inspired him and Betsy Ross to design the first US flag.[7]

On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress formally voted for independence, and issued its Declaration on July 4. The Founding Fathers together with several other key players of their time, structured the democratic government of the American Republic. Skrull subversives arrived and plant to make alterations to the constitution but was stopped by the time travelling Fantastic Four.[8]

Death[]

Franklin died at his home in Philadelphia on April 17, 1790, at age 84.

Modern Era[]

Centuries later, Franklin returned as a ghost to assist Deadpool on his mission to kill the newly resurrected zombie presidents.[9] After that, he continued to stay with Deadpool to assist him with trying to help him stop Vetis from killing his friend Michael. However, he left Deadpool after he killed Michael as part of his plan to defeat Vetis.[10]

Franklin later returned to Deadpool's life,[11] and started living at his house.[12]

When U.L.T.I.M.A.T.U.M. tried to have revenge on Deadpool for destroying their Helicarrier and slaughtering countless of their agents, they tried to kill his allies by attacking their house. However, they survived the assault thanks to the magic of Michael the Necromancer and Franklin's ghost, and escaped to a safe location. After Deadpool retaliated and murdered all of U.L.T.I.M.A.T.U.M.'s agents, he decided to give up his life as Deadpool. As he was celebrating the start of a new life with his friends and family, an incursion between Earth-616 and the Earth-1610 caused the collision and destruction of both universes' planet Earth, with Deadpool and his allies dying in the process.[13]

The universe was eventually brought back, together with its inhabitants, including Benjamin's ghost. However, he felt that his extended existence was growing stale. He decided to leave, considering the chance of another adventure, which could be his last before moving on to the afterlife.[14]

Attributes

Powers

During his experiments with electricity, Franklin discovered a way to exist as a being of pure electricity after his body died, although he has shown no electrically based powers. This has effectively made him a ghost.

Abilities

  • Intangibility: As a ghost, Franklin is completely intangible. He cannot be touched nor injured in anyway.
  • Invisibility: Franklin is completely invisible to everyone but a select few and as such cannot be seen nor heard by anyone but those few.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Possessed the Eternity Mask at one time.[15]

Notes

  • Franklin's impersonation by Stygyro was an early example of retroactive continuity due to the fact that the two comics had different authors, with Franklin's affair with Clea being written by Steve Englehart[5] while the reveal that Stygyro was posing as Franklin was written by Marv Wolfman.[6]
  • The story in Doctor Strange (Vol. 2) #19 makes it clear that the closeness between Clea and Stygyro-as-Franklin that was seen in that issue was definitely only a shadow play for Strange's mind. However, if the intimate scene between Franklin and Clea in Doctor Strange (Vol. 2) #18 actually took place, then it must have been the real Franklin who seduced Clea aboard ship because Stygyro was elsewhere fighting Dr. Strange at the time. This would account for why, when Strange met Franklin's ghost years later, he stated that he had not forgotten or forgiven Franklin for sleeping with his girlfriend.[16]
  • However, according to an editorial reply printed in the letters page of Doctor Strange (Vol. 2) #20, Clea's dalliance/romance with Dr. Franklin was only part of the Ancient One's test and never actually took place. This would indicate that Deadpool writers Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan had overlooked this retcon while plotting their story.
  • On the other hand, it was revealed in Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #10 that Dr. Strange had told his friend Morgana Blessing that he suspected that Clea had once gone to bed with Ben Franklin, so maybe what happened between them aboard ship was not part of the Ancient One's shadow play after all.

See Also

Links and References

References

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