Galactus

Galactus
File:Galactus.PNG Galactus (main figure) on the variant cover of Son of Hulk #14 (Oct. 2009). Art by Mitch Breitweiser.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966)
Created by	Stan Lee Jack Kirby
In-story information
Alter ego	Galan
Place of origin	Galan: Taa Galactus: Cosmic Egg
Team affiliations	Heralds of Galactus
Notable aliases	Ashta, Ravager of Worlds, Devourer of Worlds
Abilities	Possessor of the Power Cosmic

Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966), the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus Trilogy."

Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books, Galactus has appeared in over four decades of Marvel continuity, also starring in a self-titled one-shot publication Super-Villain Classics: Galactus the Origin #1 (May 1983) - reprinted as Origin of Galactus #1 (Feb. 1996) - and the limited series Galactus the Devourer (Sep. 1999 - March 2000). The character has featured in other Marvel-endorsed products such as arcade and video games and animated television series; merchandise such as action figures and trading cards and a feature film.

Publication history

Origin

Main article: The Galactus Trilogy

In 1966, nearly five years after having launched Marvel Comics' flagship superhero title, Fantastic Four, creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby collaborated on an antagonist designed to break from the archetypal mold of supervillains of the time, and be instead a being of god-like stature and power. As Lee later explained, "I created Galactus after we had done so many villains and wanted something different. I wondered, 'How could we get something bigger than a villain? Let's do a guy who's like a demigod — I like the name 'Galactus'. He comes from outer space and eats planets, or some stupid thing". This culminated in the introduction of Galactus in Fantastic Four #48-50 (March-May 1966), now known as "The Galactus Trilogy".

Kirby described his Biblical inspirations for Galactus and an accompanying character, an angelic herald Lee dubbed the Silver Surfer:

"My inspirations were the fact that I had to make sales. And I had to come up with characters that were no longer stereotypes. In other words I couldn't depend on gangsters anymore, I had to get something new. And ... for some reason, I went to the Bible. And I came up with Galactus. And there I was in front of this tremendous figure, who I knew very well, because I always felt him, and I certainly couldn't treat him the same way that I would any ordinary mortal ... and of course the Silver Surfer is the fallen angel. ...[T]hey were figures that have never been used before in comics. They were above mythic figures, and of course, they were the first gods.

Kirby further explained that "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 explanation, stating, "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 Skrulls, the Watcher and the Stranger, 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."

The trilogy culminated in Fantastic Four #50 (May 1966), which featured the Silver Surfer interceding for humankind against Galactus. After the trilogy, Kirby had not intended for Galactus to reappear, in order to preserve the character's tremendous presence. Popularity among fans, however, prompted Lee to petition Kirby for Galactus' reappearance, and the character eventually became a mainstay in the Marvel Universe.

File:FantasticFour49.jpg

Fantastic Four #49 (April 1966), featuring Galactus. Cover art by Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott.

1960s

Galactus returned for a cameo in Thor #134 (Nov. 1966), although the plot-line was left unresolved as Kirby put the character on hiatus. Galactus reappeared in a flashback cameo in Daredevil #37 (Feb. 1968) and then featured heavily in Fantastic Four #72-77 (March - Aug. 1968) at the request of Lee. After a flashback appearance in Silver Surfer #1 (Aug. 1968), the character appeared in returned to Earth, in Thor #160-162 (Jan.- March 1969), which resolved the plot-line from issue #134, and issue #162 began the transition to Galactus' origin story, but the character made an unexplained departure from the storyline. It has been speculated that the absence of the character was a possible miscommunication between Kirby and Lee; Kirby may have wanted to directly write Galactus' origin, while Lee may have had his own interpretation of the character's beginnings. Galactus' origin was finally revealed in Thor #168 - 169 (Sep. - Oct. 1969).

1970s & 1980s

The character made appearances in Fantastic Four #120-123 (March-June 1972) and Thor #225-228 (July-Oct. 1974) - the storylines introduced two new Herald of Galactus - and Fantastic Four #172-175 (July-Oct. 1976) and #206-213 (May-Dec. 1979).

Writer Mark Gruenwald, pencillers John Byrne and Ron Wilson, and inkers Jack Abel and Vince Colletta collaborated to produce an in-depth, 23-page origin story titled "Galactus", which appeared in Super-Villain Classics: Galactus the Origin #1 (May 1983). While mostly identical to the previous origin, the story featured additions, edits, and deletions, and was later reprinted as Origin of Galactus #1 (Feb. 1996). Certain details regarding the character's transformation into Galactus are altered to accommodate the modern Marvel Universe.

The character guest-starred in Rom #26 - 27 (Jan. - Feb. 1982), being one of many Marvel characters that appeared to help bring credibility to the Mattel-owned toy turned superhero. Galactus featured heavily in two related storylines in Fantastic Four #242-244 (May-July 1982) and #257 (Aug. 1983), which showcased the arrival of another Herald and examined Galactus' relationship with the other members of the cosmic hierarchy. The consequences of the storyline in Fantastic Four #242-244 (May-July 1982) were examined in Fantastic Four #262 (Jan. 1984), wherein the living sentience of the Marvel Universe was presented to make a validation of the character's continuous feeding, whereas the victims were represented by a frothing Skrull prosecutor. This attracted controversy from Howard University Professor of Literature Marc Singer, who criticized writer-artist John Byrne for using the character as a means to "justify planetary-scale genocide."

Writer-penciler John Byrne and inker Terry Austin produced "The Last Galactus Story" as a serial in the anthology comics-magazine Epic Illustrated #26-34 (Oct. 1984 - Feb. 1986). Nine of a scheduled 10 installments appeared. Each ran six pages, except part eight, which ran 12. The magazine was canceled with issue #34, leaving the last chapter unpublished and the story unfinished. Byrne later revealed on his website that the conclusion would have seen a dying Galactus releasing his power, causing a new big bang and transforming his herald Nova into the Galactus of the next universe.

The Sentience of the previous Universe merges with Galan of Taa in the Cosmic egg.

Galactus played a pivotal role in the limited series Secret Wars #1-12 (May 1984 - April 1985), and became a recurring character in the third volume of the Silver Surfer, commencing with issue #1 (July 1987).

1990s

Galactus featured prominently in the Infinity limited series, specifically Infinity Gauntlet #1-6 (July-Dec. 1991) and Infinity War #1-6 (June-Nov. 1992). The character also starred in the six-issue Galactus the Devourer (Sep. 1999 - March 2000), written by Louise Simonson and illustrated by John Buscema, which climaxed with Galactus' death. Simonson had originally conceived of the story arc to take place in third volume of the Silver Surfer, but the title was canceled due to dwindling sales. Simonson instead proposed a separate limited series, and at the time was initially doubtful that Marvel would approve what she believed to be 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 Fantastic Four Annual 2001 and Fantastic Four #46 - 49 (Oct. 2001 - Jan. 2002), with the character being revived to keep a cosmic threat in check. Galactus is regular guest star in the series Thanos #1 - 12 (Dec. 2003 - Sep. 2004), with the character's origin re-examined in Fantastic Four #520 - 523 (Jan. - April 2005). After appearing in the limited series Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill #1 - 6 (March - Aug. 2005), Galactus featured as a central character in the Annihilation storyline, and appeared in limited series Annihilation: Silver Surfer #1 - 4 (June - Sep. 2006); Annihilation #1 - 6 (Oct. 2006 - March 2007) and the epilogue Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus #1 - 2 (April - May 2007).

The character also appeared in the limited series Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #1 - 3 (June 2009 - Aug. 2009), a sequel to Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill # 1-6 (March - Aug. 2005).

In 2009, Galactus was ranked as IGN's 5th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.

Biography

The cosmic entity Uatu the Watcher, having met and established a relationship with superhero team the Fantastic Four, warns leader Mister Fantastic of the coming of the being called Galactus, who must consume the energies of entire worlds to survive. Uatu tries to hide Earth from the Herald of Galactus, the Silver Surfer, by placing a huge asteroid belt around the planet, but the ruse fails. The Surfer arrives on the top of the Fantastic Four's headquarters, the Baxter Building, and alerts Galactus.

The Fantastic Four battle the Surfer until Galactus arrives, who ignores the pleas of the Watcher and the combined attacks of the Fantastic Four members the Human Torch and the Thing, and begins to assemble a device to facilitate in the consumption of Earth's energies. Galactus is aided by his cyborg servant, the Punisher. The Watcher, however, sends the Torch to Galactus' ship to retrieve the Ultimate Nullifier, the one weapon that can destroy Galactus. When confronted by Mister Fantastic - wielding the Nullifier - and a rebellious Silver Surfer, who has been touched by the humanity of Alicia Masters (the Thing's girlfriend), Galactus retreats. The entity retrieves the Nullifier and regulates the Surfer to Earth, stating he may never leave.

Galactus eventually returned seeking his former Herald, who had taken refuge in a microscopic universe. Mister Fantastic; the Torch and the Thing pursue the Surfer, and after several encounters with the villain Psycho-Man, ensure the Surfer makes contact with his former master. The Surfer, however, is unrepentant and chooses to remain on Earth. The Thunder God Thor encounters Galactus when the entity comes into conflict with Ego the Living Planet; and eventually discovers Galactus' origin. Originally an explorer called Galan from a planet called "Taa" in the previous universe, he sought to escape the degradation of his world and universe. Galan leaves Taa via a space vessel that is eventually engulfed in the cataclysm that is ending the universe. Galan, however, does not die, but is transformed through a bonding with the Sentience of the Universe, and gestates for billions of years, emerging into the new universe as Galactus.

Galactus reappears when the entity sends the Air-Walker (eventually revealed to be an android copy of the original) to Earth to re-enlist the Silver Surfer as his Herald. The Fantastic Four and the Surfer defeat the Air-Walker, but to appease Galactus, Mr. Fantastic reprograms the entity's ship to journey to the Negative Zone, where there will apparently be abundance of uninhabited worlds to consume. Thor and Olympian ally Hercules encounter Galactus when his third Herald, Firelord, travels to Earth seeking to be free of his master. The Herald is freed when Thor presents Galactus with the armour of the Asgardian Destroyer to animate and use as a Herald.

The character returns to battle the High Evolutionary over Earth's twin, Counter-Earth with the encounter ending with Galactus being transformed into harmless energy after attempting to devour the planet Poppup. Galactus eventually reintegrates into his normal form, and is sought out by the Fantastic Four, who seek a way to stop a new cosmic threat, the Sphinx. Mister Fantastic states that if Galactus will stop the Sphinx, he is free to attempt to attack Earth once again. Galactus agrees, but under the condition the Fantastic Four first help find and humble a fourth Herald. The heroes are successful, and the newly empowered Terrax leads his new master to Earth. Galactus locates the Sphinx in Egypt and defeats the villain, then decides to retreat when Mister Fantastic threatens to use a faux Ultimate Nullifier, apparently built with the aid of the Watcher from technology on Galactus' ship.

Galactus is tricked by the Galadorian spaceknight Rom into attempting to devour the "Black Nebula", the home of the alien Dire Wraiths, but is repelled by the magic "Wraith Sun"; and although weakened, pursues a rebellious Terrax to Earth and strips his Herald of all power. Drained of energy, Galactus is saved by the combined efforts of the Fantastic Four and Avengers, and acquires a new Herald, Nova. Galactus also destroys the Skrull homeworld and discusses with fellow cosmic entity Death his role in the universe. When Mister Fantastic is captured and placed on trial by an united group of alien races, all of whom have been annihilated as a result of Galactus' hunger, the entity Eternity intervenes. Eternity allows all present to momentarily become one with the universe, thereby allowing them to understand that Galactus is a vital part of cosmic order, despite the continued loss of entire races.

After an encounter with many of Earth's superheroes and supervillains and the entity the Beyonder, Galactus aids the cosmic hierarchy in a war against the Eternal Thanos. The entity has several recurring encounters with former Herald the Silver Surfer, who has escaped from Earth. Galactus grants the Surfer clemency, who also aids his former master against the Elders of the Universe and the schemes of the entity the In-Betweener. Wheh Galactus learns that Nova, once human, is plagued by conscience at causing the deaths of millions of alien beings, the entity creates a new Herald, the bloodthirsty Morg.

Galactus eventually decides, with the aid of new Herald Red Shift, to only devour the energies of living beings which eventually bring the entity into conflict with Earth's heroes. During a final confrontation near the homeworld of the alien Shi'ar, the Silver Surfer turns Galactus' own siphoning-machines on him, and a starving Galactus "dies", with his "remains" taking the form of a star. Galactus' death, however, allows the entity Abraxas - the metaphysical embodiment of destruction and the antithesis of cosmic entity Eternity - to emerge from his imprisonment. Without Galactus to keep the entity in check, Abraxas wreaks havoc across thousands of alternate universes, killing every incarnation of Galactus he encounters. Abraxas also manipulates the Fantastic Four, tricking them into reassembling the Ultimate Nullifier, which Abraxas confiscates. Abraxas, however, is thwarted when the children of Reed Richards, Franklin Richards and Valeria Von Doom, use their powers to restore Galactus (although the act of reviving Galactus permanently burns out the children's powers). Galactus reclaims the Nullifier, which is used by Mister Fantastic to reset reality, preventing Abraxas' initial escape and mass destruction.

Galactus attempts to rid himself of his hunger by using the Infinity Gems, but is accidentally tricked into releasing an entity called the "Hunger" into the universe. The creature, however, is destroyed with the aid of Thanos. When Thanos travels to the edge of the universe, the character discovers a prison called the Kyln that, in addition to housing former soldier Star-Lord, holds the Fallen One: the first, "prototype" Herald of Galactus. Once freed, the savage Herald attempts to kill Galactus, although the entity simply teleports his creation back to Thanos, who defeats and subsequently enslaves the Fallen One. The Fantastic Four also learn more about Galactus' origin during a brief period in which the Human Torch becomes a Herald. Galactus consumes the home world of the alien hero Beta Ray Bill and reveals a new Herald: Stardust.

Galactus becomes integral to the plans of the villain Annihilus, who instigates a war against the universe. Annihilus' initial attack, a devastating assault called the Annihilation Wave, destroys the Kyln and frees the ancient beings Aegis and Tenebrous. The pair - together with fellow inmate Antiphon - are revealed to be "Proemial Gods" that existed at the dawn of the universe, and attempted to remake it in their image. Galactus, however, deemed their race corrupt and destroyed almost all of them, imprisoning the last remaining three. Aegis and Tenebrous find and defeat the Silver Surfer and Galactus, delivering them to Annihilus.

After destroying the Air-Walker robot and killing Morg; Annihilus binds Galactus, intent on using the entity's energies to destroy the universe. Galactus, however, is freed by Drax the Destroyer, and after teleporting Drax to safety unleashes a blast that destroys more than three star systems and the majority of Annihilus' forces. The Surfer draws Aegis and Tenebrous into the barrier between the universe and the Negative Zone, which destroys them. Galactus and Herald Stardust come into conflict with Beta Ray Bill once again when Bill seeks vengeance against Galactus for consuming the second homeworld of his species, the Korbinites.

Powers and abilities

File:Galactuspov.PNG

Galactus, as perceived by alien races. Panel from Fantastic Four #262 (Jan. 1984). Art by John Byrne.

Galactus was created from the union between the "Sentience of the [previous] Universe" and Galan. He has been described as "the physical, metamorphosed embodiment of a cosmos" and "the most awesome living entity in the cosmos." Galactus wields the Power Cosmic and can employ it to produce nearly any effect he desires, including the molecular restructuring and transmutation of matter, the teleportation of objects — even an entire galaxy — across space or time, size-alteration, the projection of energy with indeterminable destructive force, the erection of nearly impenetrable force fields, the creation of interdimensional and intra-dimensional portals, telepathy, telekinesis, and a form of cosmic awareness. Galactus has even shown the abilities to create sentient life, simultaneously reconstitute himself and others from complete physical destruction through assistance from Doctor Strange, resurrect the dead, manipulate mortal souls as well as memories and emotions, and restore dead planets along with their population in every detail.

Galactus considers himself a higher being than all non-abstracts and maintains his existence by devouring planets that have the potential for supporting life. In so doing, he has consumed countless worlds, resulting in the elimination of entire extra-terrestrial civilizations.

As a living force of nature set between the conceptual entities Eternity and Death, Galactus' true form cannot be perceived by most beings, and so each species perceives Galactus in a form they can comprehend, usually in a form similar to that of their own species. However, he has consciously appeared as a humanoid star at certain occasions. 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. For this reason, Earth's heroes have been able to achieve various degrees of success in repelling, or defeating, a starving, weakened Galactus. In this state, the character has shown susceptibility to the Images of Ikonn spell, which forces him to recall all of the beings he has destroyed as a result of his feeding.

As the oldest known living entity in the universe, Galactus employs science that the most brilliant minds on Earth cannot begin to grasp. Examples include the Ultimate Nullifier, and the immense Taa II. Reed Richards once speculated that Taa II (the Möbius strip-shaped, solar system-sized home of Galactus, destroyed during the first Secret Wars miniseries) could be the greatest source of energy in the universe.

Galactus has appointed a number of beings to act as his Herald, with each bestowed with a small fraction of the Power Cosmic.

Other versions

Several versions of Galactus exists across alternate universes.

Writer-penciler John Byrne and inker Terry Austin produced a serialized story called "The Last Galactus Story", which appeared in anthology comics-magazine Epic Illustrated #26-34 (Oct. 1984 - Feb. 1986), and detailed an all-new adventure for the character. The magazine published the first nine serialized installments of a what was to be a 10-part tale. Each ran six pages, with the exception of part eight, which ran 12 pages. The magazine was cancelled as of February 1986, leaving the last chapter unpublished and the story unfinished. According to notes at Byrne's website, the conclusion of the story would see a dying Galactus releasing his power causing a new big bang and transforming his herald Nova into the Galactus for the new universe.

Galactus features in the second volume of Fantastic Four, appearing in the pocket universe created by Franklin Richards (after the events of the Onslaught saga). This version of the character has several Heralds serving him simultaneously and all are worshiped by the Inhumans.

In the limited series Earth X, Galactus is one of the three essential entities in the universe keeping the cosmic entities the Celestials in check. By destroying planets - actually "eggs" of the Celestials - Galactus prevents the Celestials from overpopulating the universe. Franklin Richards eventually adopts the identity of Galactus.

Under the Ultimate Marvel imprint three limited series, Ultimate Nightmare; Ultimate Secret and Ultimate Extinction were published, dealing with the introduction and eventual threat of the entity Gah Lak Tus. First mentioned by the robot Ultimate Vision, Gah Lak Tus is revealed to be a group mind of city-sized robotic drones that attack worlds via envoys similar to the Silver Surfer, followed by a flesh eating virus.

The title New Mangaverse depicts Galactus appears as a gigantic, planet-sized life-form, complete with a single massive eye and tentacles to drain the life from planets. It is populated by various life-forms (referred to as "Galactus Spores") which aid its digestive process. Another version of Galactus appears in the title Exiles, and restores rather than destroys worlds.

The limited series Marvel Zombies focuses on the (Earth-2149) universe, which is infected by a virus that turns sentient beings into flesh-eating zombies. The Silver Surfer is caught and devoured by "zombified" versions of Earth's heroes, who consume the Silver Surfer, and use advanced technology to wound and eventually defeat Galactus. The zombies gain a portion of the power cosmic as they devour Galactus. The MC2 imprint title Last Planet Standing stars a future version of Galactus, with a new Herald called Dominas.

In other media

Galactus appears in several animated television series, including The Fantastic Four (1967) voiced by Ted Cassidy; The Fantastic Four (1994) voiced by Tony Jay and the Silver Surfer (1994), voiced by James Blendick.

Galactus as the character appears in the feature film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. (2007)

The character also appears in the feature film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), the storyline loosely based on the debut comic appearance and the Ultimate incarnation. The official novelization of the film names the character as "Gah Lak Tus".

20th Century Fox's rationale for having the character as a cloud was to "keep him discreet". Visual effects studio Weta Digital convinced Fox to add physical hints of the comic book incarnation, such as a shadow and the fiery mass within the cloud resembling Galactus' signature helmet. Director Tim Story claimed he made Galactus a cloud so that the future Silver Surfer spin-off film would have a chance to be unique and introduce the character as he normally appears. J. Michael Straczynski, the spin-off's writer, confirmed Galactus is in his script and that "You don't want to sort of blow out something that big and massive for one quick shot in the first movie."

Galactus also appears in the Silver Surfer NES game (1990); Marvel: Ultimate Alliance voiced by Gregg Berger (2006) and Spider-Man: Web of Shadows (2008).

Junot Diaz's novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007) features an epigraph that states “Of what import are brief, nameless lives . . . to Galactus?”

Toy Biz released two Galactus figures (1995 & 2005); appeared twice in the Heroclix CMG and the Vs System TCG.

See also

• "The Galactus Trilogy"
• Cosmic entity (Marvel Comics)
• Marvel Universe Concepts
• Tyrant
• Punisher cyborg
• Herald of Galactus

References

• Galactus at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
• Galactus at the Marvel Directory

External links

• Template:Imdb character
• The Origin of Galactus, by Pat Jankiewicz (cached page by The Wayback Machine)
• Galactus: The Web Page, by James Pedrick