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It has been suggested that Power Cosmic be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since February 2007.

Galactus is a fictional character, a cosmic entity who appears in publications of Marvel Comics, frequently as an adversary of the Fantastic Four or Silver Surfer. Sometimes called the Devourer of Worlds or Ravager of Planets, Galactus is one of the most feared and powerful characters in the Marvel Universe.

Existing since the beginning of the current Marvel-616 universe, Galactus has consumed countless planets, resulting in the elimination of entire extra-terrestrial civilizations. The character has become more morally complex in recent decades, coming to embody a force of cosmic nature and proving to be a necessary being for the universe to exist.

Writers have created situations in stories in which characters face moral and philosophical issues induced by the role of Galactus in the natural order.

Publication history

Galactus first appeared in a classic Fantastic Four storyline in which his then-herald, the Silver Surfer, located Earth for destruction. The story was prompted by Lee's suggestion to Kirby to "have the Fantastic Four fight God". Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #48 (1966). In 1999 Galactus gained his own self-titled six issue limited series. He is frequently featured in story-arcs with a cosmic main-theme.

Fictional character biography

Rebirth

Originally named Galan of the planet Taa, Galactus is the sole survivor of the Big Crunch of the universe that existed prior to the current Marvel 616 Universe.

Galan was a space explorer investigating the impending end of his universe. Eventually, Taa was engulfed by a radiation plague that killed almost all its inhabitants. At the last second, Galan escapes the doomed planet in a star-ship with a few other survivors. Rather than perish from the lethal radiation that had extinguished all life across the universe, Galan proposes to his crewmates that they pilot their craft directly into the center of the Big Crunch. As he approaches the Cosmic Egg — the focal point of the Big Crunch and the source of the exterminating radiation — his ship and crew are promptly destroyed. At the moment Galan's universe meets its end, the incarnation of that reality's Phoenix Force amasses the positive emotions of all living beings in the cosmos to preserve them from eternal damnation, enabling the Sentience of the Universe —that universe's incarnation of Eternity— to meet with Galan. Within the Cosmic Egg the Sentience of the Universe reveals itself to Galan and informs him that though they both will die in the impending cataclysm, they will survive through a joint heir born into the next universe. The Sentience of the Universe then merges itself with the mortal Galan, establishing Galan as the sole survivor of the ensuing Big Crunch. This union ultimately leads to his rebirth in the current universe as Galactus. After the birth of the current reality, Galactus gestates in a cocoon of cosmic energy to complete his metamorphosis, and after millions of years emerges as an entity of vast cosmic power who is essential and intrinsic to the newly formed universe.

Galactus is considered one of the five essential entities within the Marvel Universe alongside Eternity, Death, Infinity, and Oblivion. Galactus has been referred to as the "third force of the universe" alongside Eternity and Death. Eternity and Death consider Galactus a peer and a sibling, with Death actually referring to Galactus on one occasion as "husband, father, brother, and son."

The Devourer of Worlds

Galactus requires energies obtainable only from certain planets to ensure his survival. Specifically, in order to maintain his existence he must devour planets that have the potential for supporting life.

For this purpose, Galactus usually employs a Herald (see below) to scour the universe in search for suitable planets.

Upon pinpointing the requisite planetary body, the herald will signal Galactus, resulting in the Devourer's arrival on the world's surface and the deployment of the Elemental Converter—a colossal machine capable of draining all life energy from the planet within minutes.

While the Converter makes consumption of the planet's energy more efficient, Galactus is fully capable of devouring the planets without its aid.

Due to his vast power and intrinsic, natural role in the universal order, Galactus considers himself a higher being than all non-abstracts. Accordingly, he believes he is no more responsible for the destruction of a planet than an asteroid colliding with its surface, regardless of whether the planet supports life or is a barren world. As a result, Galactus has become one of the most feared beings in the universe, as his vast power has allowed him to lay waste to innumerable extra-terrestrial civilizations and an incalculable number of deaths in his quest for sustenance, earning him his universal-renowned moniker as the Devourer of Worlds.

Consequently, story-arcs involving the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, Dr. Strange, etc. have frequently depicted Galactus as the primary antagonist or super-villain. Nevertheless, he is not an evil being, and harbors no ill-will to any living creature. Because Galactus brings balance between the two opposing universal forces of Death and Eternity, he considers himself to be outside of the concepts of Good and Evil — he is neither benevolent nor malevolent. However, because his mere existence requires the death of billions and the obliteration of entire civilizations, Galactus has been targeted for destruction on more than one occasion. The ramifications of Galactus' absence from the universe were not revealed until a storyline featuring Eternity stating the universe would collapse without Galactus' presence to balance it. In fact, so great is the role of Galactus in the Marvel Universe that Eternity has also once manifested itself before millions of aliens and allowed each to momentarily be part of the universe, thus allowing each being to realize the vital and essential role Galactus plays in the natural order.

Heralds

Main article: Herald of Galactus

Galactus has over time appointed a number of beings to act as his Herald, with each being bestowed a fraction of the Power Cosmic so as to locate planets suitable for consumption. His known Heralds to date have included the Fallen One, the Silver Surfer, Air-Walker (and later Air-Walker robot), Firelord, the Asgardian Destroyer armor, Terrax, Nova, Morg, Red Shift, the Human Torch, and Stardust. Curiously many of Galactus' Heralds have either rebelled against him, betrayed him or been cast aside.

In stories in alternate and parallel realities, Galactus also used other heralds: Plasma, Dark Angel, Dazzler, Golden Oldie, the Fantastic Four, Thor, Ardina, Starglow, Dominas and Superman.

Attempts to Devour the Earth

Galactus has threatened to consume the Earth on several occasions. During the first encounter the Fantastic Four are aided by the cosmic entity the Watcher, and later by Galactus' rebellious herald, the Silver Surfer. Galactus is defeated when Mr. Fantastic threatens him with the Ultimate Nullifier, the one weapon capable of destroying Galactus (the weapon is obtained by the Human Torch when the Watcher transports him to Taa II). Galactus leaves and vows to never attack the Earth again. However, soon after he returns to Earth once more to seek the wayward Silver Surfer. Galactus is eventually released from his vow when Reed Richards summons him to combat the threat of the cosmic entity the Sphinx on Earth. Galactus defeats the Sphinx, but is rebuffed by Richards bluffing with a fake Ultimate Nullifier he built.

In one significant encounter Galactus returns to Earth in pursuit of his rebellious Herald Terrax. Galactus expends a considerable amount of energy in the pursuit, and finally arrives with the intention of consuming Earth to replenish himself. A hungry and weakened Galactus resolves the issue with Terrax, but is so diminished in strength that he is defeated by the combined efforts of the Fantastic Four, Avengers and Doctor Strange. However, rather than watch the Devourer die of hunger, Mr. Fantastic uses a device powered by the Thunder God Thor to reinvigorate him. A grateful Galactus vows that Earth is safe from his feedings before departing. Mr Fantastic's decision has consequences, however, as he is later placed on trial by a consortium of alien worlds for his actions. The Shi'Ar preside over the trial, and look to execute Mr. Fantastic until the cosmic entity Eternity is summoned by the combined effort of Galactus and the Watcher. Eternity then enables millions of alien onlookers to momentarily become one with the universe, temporarily granting them the clarity that Galactus is part of the natural order of the cosmos.

Temporary death

Galactus recently discovered he was "starving" to death due to an addiction to the life forces of living beings which offer no sustenance, and was apparently killed when the Silver Surfer turned Galactus' own Elemental Converter against him. As Galactus dies he warns that his death will allow a great evil to surface. After his death, Galactus' remains took the form of a star.

That great evil that Galactus spoke of emerged a year later in the form of the Biblical demon Abraxas, the universal embodiment of destruction and the antithesis of Eternity. The Fantastic Four discover that most of the energy that Galactus took from planets was devoted to keeping Abraxas imprisoned as, if released, the entity will eventually destroy the entire multiverse. Franklin Richards pools his Celestial-level power with that of his sister Valeria Von Doom and reconstitutes Galactus, but the siblings permanently burn out their powers in doing so. The newly reformed Galactus reclaims the Ultimate Nullifier from Abraxas, and Reed Richards uses it to remake the multiverse into a version in which Abraxas never escapes. The Ultimate Nullifier is revealed to be an aspect of Galactus himself.

Soon after however, Reed Richards designs a weapon with the express purpose of stripping Galactus of the Power Cosmic. The creation of the device is made possible with help from Quasar and Johnny Storm, who is cosmically aware at this time. The weapon succeeds in separating Galactus into his two core components - Galan and the Power Cosmic. Galan then exiles himself in another dimension, hoping that this act will prevent the Power Cosmic from finding him. The ruse fails, however, as a fully reformed Galactus encounters the alien warrior Beta Ray Bill soon after. The manner in which the Power Cosmic finds Galan has not been revealed.

Annihilation

It has since been revealed that Galactus is not the only member of the "Cosmic Balance" and that others once existed. After a brutal civil war only three beings survived, being Galactus the Devourer of Worlds, Tenebrous of the Darkness Between, and Aegis the Lady of All Sorrows. Galactus imprisons his brethren in the Kyln, until the Annihilation Wave ruptures the Crunch and frees them. Knowing of their escape, Galactus augments the Silver Surfer — who is in his service as Herald once more — and engages them. The battle brings Galactus into contact with the Titan Thanos, Drax the Destroyer and Annihilus, the mastermind behind the Annihilation Wave. In the conclusion to the story, the Annihilation Wave is destroyed by an omnidirectional blast from Galactus, resulting in armistice and peace between all involved parties.

Powers and abilities

Galactus wields the immeasurable Power Cosmic and has been described as "the most powerful creature in the universe."

As such, Galactus is able to employ the limitless cosmic energies within him to produce nearly any effect he desires, including size-alteration, the molecular restructuring and transmutation of matter, the teleportation of objects—even entire galaxies—across space and time, the erection of impenetrable force fields, the creation of interdimensional portals, telepathy, telekinesis, and cosmic awareness on a universal scale.

Galactus has even shown the ability to create sentient life in the form of Tyrant, resurrect his herald Morg, manipulate mortal souls and remake dead worlds—including their populations—in every detail.

Galactus also wears armor to help regulate his internal energies. As Galactus must continuously feed to sustain himself, his power levels are inconsistent throughout any given period of time.

So wide is this disparity that Earth's heroes have been able to achieve various degrees of success in directly repelling a starving, weakened Galactus; even in a depleted state, however, Galactus has proven to be a match for the assembled heroes.

As the oldest known living entity in the universe, Galactus arguably possesses the most advanced intellect in existence.

Galactus employs technology that by Mr. Fantastic's own admission—perhaps the most brilliant mind on Earth—he cannot even begin to grasp.

Physical appearance

Although Galactus is usually depicted in humanoid form, each sentient being perceives him as having a form resembling its own.

Hence, humans see Galactus as an enormous armor-clad humanoid, while an amoeba-like species, for example, would perceive Galactus as a gigantic amoeba-like entity.

As Galan, Galactus was indeed a humanoid, but his true current form is unknown. He has adopted the appearance of a roughly humanoid energy being on at least three occasions. Whether or not this is his true form has yet to be revealed.

As a being who is both abstract entity (e.g. Death, Eternity, et al) and physical creature, Galactus' true form and nature are apparently beyond the capability of mortal beings to fully comprehend.

Alternate realities

Epic Illustrated

Epic Illustrated published "The Last Galactus Story" by John Byrne. Set 100,000,000 years in the future, Galactus devours a now uninhabited Earth. Accompanied by Nova, Galactus follows the trail of destroyed galaxies to the core of the Milky Way. The story's conclusion was never published, but it involved Galactus combating a rogue Watcher until the death of the universe. When only Galactus and his herald, Nova, remain, Galactus removes his helmet, releasing a new Big Bang. With the end of Galactus and the birth of a new universe, Nova is shown as having transformed into the Galactus for that universe.

Amalgam Comics

In the Amalgam Universe, Galactus merged with Brainiac to create Galactiac, who devoured planets to replenish his energy cells, but simultaneously shrank parts of them to study at his leisure, much like the early, pre-Crisis Brainiac had done with the city of Kandor.

MC2

Galactus, accompanied by a new herald named Dominas, appears in the MC2 universe, in the Last Planet Standing limited series. At its conclusion, Galactus merged with the Silver Surfer and evolved into a new form, actually becoming the source of a completely new form of energy, the "Power essential"; he then proceeded to endeavor to undo all the damage and death he had caused over the aeons.

Ultimate Marvel

Main article: Ultimate Galactus trilogy

Ultimate Galactus, called Gah Lak Tus, was introduced in a trilogy written by Warren Ellis. Gah Lak Tus is first mentioned by Ultimate Vision, now an early warning system for worlds under threat by Gah Lak Tus. Gah Lak Tus is an immense (approx. 100,000 miles long) group mind of city-sized robotic drones, and attacks worlds with envoys (resembling the Silver Surfer) and then a flesh-eating virus which destroys all life. After this the entity breaks open the dying world and sucks all thermal energy from the core. Gah Lak Tus considers all forms and expressions of organic life to be so abhorrent it believed itself desecrated when telepathically contacted by Professor X.

Earth X

Galactus also appears in the non-canon Earth X series. In Earth X Galactus was one of the three essential entities in the universe as he kept the Celestials in check. By destroying planets, which were really "eggs" of the Celestials, he prevented the Celestials from overpopulating the universe. In its previous incarnation, the universe was brought to a premature end by the overpopulation of Celestials.

Heroes Reborn

Galactus appears in the pocket universe created by Franklin Richards - after the events of the Onslaught saga - and deploys several heralds at once and actually succeeds in consuming the Earth twice, although this is undone by Doctor Doom with the use of his time machine.

Mangaverse

Manga Galactus appears as a gigantic, planet-sized lifeform (similar to Ego the Living Planet ) and once fed upon the planet Earth millions of years ago, causing the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Marvel Zombies

Galactus appears in his "classic" form and battles the Marvel Zombies, and meets his death when he is consumed by the zombie entities, who weaken him using powers they have stolen from the Silver Surfer. This version seems considerably weaker, and also seems to retain his humanic form rather than switch to a different one when he is eventually killed. The Universe is not robbed of a Galactus, however; the Zombies who manage to devour him somehow gain 'Galactus' suits as well as the being's powers, and become an unstoppable force dedicated to attacking perfectly healthy planets without warning, devouring the inhabitants as well as the planet itself.

Exiles

The Exiles comic-book title depicted one reality where Galactus was actually the restorer of worlds, and was pursued by the Silver Surfer, who sought his death.

Appearances in other media

Television

• Galactus appeared in the 1967 version of The Fantastic Four. Voiced by Ted Cassidy.

• Galactus appeared in the 1994 version of The Fantastic Four with Silver Surfer. Voiced by the late Tony Jay.

• Galactus appeared regularly in the Silver Surfer cartoon series (1998) and was one of the only characters on the show to be CGI-based. Voiced by James Blendick.

• Galactus can be seen as a cameo on the final episode of Justice League Unlimited. When Metron and Lex Luthor come to the Source Wall, he can be seen quite clearly as part of the Wall.

• Timmy Turner in The Fairly Oddparents takes on the form of galactus when he wishes to become a super powerful villain in order to make his parents remove their superpowers.

• A parody of Galactus appears in The Tick, where he is portrayed as Omnipotus, Devourer of Worlds in "Alone Together" (Season 2, Episode 2). Like Galactus, Omnipotus is bent on devouring Earth, but is temporarily sated with a rather large bite of the Moon.

• A parody of Galactus appears in the 'Dial M for Monkey' segment in the Dexter's Laboratory cartoon where a planet devouring being comes to shish-kebab Earth and its surrounding planets over a barbeque. Also, the Silver Surfer character is parodied as the Silver Spoon.

Video games

• Galactus appears in the videogame Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and is one of the final battles on the Skrull homeworld. It is hinted that should there be a sequel, Galactus will be the primary villain.

Galactus also has a small disappointing relatively minor appearance in the videogame "Silver Surfer" , released in 1990 for the original 8-bit NES(Nintendo Entertainment System)

Movies

• Galactus will be an element in the upcoming movie Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer which is due to be released in 2007. Per Ioan Gruffudd, Mr. Fantastic in the films, "His presence is felt in the movie. He doesn't physically appear." On March 2 2007, Tim Story via his myspace blog that Galactus will appear in some form in the movie. "There continues to be much speculation about Galactus. Major speculation. We haven’t finished the design of him/it so be careful about what you read and believe. Trust me…no one knows. One things for sure, you can expect to see him/it. It will be pretty powerful. I’m having a lot of fun with the concept and believe me — MOST will be satisfied."

See also

• Heralds of Galactus
• Taa II
• Ultimate Nullifier
• Cosmic entities (Marvel Comics)
• Marvel Universe Concepts

Footnotes

1. Origin of the Fantastic Four Comic Book URL last checked 2006-11-26.
2. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Data Corrections Fantastic Four 2005. URL last checked 2006-09-01.
3. Adventures of X-Men #12
4. Super Villain Classics #1
5. Super Villain Classics #1
6. Silver Surfer vol. 3 #10
7. Fantastic Four #257
8. Fantastic Four #257
9. Silver Surfer vol. 3 #10
10. Fantastic Four #262
11. Thanos #11
12. Fantastic Four #48
13. Fantastic Four #120
14. Thor #225
15. Journey into Mystery #228
16. Fantastic Four #211
17. Fantastic Four #244
18. Silver Surfer #70
19. Galactus the Devourer#1 - 6 (1999 - 2000)
20. As Herald - Fantastic Four #520 - 523
21. Stormbreaker: The Sage of Beta Ray Bill #1 - 6(2005)
22. Fantastic Four #48 - 50
23. Fantastic Four #74 - 77
24. Fantastic Four #210 - 13
25. Fantastic Four #242 - 244
26. Fantastic Four #262
27. Galactus: The Devourer #1 - 6(1999-2000)
28. Fantastic Four Annual 2001
29. Fantastic Four #478
30. Fantastic Four #520 - 523
31. Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill #1 - 6 (2005)
32. Annihilation: Silver Surfer (2006)
33. Annihilation #1 - 6 (2006-2007).
34. Annihilation: Silver Surfer #2 (2006)
35. Rom the Space Knight #27
36. Silver Surfer #1
37. Rom the Space Knight #27
38. Silver Surfer #1
39. Thanos #3
40. Fantastic Four #242
41. Fantastic Four #49
42. Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #9
43. Cosmic Powers Unlimited #2
44. Silver Surfer vol. 3 #76
45. Silver Surfer vol. 3 #49
46. Silver Surfer vol. 3 #130
47. Fantastic Four #243
48. Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #9
49. "Silver Surfer," Vol. 3, #10
50. "The Infinity Guantlet" #5
51. "Super Villain Classics" #1
52. Epic Illustrated was a magazine printed by Marvel Comics from 1980 - 1986
53. the Frequently Asked Questions on John Byrne's website,
54. Last Planet Standing #1 - 5
55. Ultimate Nightmare (2004); Ultimate Secret (2005) & Ultimate Extinction (2006)
56. Earth X #1 - 12 (2000 - 2001)
57. Heroes Reborn (1996 - 1997)
58. Marvel Zombies (2005 - 2006)

References

• Galactus on the Marvel Universe Character Bio Wiki
• Gah Lak Tus on the Marvel Universe Character Bio Wiki
• MDP: Galactus - Marvel Database Project
• Marvel Directory - Galactus
• GameFAQ's Comic Book FAQ: Marvel Cosmic Entities
• GALACTUS 3 minute MOVIE

• Articles to be merged from February 2007
• 1966 introductions
• Marvel Comics immortals
• Marvel Comics aliens
• Marvel Comics cosmic entities
• Extraterrestrial supervillains
• Marvel Comics characters who can fly
• Fictional characters with the power to generate and manipulate radiation
• Fictional characters with the power to warp reality
• Marvel Comics supervillains