Galactus

Galactus
File:Galactus.PNG Galactus 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 God Squad
Notable aliases	Ashta, Ravager of Worlds, Devourer of Worlds, The Creator
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 one-shot publication Super-Villain Classics: Galactus the Origin #1 (May 1983), and the limited series Galactus the Devourer (Sept. 1999 - March 2000). The character has been featured in other Marvel-endorsed products and merchandise such as arcade and video games, animated television series, action figures, trading cards, and a film, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

In 2009, Galactus was ranked as number five on the pop culture site IGN.com's list of 100 top comic-book antagonists.

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 recalled in 1993,

Galactus was simply another in a long line of super-villains whom we loved creating. Having dreamed up [many] powerful baddies ... we felt the only way to top ourselves was to come up with an evil-doer who had almost godlike powers. Therefore, the natural choice was sort of of demi-god, but now what would we do with him. We didn't want to use the tired old cliche about him wanting to conquer the world. ... That was when inspiration struck. Why not have him not be a really evil person? After all, a demi-god would be beyond mere good and evil. ... [What] he'd require is the life force and energy from living planets!

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. ...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, "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."

All this led to the introduction of Galactus in Fantastic Four #48-50 (March–May 1966), which fans began calling "The Galactus Trilogy". It culminated in Fantastic Four #50 (May 1966), which featured the Silver Surfer interceding on behalf of humankind against Galactus. Subsequently, Galactus relegates the Surfer to earth by erecting an impenetrable barrier, leading to several guest appearances by the Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four. This signaled the departure of Galactus from the story following the trilogy, as 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 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. Galactus' origin was finally revealed in Thor #168-169 (Sept.-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 Heralds 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. Most specifically, rather than journeying into a dying star, the character enters the core of the collapsing universe prior to the "Big Bang".

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 Parker Brothers-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) which attracted controversy. During the conclusion of the story, the character Eternity, the living sentience of the Marvel Universe, appears to validate the existence of Galactus, which Howard University Professor of Literature Marc Singer criticized, stating writer-artist John Byrne used 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.

Galan of Taa and the Sentience of the [previous] Universe 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 limited series Infinity Gauntlet #1-6 (July-Dec. 1991) and Infinity War #1-6 (June-Nov. 1992). Storylines in Silver Surfer vol. 3, #81-82 (June–July 1993) and the limited series Cosmic Powers #1 - 6 (March - Aug. 1994) also revealed Galactus once experimented and created the entity Tyrant, who briefly returned and opposed his former master.

The character starred in the six-issue Galactus the Devourer (Sept. 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), as it is revealed that his energies kept a greater universal threat in check, and he is revived by Franklin and Valeria Richards.

Galactus features prominently in the first six issues of the series Thanos (Dec. 2003 - May 2004), written by Jim Starlin. The story is noteworthy due to a running theme of highly critical evaluation of the standard justifications for the character. The story reveals that Galactus never sleeps due to an aching conscience, and centers on his quest to find permanent non-sentient sources of energy, as he attempts to reassemble the Infinity Gems for this purpose. However, the even greater predator Hunger hijacks the attempt. At the end Thanos engages in a verbal exchange with Galactus, with the former stating that actively searching for non-harmfull alternate ways to feed his appetite was "the right thing to do", and defends the need for a "social contract" with the rest of the universe. Issues #7-12, written by Keith Giffen also retroactively introduce the first herald, the Fallen One.

After appearing in the limited series Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill #1-6 (March-Aug. 2005), Galactus was featured as a central character in the "Annihilation" storyline, appearing in the limited series Annihilation: Silver Surfer #1-4 (June-Sept. 2006), Annihilation #1-6 (Oct. 2006 - March 2007), and the epilogue, Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus #1-2 (Feb.–April 2007). The second issue of the epilogue established that Galactus had quelled a rebellion among the "Proemial Gods", former caretakers of the early universe who wished to restructure it in their image. Additionally, in a separate story within the same book, a former herald of Galactus, Firelord, stated that Galactus' "serves cosmic consonance".

Galactus' origin is re-examined in Fantastic Four #520-523 (Jan.-April 2005), as the character is temporarily reverted to the mortal Galan; Reed Richards appeals to Galan's humanity and convinces him to evade the "Galactus essence", but the plan ultimately fails, and Galan is reconstituted as Galactus once more.

During a guest appearance in Fantastic Four #545-546 (June–July 2007), Galactus seeks to devour the fellow cosmic function Epoch, and was opposed by the quartet along with the entity's then appointed "protector of the Universe" Gravity. Following this, the character's feeding on a planet served as a backdrop in Nova vol. 4, #13-15 (May–July 2008), an appearance in which Galactus had no dialogue across all three issues, with the Silver Surfer instead acting as his mouthpiece. Writer Andy Lanning stated that he and co-writer Dan Abnett were "treating Galactus like a force of nature; an inevitable, planetary catastrophe that there is no reasoning with, no bargaining with and no escaping."

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).

2010s

Galactus and the Silver Surfer would also appear as antagonists in Skaar: Son of Hulk, and later as protagonists in the limited series The Thanos Imperative (June-Nov. 2010) as well as featuring as members of the "God Squad" within the Chaos War event miniseries.

Fictional character biography

Galactus was originally an explorer called Galan from a planet called "Taa" in a universe which existed before the Big Bang. When the impending cataclysm gradually killed all life in his universe, including almost all of his own people, he and other survivors sought to escape the decay of their world. They left Taa via a space vessel, but it was eventually engulfed in the cataclysm that ended the old universe and spawned a new one. Galan, however, did not die, but was transformed through a bonding with the Sentience of the Universe, and gestated for billions of years, emerging—partially due to the inactivity of a Watcher—into the new universe as Galactus.

In modern Earth times, 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 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 the arrival of Galactus, 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 banishes 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.

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 armor 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 a 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.

When 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. The Silver Surfer also learns of the existence of the being called Tyrant, who is revealed to be a former creation of Galactus. Tyrant, however, was flawed and lusted for power, eventually battling his creator. Stripped of almost all power, Tyrant was banished to the edge of the universe. A newly empowered Tyrant eventually returns, and despite capturing the Surfer; Morg and several other allies is thwarted by the Eternal Thanos, and finally destroyed when Morg uses the Ultimate Nullifier.

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 defeated 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. After a faction of the Gods led by Diableri of Chaos attempted to remake the universe in their image, civil war ensued. Galactus became involved in the struggle, slew Diableri, and imprisoned the remaining two rebel Gods in the Kyln, along with the neutral Antiphon the Overseer. Intent on vengeance, 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 and Thanos bind 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 his herald Stardust once again come into conflict with Beta Ray Bill when Bill seeks vengeance against Galactus for consuming the second homeworld of his species, the Korbinites.

During the Chaos War storyline, Galactus (alongside Silver Surfer) are teleported to Earth by Hercules to help fight the forces of Amatsu-Mikaboshi. The Surfer is enraged as Galactus was about to devour an uninhabited planet at the time, and states that Galactus is uninterested in the conflict, as he already survived the destruction of one universe, and will now satisfy his hunger with the Earth instead. Upon probing Galactus, Venus states that he is heartless. When Amatsu-Mikaboshi's army of slave gods attacks, Galactus is engaged in battle by Zeus', and is knocked down by his lightning bolts. After Mikaboshi appears, Galactus nonetheless joins the fray, and states that he "sanctions only hunger. Not pointless destruction." After most of the multiverse has been destroyed by Mikaboshi, Galactus, due to a suggestion by Amadeus Cho, begins to construct a machine that enables travel to a separate continuum sealed off from Mikaboshi. Galactus, seeking to preserve what remained of his "food supply", succeeds in opening a portal to the separate continuum to evacuate Earth. The plan is altered when Mikaboshi is thrown into the portal instead, sealing the entity inside.

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 by the union between the "Sentience of the [previous] Universe" and Galan, and was described by the Human Torch (as a temporary herald, he possessed a heightened perception of reality) as "the physical, metamorphosed embodiment of a cosmos." Galactus considers himself a higher being than all non-abstracts, maintaining his existence by devouring planets that have the potential for supporting life. This has resulted in the elimination of entire extraterrestrial civilizations on numerous worlds.

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, pyrokinesis, and a form of cosmic awareness.

Galactus is also capable of creating sentient life, resurrecting the dead, manipulating mortal souls, memories, and emotions, and restoring dead planets and populations in every detail.

As a living force of nature set to correct the imbalances between the conceptual entities Eternity and Death, Galactus' true form cannot be perceived by most beings; each species perceives Galactus in a form they can associate with or comprehend, either in a form similar to that of their own species or as a deity of their own religion. Galactus has also appeared as a humanoid star when addressing fellow members of the cosmic hierarchy. As Galactus must continuously feed to sustain himself, his power levels are inconsistent throughout any given period. Due to this inherent hunger, Earth's heroes have been able to achieve various degrees of success in repelling or defeating a starving, weakened Galactus. At this diminished state Galactus 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. Galactus also wears armor to help regulate his internal energies.

The oldest living entity in the universe and, in fact, the first, Galactus employs advanced science capable of creating the Ultimate Nullifier and the immense ship Taa II. Reed Richards speculated that Taa II — the Möbius strip-shaped, solar system-sized home of Galactus — 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.

Bullet Points

In the final issue of the five-issue alternate reality miniseries Bullet Points (Jan.-May 2007), Galactus arrives on Earth alongside his herald the Silver Surfer, intending to consume the planet as in mainstream continuity. After Earth's superhumans are killed or injured en masse trying to stop Galactus, the Hulk, who in this reality is Peter Parker, attacks Galactus and is killed. Parker's noble death inspires the Surfer to turn on Galactus, who eventually leaves Earth.

Cancerverse

In the limited series The Thanos Imperative, an alternate version of Galactus, called the Galactus Engine, dwarfed the mainstream universe Galactus.

Earth X

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.

Exiles

An alternate universe version of Galactus appears in the title Exiles, and restores rather than destroys worlds.

Heroes Reborn

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 simultaneously and all are worshiped by the Inhumans.

Manga Universe

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 covered in various life-forms (referred to as "Galactus Spores") which aid its digestive process.

Marvel Zombies

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 eat 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.

MC2

The MC2 imprint title Last Planet Standing features a future version of Galactus with a new herald called Dominas.

Ultimate Galactus

Main article: Ultimate Galactus Trilogy

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.

Galacta, Daughter of Galactus

Main article: Galacta

Galacta, a female character, spawned as an anomalous energy field within Galactus' structure, was created by writer Adam Warren and penciller Hector Sevilla Lujan in the story "Galacta (or: The World-Eater's daughter)" in Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular #2 (June 2009) and subsequently appeared in the four-issue, digital comics miniseries on Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, Galacta: Daughter of Galactus #0-3 (Jan.-April 2010). Manifested as a normal-sized, young adult human female on Earth, her chosen home, she suffers from similar hunger pangs as her parent, but is plagued by her conscience and solely devours alien invaders.

DC Crossovers

Galactus has appeared in three DC Comics crossover stories; Darkseid/Galactus: The Hunger, Superman/Fantastic Four: The Infinite Destruction, and JLA/Avengers. In The Hunger, Galactus attempts to consume Apokolips, home of the evil New Gods, but ceases his efforts when he realises that the planet is lifeless. In The Infinite Destruction, the Cyborg Superman- having learned about Galactus during a previous fight with the Silver Surfer- creates false evidence that Galactus was involved in the destruction of Krypton to trick Superman into travelling to the Marvel Universe so that he can become Galactus's Herald, but the plan fails when Galactus chooses Superman instead, only for Superman's will to allow his true personality to take control even after his memories have been wiped. Galactus plays a key role in JLA/Avengers when the powerful Krona comes to the Marvel Universe seeking answers about the creation of the universe, Grandmaster attempting to prevent Krona from destroying the Marvel Universe by revealing the existence of Galactus- a being who has lived through the Big Bang- and playing Krona in a game for the information, only for Krona to cheat and nearly kill the Grandmaster and Galactus before the Justice League and the Avengers stop him.

In other media

Television

• Galactus appears in the 1967 The Fantastic Four episode "Galactus", voiced by Ted Cassidy.
• Galactus appears in the 1994 version of The Fantastic Four, voiced by Tony Jay, in the two-part episode "Silver Surfer and the Coming of Galactus"; "To Battle the Living Planet"; and "When Calls Galactus".
• Galactus appeared regularly in the Silver Surfer cartoon series, voiced by James Blendick.
• Galactus first appears in The Super Hero Squad Show in the episode "Last Exit Before Doomsday", voiced by George Takei. He also appears in the episode "Alienating with the Surfer".

Film

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

• Galactus appears in the 2007 film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, the story of which was based upon the character's debut and his Ultimate incarnation. The official novelization of the film names the character as "the 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 has said 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 spinoff's writer, confirmed Galactus is in his script, saying, "You don't want to sort of blow out something that big and massive for one quick shot in the first movie."

Video games

• Galactus appears in the 1990 Silver Surfer NES game.
• Galactus appears in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance voiced by Gregg Berger.
• Galactus appears in the PSP and PS2 versions of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. He appears as an assist character who will step on the enemies.
• Galactus appears in the 2009 game Marvel Super Hero Squad as an unvoiced minor character in a Silver Surfer cutscene.
• Galactus appears in the Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet video game, voiced by George Takei.
• He makes a minor appearance in LittleBigPlanet's Marvel level pack, in the first level.
• He serves as the final boss in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, voiced by Jonathan Adams. His abilities include creating Silver Surfer style copies of villains from the game that the player must fight while a timer counts down as Galactus destroys Earth.

Toys

• Toy Biz released a figure of Galactus in 1995 as part of their Fantastic Four line.
• Toy Biz also released a figure as part of their Silver Surfer line, larger than the average figures in the line, but not to scale like the Fantastic Four figure.
• In 2005, Toy Biz also produced Galactus as the first "build-a-figure" in the Marvel Legends line-up.
• Galactus has appeared twice in the HeroClix CMG.
• Galactus appears in the Vs System TCG.
• Hasbro released a Galactus action figure as part of their Marvel Universe: Masterworks line. The figure stands 19" tall, almost five times the height of the conventional figures.

External links

• Galactus at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
• Galactus at the Marvel Directory
• Template:IMDb character
• The Origin of Galactus, by Pat Jankiewicz (cached page by The Wayback Machine)
• Galactus: The Web Page, by James Pedrick