Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. Formerly a mortal man, he is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of the primary Marvel continuity. He was created by

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

and

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...

and first appeared in ''

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...

'' #48 (March 1966). Lee and Kirby wanted to introduce a character that broke from the archetype of the standard villain. In the character's first appearance, Galactus was depicted as a god-like figure that fed by draining living planets of their energy, and operated without regard to the morality or judgments of mortal beings. Galactus's initial origin was that of a Taa-an space explorer named Galan who gained cosmic abilities by passing near a star,''Thor'' #168–169. Marvel Comics. but writer

Mark Gruenwald Mark Eugene Gruenwald ( ; June 18, 1953 – August 12, 1996) was an American comic book writer, editor, and occasional penciler known for his long association with Marvel Comics. Career Early career Gruenwald got his start in comics f ...

further developed the character's origins, presenting Taa and Galan as existing in the universe prior to the

Big Bang The Big Bang is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models based on the Big Bang concept explain a broad range of phenomena, including th ...

that began the setting of the current universe. As Galan's universe came to an end, he merged with the " Sentience of the Universe" to become Galactus, an entity who must consume planets to sustain his existence. Additional material written by John Byrne, Jim Starlin, and

Louise Simonson Louise Simonson (née Mary Louise Alexander; born September 26, 1946) is an American comic book writer and editor. She is best known for her work on comic book titles such as ''Conan the Barbarian'', '' Power Pack'', ''X-Factor'', ''The New Mutan ...

explored Galactus's role and purpose in the Marvel Universe, and examined the character's actions through themes of

genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...

manifest destiny Manifest destiny was the belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American pioneer, American settlers were destined to expand westward across North America, and that this belief was both obvious ("''m ...

, ethics, and natural/necessary existence. Frequently accompanied by a herald (such as the

Silver Surfer The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first a ...

), the character has appeared as both antagonist and protagonist in central and supporting roles. Since debuting in the

Silver Age of Comic Books The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books, the Silver A ...

, Galactus has played a role in over five decades of Marvel continuity. In 2009, Galactus ranked fifth on

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

's list of "Top 100 Comic Book Villains", which cited the character's "larger-than-life presence" as making him one of the more important villains ever created. IGN also noted "Galactus is one of the few villains on our list to really defy the definition of an evil-doer" as the character is compelled to destroy worlds because of his hunger, rather than out of malicious ends. The character has been featured in other Marvel media, such as

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily game of skill, games of skill and in ...

s, video games, animated television series, and the 2007 film '' Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer''. He will appear in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

film '' The Fantastic Four: First Steps'' (2025), portrayed by

Ralph Ineson Ralph Michael Ineson ( ; born 15 December 1969) is an English actor and narrator. Ineson's notable film roles include Amycus Carrow in the final three ''Harry Potter'' films (2009–2011), William in '' The Witch'' (2015), the title characte ...

Publication history

Created by writer-editor

and artist-coplotter

, the character debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #48 (

cover date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...

d March 1966, the first of a three-issue story later known as " The Galactus Trilogy").Thomas, Roy, ''Stan Lee's Amazing Marvel Universe'' (Sterling Publishing, New York, 2006), "Moment 29: The Galactus Trilogy", pp. 112–115. ;

Origin

In 1966, nearly five years after launching

' flagship

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

title, ''Fantastic Four'', creators

and

collaborated on an antagonist designed to break the

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

mold of the tyrant with god-like stature and power. As Lee recalled in 1993, Kirby described his biblical inspirations for Galactus and an accompanying character, an angelic herald Lee called the

: Kirby elaborated, "Galactus in actuality is a sort of god. He is beyond reproach, beyond anyone's opinion. In a way he is kind of a Zeus, who fathered Hercules. He is his own legend, and of course, he and the Silver Surfer are sort of modern legends, and they are designed that way." Writer Mike Conroy expanded on Lee and Kirby's explanations: "In five short years from the launch of the ''Fantastic Four'', the Lee/Kirby duo ... had introduced a whole host of alien races or their representatives ... there were the

Skrull The Skrulls () are a race of List of fictional extraterrestrials, extraterrestrial shapeshifters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They first appeared in ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' #2 and were crea ...

s, the Watcher and the

Stranger A stranger is a person who is unknown or unfamiliar to another person or group. Because of this unknown status or unfamiliarity, a stranger may be perceived as a threat until their identity and character can be ascertained. Different classes of ...

, all of whom Lee and Kirby used in the foundations of the universe they were constructing, one where all things were possible but only if they did not flout the 'natural laws' of this cosmology. In the nascent Marvel Universe, characters acted consistently, whatever comic they were appearing in. Their actions reverberated through every title. It was pure soap opera but on a cosmic scale, and Galactus epitomized its epic sweep." This led to the introduction of Galactus in ''Fantastic Four'' #48–50 (March–May 1966), which fans began calling " The Galactus Trilogy". Kirby did not intend Galactus to reappear, to preserve the character's awe-inspiring presence. Reprinted in Fan popularity, however, prompted Lee to ask Kirby for Galactus' reappearance, and the character became a mainstay of the Marvel Universe.

1960s

To preserve the character's mystique, his next two appearances were nonspeaking cameos in ''

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

'' #134 (November 1966), and '' Daredevil'' #37 (February 1968), respectively. Numerous requests from fans prompted the character to be featured heavily in ''Fantastic Four'' #72–77 (March–August 1968). After a flashback appearance in ''Silver Surfer'' #1 (August 1968), the character returned to Earth in ''Thor'' #160–162 (January–March 1969). Galactus' origin was eventually revealed in ''Thor'' #168–169 (September–October 1969).

1970s and 1980s

The character made appearances in ''Fantastic Four'' #120–123 (March–June 1972) and ''Thor'' #225–228 (July–October 1974). These two storylines introduced two new heralds for Galactus. Galactus also featured in ''Fantastic Four'' #172–175 (July–October 1976) and 208–213 (July–December 1979).

and

reunited for the origin of the Silver Surfer and Galactus in the one-shot

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

''The Silver Surfer: The Ultimate Cosmic Experience!'' in 1978. This Marvel Fireside Book, published by

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

, was an out-of-continuity retelling of the origin story without the Fantastic Four. The full Lee-and-Kirby origin story was reprinted in the one-shot ''Super-Villain Classics'' #1: ''Galactus – The Origin'' (May 1983), inked by

Vince Colletta Vincente Colletta (October 15, 1923 – June 3, 1991)Vincent Colletta

and George Klein, lettered by John Morelli and colored by Andy Yanchus. While nearly identical to the previous origin, this story featured supplemental material, edits, and deletions by writer

, pencillers John Byrne and Ron Wilson and inker Jack Abel. Rather than traveling into a dying star, the character enters the core of the collapsing universe before the

; the story was later reprinted as ''Origin of Galactus'' #1 (February 1996). The character guest-starred in ''

Rom Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * ...

'' #26–27 (January–February 1982). Galactus featured in two related storylines in ''Fantastic Four'' #242–244 (May–July 1982) and later #257 (August 1983), in which writer-artist John Byrne introduced the conceit of Galactus feeling remorse for his actions, and the weight of his genocides. In the issue,

Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

assures Galactus of his role and purpose as one of shepherd and weeder in guiding the universe to its proper purpose, and Galactus remains resolute. Byrne further elaborated on this concept in ''

'' #262 (January 1984), which sparked controversy. At the end of the story,

Eternity Eternity, in common parlance, is an Infinity, infinite amount of time that never ends or the quality, condition or fact of being everlasting or eternal. Classical philosophy, however, defines eternity as what is timeless or exists outside tim ...

, an abstract entity in the Marvel Universe, appears to validate the existence of Galactus as necessary for the natural order and essential to prevent an even more catastrophic fate;

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

professor of literature Marc Singer criticized this, accusing the writer-artist of using the character to "justify planetary-scale genocide." Byrne and Stan Lee also collaborated on a one-shot Silver Surfer story (June 1982) in which Galactus returned to Zenn-La after the Surfer's rebellion and drained it of energy after allowing the populace to flee. Writer-penciller John Byrne and inker Terry Austin produced "The Last Galactus Story" as a serial in the anthology comic-magazine ''

Epic Illustrated ''Epic Illustrated'' was a comics anthology in magazine format published in the United States by Marvel Comics. Similar to the US-licensed comic book magazine ''Heavy Metal (magazine), Heavy Metal'', it allowed explicit content to be featured, un ...

'' #26–34 (October 1984 – February 1986). Nine of a scheduled 10 installments appeared. Each was six pages with the exception of the eighth installment (12 pages). The magazine was cancelled with issue #34, leaving the last chapter unpublished and the story unfinished; however, Byrne later published the conclusion on his website. Byrne, John
"Exception to the rule #1: 'The Last Galactus Story'"
"Frequently Asked Questions – Questions about Aborted Storylines", Byrne Robotics, 15 February 2005
WebCitation archive
Galactus played a pivotal role in the limited series ''

Secret Wars ''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'', is a 12-issue American comic book Fictional crossover, crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter ...

'' #1–12 (May 1984 – April 1985), and became a recurring character in ''Silver Surfer'' (vol. 3) (beginning with issue #1 (July 1987)). Stan Lee and artist

John Buscema John Buscema ( ; born Giovanni Natale Buscema, ; December 11, 1927 – January 10, 2002)Social Se ...

also produced the 64-page hardcover graphic novel ''Silver Surfer: Judgment Day'' (October 1988), in which Galactus clashes with the demonic entity Mephisto.

1990s

Galactus was featured in the miniseries ''

The Infinity Gauntlet ''The Infinity Gauntlet'' is an American comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. In addition to an eponymous, six-issue limited series (comics), limited series written by Jim Starlin and Penciller, pencilled by George Pérez and Ron ...

'' #1–6 (July –December 1991), '' The Infinity War'' #1–6 (June –November 1992) and ''Cosmic Powers'' #1–6 (March –August 1994). The character starred in the six-issue miniseries ''Galactus the Devourer'' (September 1999 –March 2000), written by

and illustrated by John Buscema, which climaxed with Galactus' death. Simonson originally conceived that the

story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of a plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing narrative, storyline in episode, episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strip ...

would occur in ''Silver Surfer'' (vol. 3), but the title was cancelled due to dwindling sales. She proposed a separate limited series, and at the time was initially doubtful that Marvel would approve what she considered a "radical" idea concerning "why the very existence of the universe depends on the health and well-being of Galactus."

2000s

The consequences of Galactus' death are explored in the issues ''Fantastic Four Annual 2001'' and ''Fantastic Four'' (vol. 3) #46–49 (October 2001 – January 2002) written by

Jeph Loeb Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III () is an American film and television writer, producer and comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series ''Smallville (TV series), Smallville'' and ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost'', writer for the films ''C ...

and culminate in Galactus' revival, bringing resolution to Simonson's cliffhanger from the ''Devourer'' story arc. The character features in the first six issues of the limited series ''

Thanos Thanos () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 (cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Devia ...

'' (December 2003 – May 2004), written by Jim Starlin. Issues #7–12 (June–November 2004), written by

Keith Giffen Keith Ian Giffen (November 30, 1952 – October 9, 2023) was an American comics artist and writer. He was known for his work for DC Comics on their ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of ...

, introduce the Fallen One, who is retroactively presented as Galactus' first herald. Galactus' origin is re-examined in ''Fantastic Four'' #520–523 (October 2004 – April 2005), in which the character is temporarily reverted to his mortal form. After appearing in the limited series ''Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill'' #1–6 (March–August 2005) Galactus was a central character in the "

Annihilation In particle physics, annihilation is the process that occurs when a subatomic particle collides with its respective antiparticle to produce other particles, such as an electron colliding with a positron to produce two photons. The total energy a ...

" storyline, appearing in the limited series '' Annihilation: Silver Surfer'' #1–4 (June–September 2006), ''Annihilation'' #1–6 (October 2006 – March 2007) and the

epilogue An epilogue or epilog (from Greek ἐπίλογος ''epílogos'', "conclusion" from ἐπί ''epi'', "in addition" and λόγος ''logos'', "word") is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the ...

, '' Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus'' #1–2 (February–April 2007). Galactus was an antagonist in ''Fantastic Four'' #545–546 (June–July 2007), where he tried to devour fellow cosmic function

Epoch In chronology and periodization, an epoch or reference epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular calendar era. The "epoch" serves as a reference point from which time is measured. The moment of epoch is usually decided b ...

. In ''

Nova A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white ...

'' (vol. 4) #13–15 (May–July 2008), the character had no dialogue. Author

Andy Lanning Andy Lanning is an English comic book writer and inker, known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, and for his collaboration with Dan Abnett. Career Lanning works primarily at Marvel Comics and DC Comics as an inker. He has also pencil ...

said that he and co-writer

Dan Abnett Daniel P. Abnett ( ; born 12 October 1965) is an English comic book writer and novelist. He has been a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and has worked on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since ...

were "treating Galactus like a force of nature; an inevitable, planetary catastrophe that there is no reasoning with, no bargaining with and no escaping." Galactus also appeared in the limited series ''Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter'' #1–3 (June–August 2009), a sequel to ''Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill'' #1–6.

2010s

Galactus and the Silver Surfer appeared as antagonists in both '' Skaar: Son of Hulk'' #7–12 (March 1, 2009 – August 1, 2009) and '' Son of Hulk'' #13–17 (September 1, 2009 – January 2010), and as protagonists in the miniseries '' The Thanos Imperative'' #1–6 (June–November 2010). Galactus was a member of the God Squad in the miniseries '' Chaos War'' #2–5 (December 2010 – March 2011). After an appearance in ''Fantastic Four'' #583–587 (November 2010 – March 2011), the character returned to Earth in ''Silver Surfer'' (vol. 6) #1–5 (January–May 2011) and was the antagonist in ''The Mighty Thor'' #1–6 (April–September 2011). Galactus played a supporting role in the storyline "Forever" featured in ''Fantastic Four'' #600–604 (November 2011 – March 2012) and ''FF'' #16 (March 2012) by Johnathan Hickman, where Hickman introduced the concept of a shared destiny between Galactus and Franklin Richards. Writer

Mark Waid Mark Waid (; born March 21, 1962) is an American comic book writer best known for his work on DC Comics titles ''The Flash'', '' Kingdom Come'' and '' Superman: Birthright'' as well as his work on ''Captain America'', ''Fantastic Four'' and '' Da ...

would subsequently develop this concept further (see below). The character played a central role as antagonist in ''

Hunger In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs for a sustained period. In t ...

'' #1–4 (2013), in which the mainstream Galactus of the primary Marvel continuity merges with his counterpart from the

Ultimate Marvel Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the ...

publication imprint, Gah Lak Tus. Writer Joshua Hale Fialkov commented that his intent was to use Galactus as a means to place the characters from the Ultimate Marvel imprint into a completely unexpected crisis: "What I hope comes across is the sense of wonder that's being brought into the Ultimate Universe...with the smart, modern tone

Brian Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan (given name), Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish language, Irish and Breton language, Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan language, Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. ...

has established." Following his appearance in ''Hunger'', Galactus was a major supporting character in ''The

Ultimates The Ultimates is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and created by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch, which first started publication from ''The Ultimates (comic book), The Ultimates'' ...

'' (vol. 3) #1–6 (January–June 2016), where writer

Al Ewing Al Ewing ( ; born 12 August 1977) is a British comics writer who has mainly worked in the small press, for '' 2000 AD'', and for Marvel Comics. Career Al Ewing began his career writing stories in the four-page '' Future Shocks'' format for '' ...

fundamentally changed the nature of Galactus' character. During the events of the story, Galactus is transformed into "the Lifebringer", a being who is compelled to infuse dead planets with life-sustaining energies, thus altering the character's primary motive for the first time since Galactus' debut in 1966. Elaborating on what inspired the change, Ewing explained "What inspired it—a mixture of wanting someone big on or allied with the team—originally, we thought about Odin, but he's a bit busy—and my usual preoccupations with atonement, redemption, growth and change. So what can alactusdo now? Well, whereas before he was taking in vast amounts of energy, now he's putting out vast amounts of energy—pure life energy. He always said he was going to give back more than he took out of the universe—now he's making good on that, one dead world at a time." The themes of redemption and change were received well by columnist Mark Peters, who described Ewing's work on ''Ultimates'' as "one of the best Galactus stories ever." Galactus featured prominently in a direct sequel series to ''The Ultimates'' (vol. 3) #1–6 titled ''The Ultimates 2'' (vol. 2) #1–10 (November 2016 – August 2017) which focused on the Lifebringer Galactus as the de facto leader of the Ultimates. Galactus in his Lifebringer persona made his final appearance in ''Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'' #26–30 (December 2017 – April 2018) before being reverted to his "Devourer of Worlds" persona by writer Gerry Dugan in '' Infinity Countdown'' #4 (June 2018). Set at the end of the primary Marvel continuity, the miniseries ''History of the Marvel Universe'' #1–6 (July 2019 – December 2019) by Mark Waid depicted Galactus as the in-story narrator. The story features Galactus recounting all the major events that have occurred in Marvel continuity to Franklin Richards as the universe experiences its final moments. Confirming the series as occurring within the primary Marvel continuity, Waid elaborated that " ere is a framing device, yes. We wanted it to be a story, not just a long Wikipedia entry. As established in

Jonathan Hickman Jonathan Hickman is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for his creator-owned series '' The Nightly News'', '' The Manhattan Projects'' and '' East of West'', as well as his lengthy stints as a writer on Marvel's '' Fantastic Fo ...

's ''Fantastic Four'' run, there comes a point when Galactus and Franklin Richards stand together at the end of time, and now we get to see exactly what they were doing there."

2020s

Galactus was killed by Thor during the "Herald of Thunder" story arc in ''

'' (vol. 6) #1–6 (March–August 2020). Galactus reappeared after a two-year hiatus in ''

'' (vol. 6) #45 (July 2022)—the final issue of the event " Reckoning War"—where he is resurrected by his former heralds.

Fictional character biography

Reality goes through cycles of creation and destruction. Galactus was originally the Taa-an explorer Galan of the planet Taa in the previous iteration of the multiverse, the Sixth Cosmos, which existed before the

of the current multiverse, the Seventh Cosmos. When an unknown cosmic cataclysm gradually kills all other life in his universe, Galan and other survivors leave Taa on a spacecraft and are engulfed in the

Big Crunch The Big Crunch is a hypothetical scenario for the ultimate fate of the universe, in which the expansion of the universe eventually reverses and the universe recollapses, ultimately causing the cosmic scale factor to reach absolute zero, an eve ...

. Galan, however, does not die: after bonding with the Sentience of the Universe, he changes and gestates for billions of years in an egg made of the debris of his ship that the current universe formed after the Big Bang. He emerges as Galactus, and though an unnamed Watcher observed Galactus's birth and recognizes his destructive nature, the Watcher chooses not to kill Galactus.''Fantastic Four'' #48 (March 1966). Marvel Comics.''Super-Villain Classics'' #1: ''Galactus – The Origin'' (May 1983). Marvel Comics. Starving for sustenance, Galactus consumes the nearby planet of Archeopia—the first of many planets he would destroy to maintain his existence. Subsequently, in memory of his dead homeworld of Taa and the first planet (Archeopia) to fall prey to his hunger, Galactus constructs a new "homeworld": the

Möbius strip In mathematics, a Möbius strip, Möbius band, or Möbius loop is a Surface (topology), surface that can be formed by attaching the ends of a strip of paper together with a half-twist. As a mathematical object, it was discovered by Johann Bened ...

-shaped space station called Taa II. Galactus becomes involved in a civil war among the "Proemial Gods", who had come into being during the universe's infancy. When a faction of the gods led by Diableri of Chaos attempts to remake the universe in their own image, Galactus kills Diableri and imprisons three others (

Antiphon An antiphon ( Greek ἀντίφωνον, ἀντί "opposite" and φωνή "voice") is a short chant in Christian ritual, sung as a refrain. The texts of antiphons are usually taken from the Psalms or Scripture, but may also be freely compo ...

, Tenebrous, and

Aegis The aegis ( ; ''aigís''), as stated in the ''Iliad'', is a device carried by Athena and Zeus, variously interpreted as an animal skin or a shield and sometimes featuring the head of a Gorgon. There may be a connection with a deity named Aex, a ...

) in the prison called the Kyln.''Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus'' #2 (May 2007). Marvel Comics. Galactus then creates the being Tyrant out of a desire for companionship, but the two ultimately engage in a major conflict. Galactus decides to empower his first herald—the Fallen One—who ultimately rebels against his master. When approaching the planet of Zenn-La, Galactus accepts the offer of Norrin Radd to become his herald, the

, in exchange for sparing his world.''Silver Surfer'' #1 (August 1968). Marvel Comics. Eventually locating Earth, Galactus is driven off by the

Uatu Uatu (), often simply known as the Watcher, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in '' The Fantastic Four'' #13 (April 1963). He is a member o ...

the Watcher, and the rebellious Silver Surfer after the

Human Torch The Human Torch (Jonathan Lowell Spencer "Johnny" Storm) is a fictional superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. He is writer Stan Lee's and ar ...

—with the Watcher's assistance—retrieves the

Ultimate Nullifier The Ultimate Nullifier is a fictional device of immense power in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The device made its first appearance in ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' #50 (May 1966), in which the Human Torch re ...

from Taa II. Although Galactus leaves Earth, vowing that he will never try to consume it again, he banishes the Surfer to Earth for betraying him. Galactus later returns for his former herald, but the Surfer is unrepentant and chooses to remain on Earth.

learns of Galactus' origin when the entity comes into conflict with Ego the Living Planet. Returning to Earth, Galactus unsuccessfully tries to re-enlist the Silver Surfer. After the Fantastic Four and the Surfer defeat Galactus's new herald, the Air-Walker,

Mister Fantastic Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The character is a founding member and the leader of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mast ...

reprograms Galactus's ship to travel to the Negative Zone, which contains many uninhabited worlds that could potentially be consumed. Thor and Olympian ally

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

encounter Galactus when his next herald, Firelord, travels to Earth to be free of his master. Galactus frees Firelord when Thor presents Galactus with the magical Asgardian suit of armor named the

Destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

to animate and use as a herald. Galactus comes into conflict with the High Evolutionary when attempting to devour

Counter-Earth The Counter-Earth is a : Hypothetical bodies of the Solar System, hypothetical body of the Solar System that orbits on the other side of the Solar System from Earth. A Counter-Earth or ''Antichthon'' () was hypothesized by the pre-Socratic philoso ...

, but he is temporarily transformed into harmless energy after attempting to devour the planet Poppup, the homeworld of the Impossible Man. After returning to normal form, Galactus is sought by the Fantastic Four to help stop a new cosmic threat, the

Sphinx A sphinx ( ; , ; or sphinges ) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. In Culture of Greece, Greek tradition, the sphinx is a treacherous and merciless being with the head of a woman, th ...

. Mr. Fantastic offers to release Galactus from his vow to not devour Earth if he helps defeat the Sphinx. Galactus agrees, if the Fantastic Four first recruit a being called Tyros as a new herald. The quartet succeed, and the newly empowered and renamed Terrax leads his master to Earth. Galactus locates and defeats the Sphinx in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, but is confronted by Mr. Fantastic, who, unbeknownst to Galactus, wields a fake Ultimate Nullifier. Unable to read Richards' mind (which is protected by the Watcher), Galactus retreats. Galactus empowers and uses the superheroine Dazzler to locate a missing Terrax, who is in fact hiding from his master inside a black hole.''Dazzler'' #10 (December 1981). Marvel Comics. The Dazzler defeats and retrieves Terrax, and forces Galactus to return her to Earth.''Dazzler'' #11 (January 1982). Marvel Comics. Galactus is fooled by the Galadorian Spaceknight

into trying to devour the Black Nebula, the homeworld of the

Dire Wraith The Dire Wraiths are a fictional extraterrestrial species appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and IDW Publishing. The Dire Wraiths are the main opponents of Rom the Space Knight. Publication history The Dire Wraiths firs ...

s, but he is repelled by the Wraiths' Dark Sun. A weakened Galactus pursues the rebellious Terrax to Earth and strips him of his power. Near death, Galactus is saved by the Fantastic Four and the Avengers while also acquiring another herald:

II, who offers herself as Galactus' herald in exchange for him sparing Earth again. Galactus devours the

s' throneworld of Tarnax IV, and discusses his role in the universe with fellow cosmic entity

.''Fantastic Four'' #257 (August 1983). Marvel Comics. Mr. Fantastic is captured by the

Shi'ar The Shi'ar ( ) are a fictional species of aliens appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Shi'ar Empire (or Imperium) is a vast collection of alien species, cultures, and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Em ...

for saving Galactus' life, and is tried by all of the aliens who survived the annihilation of their homeworlds by Galactus. During the trial, the cosmic entity

— the sentient embodiment of space and reality of the Marvel Universe — intervenes, allowing all beings present to momentarily become one with the universe, allowing them to understand that Galactus is a necessary part of the cosmic order. During the

, Galactus attempts to consume Battleworld to force the Beyonder to remove his hunger, but his plan is foiled by

Doctor Doom Doctor Doom is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' The Fantastic Four'' #5 in April 1962, and has since endured as the arch ...

. Galactus grants clemency to the Silver Surfer, who aids his former master against the

Elders of the Universe The Elders of the Universe are a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Collector was the first Elder to appear, and featured in '' The Avengers'' #28 (May 1966), but the idea that he was a member ...

and the In-Betweener. Galactus also rescues the Surfer and Nova II from Mephisto's realm, and aids the cosmic hierarchy in a war against the mad Eternal

, who wields the Infinity Gauntlet. When Nova II is conscience-stricken at causing the death of billions of aliens, Galactus takes on a new herald, the bloodthirsty Morg the Executioner.''Silver Surfer'' (vol. 3) #70 (September 1992). Marvel Comics. Tyrant eventually returns and Morg sacrifices himself to stop the former creation of Galactus by using the Ultimate Nullifier.''Silver Surfer'' (vol. 3) #109 (October 1995). Marvel Comics. Galactus then decides, with help from his new herald Red Shift, to only devour the energy of living beings, which brings him into conflict with alien races and Earth's superheroes. During a final confrontation near Chandilar, the throneworld of the

, the Silver Surfer turns Galactus' siphoning machines against him. A starving Galactus dies and assumes the form of a star. The death of Galactus allows the entity

Abraxas Abraxas (, variant form romanized: ) is a word of mystic meaning in the system of the Gnostic Basilides, being there applied to the "Great Archon" (), the princeps of the 365 spheres (). The word is found in Gnostic texts such as the '' Holy ...

(a metaphysical embodiment of destruction) to emerge from imprisonment. The entity wreaks havoc across thousands of alternate universes, killing various incarnations of Galactus before the children of Mr. Fantastic — Franklin Richards and Valeria von Doom — exhaust their powers to restore the original Galactus. Galactus then provides Mr. Fantastic with the

, which he uses to reset reality and prevent Abraxas' initial escape and destruction. Conscience-stricken, Galactus tries to rid himself of his cosmic hunger by feeding on the power from the Infinity Gems, but is tricked into releasing the Hunger, a being which feeds on entire galaxies. The Hunger is destroyed when Thanos orchestrates a final battle with Galactus. When an alien race develops a technology to make planets invisible to Galactus, he empowers the Human Torch (who has traded powers with his sister the Invisible Woman and becomes the Invisible Boy as a result of this) and utilizes the hero as an unwilling herald to locate the planets. The Fantastic Four and

Quasar A quasar ( ) is an extremely Luminosity, luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN). It is sometimes known as a quasi-stellar object, abbreviated QSO. The emission from an AGN is powered by accretion onto a supermassive black hole with a mass rangi ...

free the Torch by changing Galactus back into the humanoid Galan, who chooses to exile himself to an energy-rich alternate dimension before he can transform back into Galactus so that he can feed on that reality without endangering planets. Galactus consumes Beta Ray Bill's homeworld with the help of his new herald, Stardust.''Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill'' #1–6 (March – August 2005). Marvel Comics. After

Annihilus Annihilus () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, primarily as an adversary to the Fantastic Four. The character debuted in ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four Annual'' #6, which was published ...

declares war on the universe, the entity attacks and destroys the Kyln, freeing former Galactus foes Tenebrous and Aegis. Sensing their release, Galactus temporarily releases Stardust from his service and re-employs the Silver Surfer as his herald due to his familiarity with their old foes.''Annihilation: Silver Surfer'' #3 (August 2006). Marvel Comics. Tenebrous and Aegis, however, find and defeat the Surfer and Galactus and deliver them to Annihilus. Annihilus intends to use Galactus as a weapon to destroy all life in the universe, but is thwarted when the entity is freed by Drax the Destroyer. Galactus retaliates and destroys most of Annihilus' forces. Seeking a final confrontation with Tenebrous and Aegis, Galactus sends the Silver Surfer to locate them. The Surfer eventually draws the pair into the barrier between the universe and the Negative Zone, which destroys both of them. After an encounter with

, Galactus consumes the planet Orbucen. When a distraught Beta Ray Bill seeks vengeance for the destruction of the Korbinites' homeworld, Galactus relents and creates a female Korbinite as a companion for Bill.''Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter'' #1–3 (June – August 2009). Marvel Comics. Galactus also consumes the planet Sakaar, earning the enmity of the

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...

's alien-born twin sons,

Skaar Skaar may refer to: *Skaar (character), a fictional character from Marvel Comics *Skaar Ridge, a ridge on the southeast side of Mount Augusta in Queen Alexandra Range People with the surname *Andrew O. Skaar (1922–2018), American farmer and poli ...

and Hiro-Kala. The Silver Surfer finds the body of a future Galactus underneath New York City, and he summons the present Galactus to Earth. Mr. Fantastic explains that, in the distant future, the heroes on a dying Earth had killed Galactus and then escaped to the present via

time travel Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling into the past or future. Time travel is a concept in philosophy and fiction, particularly science fiction. In fiction, time travel is typically achieved through the use of a device known a ...

. When Galactus discovers these heroes now live on a planet called Nu-Earth, he destroys it and its inhabitants in retribution. A tear in the fabric of space caused by the Annihilation Wave and other interstellar conflicts allows the extra-universal forces of the Cancerverse (an alternate universe without death) to invade. Galactus, the Celestials and the resurrected Tenebrous and Aegis combat the powerful Cancerverse weapon: the Galactus Engine (constructed from the corpse of the Cancerverse's counterpart to Galactus). During the events of the Chaos War, Galactus is teleported to Earth by the Olympian demigod Hercules to help fight the Chaos King, a metaphysical embodiment of Oblivion and another antithesis of Eternity. While the

and his allies the God Squad, Alpha Flight, and several members of the Avengers fight Amatsu-Mikaboshi's forces,

Amadeus Cho Amadeus Cho is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by American writer Greg Pak and Canadian artist Takeshi Miyazawa, the character first appeared in '' Amazing Fantasy'' vol. 2 #15 (January 2005). C ...

and Galactus develop a machine which will move Earth to a safe location in a sealed-off continuum, only to adapt the plan by trapping Amatsu-Mikaboshi in that dimension instead. After an encounter with the High Evolutionary, Galactus invades

Asgard In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr''; "Garden of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in several Old Norse sagas and mythological texts, including the Eddas, however it has also been suggested to be refe ...

, home of the Norse Gods, seeking an Asgardian artifact to sate his hunger and spare future civilizations.

Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...

, ruler of the Norse Gods, contends that Galactus wishes to ensure that he is not replaced in the next universe. To avoid a protracted battle, the Silver Surfer offers to remain on Earth to guard the artifact on the condition that Galactus may have it once Asgard eventually passes. Galactus recruits a human preacher from Earth named Pastor Mike (full name unknown) that he names Praeter to be his new herald. Later, when the Mad Celestials from Earth-4280 invade, Galactus destroys one before being struck down by the others. Revived by Franklin Richards, he and Franklin succeed in vanquishing the remaining Celestials, and prevent the destruction of Earth. In the aftermath, Galactus learns that he will no longer face the eventual end of the universe alone; he and Franklin will witness it together. Galactus is then pulled through a hole in space-time to an alternate universe and meets another version of himself: a space-faring mechanical hive mind called ''Gah Lak Tus''.''Hunger'' #1 (July 2013). Marvel Comics. After the two merge with one another, Galactus makes his way towards this universe's Earth in an attempt to consume it. The heroes of the alternate Earth travel to Earth-616 to acquire information on Galactus and eventually manage to send Galactus to the Negative Zone, reasoning that he will eventually starve to death, as the region is composed of anti-matter. A comatose Galactus is found by the Eternals and Aarkus, who hope to use him in their war against the

Kree The Kree, briefly known as the Ruul, are an List of fictional extraterrestrials, alien race appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and have a scientificall ...

. Galactus returns to the universe, and after an encounter with Squirrel Girl, is forced into his own incubator by the

, who are determined to end his threat. Galactus re-emerges as a Lifebringer instead of a Devourer of Worlds, his first act as such being to re-create Archeopia, the first planet that he ever consumed. Galactus later rescues the team at the behest of Eternity, and learns that the latter has been imprisoned by an unknown force. Galactus also comes into conflict with fellow cosmic entities Master Order and Lord Chaos, who, along with the

Molecule Man The Molecule Man (Owen Reece) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in '' Fantastic Four'' #20 in November 1963 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. An enormously powerful entity, ...

, wish for Galactus to return to his former role as a Devourer of Worlds and thereby restore the cosmic order. Galactus locates the hero Anti-Man outside the Multiverse and, after transforming him into a Herald of Life, sends him to recruit the recently disbanded Ultimates to help discover the identity of Eternity's captor, who is later revealed to be the First Firmament, the first iteration of the cosmos. Master Order and Lord Chaos bring Galactus to trial before the

Living Tribunal The Living Tribunal is a cosmic entity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Strange Tales'' #157 (June 1967) and was created by Stan Lee, Marie Severin, and Herb Trimpe. Publication his ...

, still seeking to restore Galactus to his former state for the sake of the cosmic order. Although Galactus successfully argues that the balance of the new Multiverse is different and that his old role is obsolete, the Tribunal is destroyed by a Firmament-influenced Master Order and Lord Chaos. After a brief battle, Master Order decides to create a new cosmic order, which it and Lord Chaos would control. Their former servant, the In-Betweener, is forcibly merged with them into a new cosmic being called Logos. After destroying several Celestials, Logos forcibly transforms Galactus back into the Devourer of Worlds. The process is reversed when Anti-Man sacrifices his life to restore Galactus as the Lifebringer. Galactus then swears to free the imprisoned Eternity. During the " Infinity Countdown" storyline, the Silver Surfer requests Galactus' aid in defeating Ultron/Hank Pym by consuming the planet Saiph, which is overrun by Ultron drones. Galactus reluctantly agrees. After consuming Saiph, Galactus' hunger returns and the Silver Surfer becomes his herald again as he takes Galactus to find an uninhabited planet.''Infinity Countdown'' #4 (August 2018). Marvel Comics. Returning to Earth, Galactus has a confrontation with

and the Fantastic Four, with Doom revealing his plans to harness Galactus' power as an energy source. Banished to the mystical realms by an alien sorcerer, Galactus becomes entangled in the schemes of

Dormammu Dormammu () is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #126 (November 1964). He is the extra and inter-dimensional demonic e ...

and Mephisto. Galactus begins to consume mystical energy, eventually absorbing Dormammu and other mystical entities, and in doing so goes insane and destabilizes reality.

Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...

intervenes and – with the aid of Eternity and the Living Tribunal – is able to undo the damage wrought by Galactus.''Doctor Strange'' (vol. 5) #12–17 (March – August 2019). Marvel Comics. An injured Galactus crashlands on Asgard, apparently seeking asylum from the cause of his universe's destruction: the Black Winter (Fimbulwinter), a cosmic entity that fulfills a similar purpose to Galactus on a far larger scale — rather than simply devouring planets, it consumes entire universes. Galactus reveals to All-Father Thor that he had a vision of Thor being responsible for his death. In a bid to destroy the Black Winter, Galactus turns Thor into his Herald of Thunder. Thor later learns that the Black Winter considers Galactus to be ''his'' herald. This causes an angered Thor to drain Galactus of his energies enough to turn him into a desiccated husk. When the Black Winter moves in to claim Galactus' body, Thor uses it as a bomb to decimate the Black Winter.

Powers and abilities

Galactus was created during the union of the Sentience of the (previous) Universe and Galan of Taa,''Thanos'' #3 (February 2004). Marvel Comics.''The Ultimates'' (vol. 3) #6 (April 2016). Marvel Comics. and is described as "the physical, metamorphosed embodiment of a

cosmos The cosmos (, ; ) is an alternative name for the universe or its nature or order. Usage of the word ''cosmos'' implies viewing the universe as a complex and orderly system or entity. The cosmos is studied in cosmologya broad discipline covering ...

."''Fantastic Four'' #522 (March 2005). Marvel Comics. Although he is not an abstract, non-corporeal entity,''Quasar'' #37 (August 1992) his true form cannot be perceived by most beings; each species sees Galactus in a form they can comprehend, similar to their race or a

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

of their religion.''Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill'' #1 (March 2005). Marvel Comics.''Fantastic Four'' #262 (January 1984). Marvel Comics. Galactus can also appear as a humanoid star when addressing fellow members of the cosmic hierarchy.''Silver Surfer'' (vol. 3) #10 (April 1988). Marvel Comics. Through his actions of consuming planets, Galactus serves as a cosmic test of survival for civilizations. Additionally, the continued existence of Galactus ensures the confinement of the cosmic entity

. As Galactus requires planets with the potential to support life, his existence also causes the extinction of entire extraterrestrial civilizations. The consumption of planets is what maintains Galactus' life and power. He usually employs the Elemental Converter, which converts matter into energy more efficiently, even though he is capable of feeding without it. Alternatively, Galactus can absorb energy directly from cosmic beings and even mystical entities—though with unpredictable results. Processing this cosmic energy allows Galactus to utilize a force known as the Power Cosmic to perform great feats, which have included universal cosmic awareness,''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'' #9 (January 1985). Marvel Comics.

telepathy Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...

telekinesis Telekinesis () (alternatively called psychokinesis) is a purported psychic ability allowing an individual to influence a physical system without physical interaction. Experiments to prove the existence of telekinesis have historically been cri ...

,''Fantastic Four'' #49 (April 1966). Marvel Comics. energy projection; size alteration;''Rom'' #27 (December 1979). Marvel Comics. transmutation of matter;

teleportation Teleportation is the hypothetical transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them. It is a common subject in science fiction and fantasy literature. Teleportation is often paired with tim ...

of objects across space, the creation of force fields and interdimensional portals; the creation of life, the

resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...

of the dead, manipulating souls, memories and emotions,''Silver Surfer'' (vol. 3) #130 (August 1997). Marvel Comics. and mass-scale events such as recreating dead worlds in every detail (including

illusion An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people. Illusions may ...

s of their entire populations) and destroying multiple

planetary system A planetary system is a set of gravity, gravitationally bound non-stellar Astronomical object, bodies in or out of orbit around a star or star system. Generally speaking, systems with one or more planets constitute a planetary system, although ...

s simultaneously. To aid in his search for suitable planets, Galactus frequently appoints an individual as his herald, granting each one in turn a small fraction of the Power Cosmic. This power replaces the auras (or

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

s) of the recipient, with each wielder's physical form adapting to store the energy and in turn allow manipulation for feats such as energy projection. Galactus is also capable of removing the Power Cosmic from the herald. Galactus has on occasion been severely weakened due to a lack of sustenance, and on one occasion was defeated while in this state by the combined efforts of both the Fantastic Four and the Avengers.''Fantastic Four'' #243 (June 1982). Marvel Comics. In this weakened condition, Galactus has also shown susceptibility to Ikonn's spell, which forces him to remember all of the beings that he has killed due to his feeding. Galactus also possesses scientific knowledge that is beyond comprehension as the oldest living entity in the universe. He is capable of building massive starships of his own design, humanoid robots called Punishers used to battle foes beneath his attention, the

(a superweapon capable of destroying and remaking the Multiverse), and the

Solar System The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Sola ...

-sized and

-shaped

space station A space station (or orbital station) is a spacecraft which remains orbital spaceflight, in orbit and human spaceflight, hosts humans for extended periods of time. It therefore is an artificial satellite featuring space habitat (facility), habitat ...

named Taa II. Mr. Fantastic has speculated that Taa II may be the greatest source of energy in the universe.

Heralds

The

is a recurring ally and herald of Galactus, and was the first herald to be introduced into the

Marvel Universe The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Superhero teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardia ...

. Other characters have also filled the role of a herald intermittently. Characters who debuted as heralds or creations of Galactus: * Tyrant (deceased) * Fallen One (deceased) * the Air-Walker (deceased) * Firelord (released from Galactus' service)''Thor'' #228 (October 1974). Marvel Comics. * Terrax (released from Galactus' service)''Fantastic Four'' #244 (July 1982). Marvel Comics. *

II (released from Galactus' service) *

Morg Morg is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as a herald of Galactus. He was created by Ron Lim and Ron Marz and first appeared in ''Silver Surfer'' (vol. 3) #69 ...

(released from Galactus' service) * Red Shift (deceased) * Stardust (banished to the far side of the universe) * Praeter (missing, fate unknown) The following characters have fulfilled the role of a herald for only one storyline: * the

Rom the Space Knight Rom the Spaceknight is a superhero who was originally conceived as a toy and then a magazine lead. Rom was created by Scott Dankman, Richard C. Levy, and Bryan L. McCoy for Parker Brothers and is now a Hasbro asset. After the toy was licensed ...

* Dazzler *

May Parker Maybelle "May" Parker-Jameson (née Reilly), commonly known as Aunt May, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. Making her first full appeara ...

(as Golden Oldie) *

(as the Invisible Boy) * the

* Anti-Man *

* Ka-Zar * Kamala Khan

Other versions

''The Adventures of the X-Men''

An alternate universe variant of Galactus from Earth-92131 appears in '' The Adventures of the X-Men'' #12.

Amalgam Comics

Galactiac, an amalgamation of Galactus and

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

character Brainiac from Earth-9602, appears in

Amalgam Comics Amalgam Comics was a collaborative publishing imprint shared by DC Comics and Marvel Comics, in which the two comic book publishers merged their characters into new ones (e.g., the DC Comics character Batman and the Marvel Comics character Wolver ...

. In addition to consuming planetary energy, he leaves small aspects of the worlds he consumes intact for personal study.

''Bullet Points''

An alternate universe variant of Galactus from Earth-70105 appears in '' Bullet Points'' (January – May 2007).

''Cosmic Ghost Rider''

An alternate universe variant of Galactus appears in ''Thanos'' (vol. 2) #16.

''Earth X''

An alternate universe variant of Galactus from Earth-9997 appears in ''

Earth X ''Earth X'' is a 1999 comic book Limited series (comics), limited series published by American company Marvel Comics. ''Earth X'' was written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian v ...

''. This version is one of three cosmic entities who keep the

Celestials The Celestials are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Depicted as cosmic beings, they debuted in the Bronze Age of Comic Books and have reappeared on numerous occasions. They also appeared in the ...

in check, with his role being to consume planets to prevent them from overpopulating the universe. Additionally, Franklin Richards goes on to adopt the mantle of Galactus.

''Exiles''

An alternate universe variant of Galactus from Earth-552 appears in '' Exiles''. This version restores worlds destroyed by the Blight rather than consuming them.

''Galacta, Daughter of Galactus''

An alternate universe variant of Galactus from Earth-610102 appears in ''Galacta, Daughter of Galactus''. This version, via a "celestial parasite", gave rise to the titular Gali / Galacta, who secretly lives on Earth working as a doctor and superhero while seeking to suppress her own hunger.

''Galactus: Dawn of the Heralds''

An alternate universe variant of Galactus fused with

Ultron Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared as an unnamed character in ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers'' #5 ...

from Earth-22666 appears in ''Marvel Universe 2001: Millennial Visions'' #1.

''Guardians of the Galaxy''

A possible future variant of Galactus from Earth-691 appears in ''

Guardians of the Galaxy The Guardians of the Galaxy are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Comic book teams 1969 team The 1969 version of the Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), Guardians of the Galaxy were the origi ...

''. This version no longer consumes worlds as his herald, the Keeper, possesses sufficient power to satiate his hunger.

''Heroes Reborn''

A variant of Galactus from a pocket universe created by Franklin Richards appears in '' Heroes Reborn''. This version is worshipped by the

Inhumans The Inhumans are a superhuman race of super beings appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The comic book series has usually focused more specifically on the adventures of the Inhuman Royal Family, and many people associat ...

''King Thor''

A distant future variant of Galactus from Earth-14412 appears in ''The Mighty Thor'' #700. This version bonded with All-Black the Necrosword to become "Galactus the World Butcher" before he is consumed by an All-Black-empowered Ego the Living Planet.

''Mangaverse''

An alternate universe variant of Galactus from Earth-2301 appears in '' New Mangaverse''. This version possesses a single eye, tentacles, and "Galactus spores" that aid in its digestion.

''Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four''

A distant future variant of Galactus from the end of time appears in '' Marvel Adventures''.

''Marvel Zombies''

An alternate universe variant of Galactus from Earth-2149 appears in '' Marvel Zombies''.

MC2

A possible future variant of Galactus from Earth-982 appears in ''

Last Planet Standing ''Last Planet Standing'' is a 5-issue comic book limited series, published by Marvel Comics in 2006. The series was written by Tom DeFalco and drawn by Pat Olliffe (who also co-plotted the series). It stars many characters from the MC2 Universe ...

''. This version eventually merges with the Silver Surfer and vows to repair rather than destroy worlds.

Ultimate Marvel

An alternate universe variant of Galactus from

Earth-1610 Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the ...

called Gah Lak Tus appears in the ''Ultimate Galactus Trilogy''. This version is a hive mind of city-sized robotic drones that telepathically broadcast fear into planets' inhabitants, then send envoys to introduce a flesh-eating virus onto planets. Eons ago, the ancient Kree built Gah Lak Tus to "purify" the universe, but it escaped their control and evolved into its current form.

"What If Uatu The Watcher Had Never Interfered?"

An alternate universe variant of Galactus appears in " Reckoning War: Trial of the Watcher". After

is forbidden by his father Ikor to interfere with the Fantastic Four's battle with Galactus, the latter injures most of the group until Reed Richards develops a weapon capable of killing Galactus.

In other media

Television

*Galactus appears in a self-titled episode of ''

'' (1967), voiced by

Ted Cassidy Theodore Crawford Cassidy (July 31, 1932 – January 16, 1979) was an American actor. He tended to play unusual characters in offbeat or science-fiction works, such as ''Star Trek'' and ''I Dream of Jeannie'', and he played Lurch on '' The Addam ...

. This version sports green skin and blue armor. *Galactus appears in ''

'' (1994), voiced by

Tony Jay Tony Jay (2 February 1933 – 13 August 2006) was a British actor. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he was known for his voice work in radio, animation, film, and video games. Jay was particularly noted for his distinctive raspy ...

. *Galactus appears in ''

'' (1998), voiced by James Blendick. *Galactus appears in ''

The Super Hero Squad Show ''The Super Hero Squad Show'' is an American superhero animated series produced by Marvel Animation that aired from 2009 to 2011. It is based on the Hasbro toyline " Marvel Super Hero Squad", which portrays the Avengers, the X-Men, and various ...

'', voiced by

George Takei George Takei ( ; born April20, 1937), born , is an American actor, author and activist known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS ''Enterprise'' in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. Takei was born to Japanese-American parents, with w ...

. *Galactus makes non-speaking appearances in '' The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes''. This version feeds on

antimatter In modern physics, antimatter is defined as matter composed of the antiparticles (or "partners") of the corresponding subatomic particle, particles in "ordinary" matter, and can be thought of as matter with reversed charge and parity, or go ...

in addition to planetary energy, which he achieves by using life-siphoning machines to convert normal matter into antimatter. Additionally, he was responsible for the destruction of the Skrull home planet Skrullos. After attacking Earth, Galactus is defeated by the Avengers and sent to the Negative Zone, where he can consume its energy indefinitely. * Imaginary versions of Galactus make non-speaking cameo appearances in ''

Ultimate Spider-Man ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate Ma ...

''. * Galactus appears in the '' Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.'' episode "Galactus Goes Green", voiced by

John DiMaggio John William DiMaggio ( ; born September 4, 1968) is an American actor. His various voice roles include Bender on ''Futurama'', Jake the Dog on ''Adventure Time'', Marcus Fenix in the ''Gears of War'' series, Dr. Drakken on '' Kim Possible'', ...

. * Galactus appears in the '' Avengers Assemble'' episode "Guardians and Space Knights", voiced again by John DiMaggio.

Film

* Galactus makes a non-speaking appearance in '' Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer''. This version is depicted as a cosmic cloud as production company

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

wished for the character to remain "discreet".

Visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated as VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action fo ...

studio Weta Digital convinced Fox to add hints of the character's comic-book appearance, including a shadow and a fiery mass inside the cloud resembling Galactus' helmet. Director

Tim Story Timothy Kevin Story is an American film director. He is best known for '' Barbershop'' (2002), ''Fantastic Four'' (2005), and the ''Ride Along'' franchise. He has been nominated for two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Directing in a Feature ...

said he created Galactus as a cloud so a future ''Silver Surfer'' spin-off film would be unique as the character had yet to appear in comic-book form. Film writer

J. Michael Straczynski Joseph Michael Straczynski, known as J. Michael Straczynski (; born July 17, 1954) is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is known as the creator of the science fiction televi ...

stated "You don't want to sort of blow out something that big and massive for one quick shot in the first movie." * Galactus appears in ''Lego Marvel Avengers: Mission Demolition'' as a vacuum cleaner. * Galactus will appear in '' The Fantastic Four: First Steps'', portrayed by

Video games

*Galactus appears in ''

'' (1990). *Galactus appears in ''Fantastic 4: Flame On''. *Galactus appears in '' Marvel: Ultimate Alliance'', voiced by

Gregg Berger Gregory Alan Berger (born December 10, 1950) is an American voice actor. He is known for his roles as Jecht from ''Final Fantasy X'' and the ''Dissidia Final Fantasy'' games, Grimlock from ''The Transformers (TV series), The Transformers'', Myste ...

. *Galactus appears in ''

LittleBigPlanet ''LittleBigPlanet'' (''LBP''; stylised as ''LittleBIGPlanet'') is a Puzzle video game, puzzle platform video game series created and produced by British developer Media Molecule and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Most games in th ...

'' via a Marvel-themed DLC. *Galactus appears in '' Spider-Man: Web of Shadows''. *Galactus appears in '' Marvel Super Hero Squad''. *Galactus appears in '' Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet'', voiced by George Takei. *Galactus appears as the final boss of '' Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds'' and '' Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3'', voiced by Jonathan Adams. Additionally, he appears as a playable character in the latter via "Galactus Mode". *Galactus appears in ''

Pinball FX 2 ''Pinball FX 2'' (stylized as ''Pinball FX2'') is a pinball video game for Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows (Windows XP, XP and higher) and is the sequel to ''Pinball FX''. It was developed by Zen Studios and published by Xbox Game Studi ...

''. *Galactus appears in ''

Lego Marvel Super Heroes ''Lego Marvel Super Heroes'' is a 2013 Lego-themed action-adventure game, action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PlayStation 4, Xb ...

'', voiced by John DiMaggio. *Galactus appears as a boss in '' Marvel Puzzle Quest''. *Galactus appears in ''

Fortnite Battle Royale ''Fortnite Battle Royale'' is a 2017 Battle royale game, battle royale video game produced by Epic Games. It was originally developed as a companion game part of the early access version of ''Fortnite: Save the World'', a cooperative survival ...

''.

References

External links

*
Galactus
at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators

at the Marvel Directory *
Galactus
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