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Galactus ( / ɡəˈlæktəs /) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. 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.
- Overview
- History\r Galan of Taa
- Attributes
- Paraphernalia
In a time beyond time shall be born a new universe and into that universe there shall be one entity like no other -- a living organism who possesses the matchless power and raging appetite of a galaxy. But he shall be more than a galaxy. He shall be a galactic ravager...He shall be...Galactus!
—The Sentience of the Sixth Cosmos
Galactus is a cosmic being that consumes the life energy found in planets for sustenance. He has appointed several Heralds, such as the Silver Surfer, to both scout for suitable worlds and signal Galactus to come. He empowers them with the Power Cosmic.
Born Galan of Taa, a mortal Taa-an from the Sixth Cosmos, in a universe before the current one, he was approached by the Sentience of the Sixth Cosmos (the precursor to Eternity) when his universe ended. Galan fused with its essence and was able to pass on to the next cycle, the Seventh Cosmos, where he would emerge as Galactus after an incubation period. Despite being the Devourer of Worlds, he holds no malice toward any living thing and simply does what he must do to survive. Indeed, by his own admission, he is destined to one day give back to the universe infinitely more than he has ever taken from it.
Galan of Taa
Galactus is a survivor from the Sixth Cosmos, the previous Multiverse. Originally, he was a Taa-an named Galan, born in the previous incarnation of the universe of Earth-616 on the planet Taa, a paradise-like world whose civilization was said to have been the most advanced of its time. However, the Sixth Cosmos and all of its various universes ended and were reborn in a new form as part of the Multiversal Cycle. Galan was the genetically engineered son of Taaia, the Scienceer Supreme. Due to her obligations to Taa, she was a neglectful mother, giving him very little personal contact and leaving a technologically advanced crib to raise him. When his mother brought home his time-traveling future Herald, the Silver Surfer, the Surfer decided to use the opportunity to teach Galan compassion, hoping it would encourage him to try harder to resist his cosmic hunger in the future. Due to a plague called the Black Winter, the universe began dying at a rapid pace and Taa's civilization was one of the last ones still in existence. Lethal radiation from the dying universe was expeditiously wiping out all life across the universe. Galan, a space explorer, was dispatched to travel through the cosmos to find a means of saving Taa, but he found none. The radiation eventually killed off all but a tiny fraction of the population of Taa. Knowing that their deaths were inevitable, Galan proposed to the remaining survivors that they die gloriously by piloting one of their starships directly into the heart of the Cosmic Egg. As the starship containing Galan and his fellow survivors approached the termination point of the universe, the cosmic radiation killed all of the passengers except for Galan, who strangely found himself filled with new energy. Right before the universe's end, Galan was approached by the Sentience of the Sixth Cosmos, who merged its essence with the mortal Galan, giving birth to a new entity who would survive beyond the end of time: Galactus the Devourer of Worlds. The Black Winter later presented an alternative account of Galan's survival, claiming that it had spared him and turned him into Galactus in order to mark him as its Herald.
Rebirth as Galactus
Following a period of nothingness, the Seventh Cosmos was born from a Big Bang, and with it its new embodiments, Eternity and Infinity. An incubating Galactus ended up in this seventh incarnation of the universe. The nascent Galactus drifted in his recreated starship for eons as new life came into existence. Eventually, the nascent Galactus' starship was sighted by Ecce, one of the Watchers, who drew it down to his planet for study. There, Ecce learned that the being within it had power beyond comprehension and would eventually be forced to consume entire worlds to satiate his cosmic hunger for life-sustaining energy. Realizing the danger that the nascent Galactus posed to the cosmos, this Watcher considered destroying the entity, who was still vulnerable due to his metamorphic state, but instead decided to abide by the Watchers' oath of non-interference and let the nascent Galactus depart in his starship. Ecce, however, feared that for eons yet uncounted he would regret this decision that he had made that day, though the Watchers themselves have since come to an understanding that Galactus is an intrinsic and necessary component to the natural order of the cosmos. The nascent Galactus employed his vastly limitless strength and power and created a suit of armor to help him regulate his raging internal energies. He then transformed the starship of the last of the Taa-ans into a kind of incubator, where Galactus spent thousands upon thousands of years evolving into his current form. Galactus' incubator eventually crashed on the surface of Ego, the Living Planet, causing him pain as it began to drain his life force. Ego saved a time-displaced Silver Surfer from Knull, and the Surfer repaid the favor by removing the incubator from him. The Surfer, knowing in advance what Galan would become, planned to destroy the being before his birth. However, Uatu the Watcher warned the Surfer that, despite the destruction he would bring, Galactus would be important for the balance of the universe. The Surfer entered the incubator, intent on absorbing Galactus' Power Cosmic in order to restore himself to his normal form as Norrin Radd, and was confronted by Galan. The two of them talked and, eventually, the Surfer decided to spare Galan, removed the incubator from Ego and set it on a one-way course toward the planet Archeopia. The Archeopians themselves did not disturb the strange object, but years later a marauding space fleet, approaching Archeopia and thinking that Galactus' incubator was a weapon, attacked it. Galactus, with his metamorphosis complete, emerged from his incubator and, with a mere gesture, destroyed the invading space fleet. Galactus, realizing his uncontrollable hunger for energy, next turned his attention to the energy-rich Archeopia below. Galactus immediately consumed the life energy of Archeopia; only a small fleet of Archeopian spaceships managed to escape the planet in time (the Archeopians would later be completely exterminated by Ego, the Living Planet). Over the following millennia Galactus constructed for himself an immense home, the Worldship that he named Taa II, which completely engulfed the entire Archeopian solar system as a tribute to both his homeworld and to Archeopia, the first planet that he had ever consumed. Indeed, Taa II was so enormous that planets soon orbited around it as if it were a sun. For several billion years Galactus consumed only planets uninhabited by sentient lifeforms, Archeopia being the only exception, and centuries passed between his feedings. However, as eons passed, the intervals between his feedings decreased considerably in length, and Galactus found himself finally needing to consume worlds inhabited by sentient races only if he could find no other worlds possessing the energy that he needed to sustain himself in time. Galactus has succeeded in suppressing his sympathy for other intelligent beings who are similar in nature to the being from which he was birthed and thus, realizing himself to be a higher kind of being than they are due to his intrinsic role in the natural order, is willing to destroy their lives in order to continue his own. Moreover, he is also fully aware that he is destined to one day give back to the universe infinitely more than he has ever taken from it.
The Heralds of Galactus
The first being Galactus selected as his Herald was the Fallen One, so called because he quickly rebelled against Galactus. Galactus imprisoned the Fallen One, but this former Herald later escaped from his imprisonment and began hunting him down over the millennia. At one point in time Galactus threatened to consume the planet Zenn-La, the homeworld of a civilized humanoid race. One of that world's inhabitants, Norrin Radd, persuaded Galactus to spare the planet in return for willingly volunteering to become his Herald and search out uninhabited worlds for him to consume. Galactus agreed and transformed Radd into the Silver Surfer. The Silver Surfer loyally served Galactus for an unknown length of time, leading him to countless energy-rich worlds. Eventually, however, Galactus grew determined to consume the energy-rich planet Earth. The Surfer rebelled as a result, and Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four thwarted Galactus by threatening to use an alien device called the Ultimate Nullifier on him, a weapon that could destroy the universe and kill even Galactus. Galactus was forced to vow to spare Earth in exchange for the Nullifier's return, and he punished the Surfer for his betrayal by erecting an undetectable energy barrier that prevented the Surfer from leaving Earth. Much later, when he discovered the existence of Counter-Earth, he became determined to consume it instead of Earth. He and his Herald at the time, the Destroyer, were opposed by the Fantastic Four once again, who had been contacted for help by the High Evolutionary, who had created Counter-Earth in the first place. Galactus then consumed the Poppupians' homeworld of Poppup instead and was nearly killed in the process by terminal indigestion. Eventually releasing himself from his vow to Reed Richards to never again try to consume Earth by defeating the immensely powerful Sphinx (who was further empowered by the secrets of the universe, which had been downloaded from the Living Computer of Xandar), Galactus returned several times to Earth to consume it, but was always narrowly defeated. Meanwhile, he consumed numerous inhabited worlds throughout the known universe to satisfy his cosmic hunger, and was feared as a menace to all known starfaring races. Galactus also took on a succession of new Heralds. During his final attempt to consume Earth, Galactus had gone so long without feeding that his energies were the lowest that they had ever been and he was near death; thus, a large number of Earth's superhuman defenders actually succeeded in defeating him in battle. Galactus lay dying, succumbing to his own cosmic hunger, but Reed Richards saved his life with the help of Thor's mystic hammer Mjolnir. The grateful Galactus pledged his eternal friendship to Reed and sincerely vowed never to try to consume Earth again. Galactus has steadfastly abided by this vow ever since. During this visit to Earth, Galactus created another Herald, Nova who, like the Silver Surfer before her, willingly volunteered to become his Herald in return for sparing Earth. Galactus continued to consume other worlds, however, and consumed the Skrulls' throneworld of Tarnax IV, thereby temporarily plunging the Skrull Empire into chaos.
Powers
Cosmic Being: Possessing the immeasurable Power Cosmic, Galactus is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe, has near-limitless godlike powers, and is considered an omnipotent entity. His cosmic powers are beyond most forms of measurement. He was once referred to as "the most awesome living entity in the cosmos." Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet ranked him around the same level of power as Odin, Zeus, the Celestials, and the Stranger, but well below Master Order, Lord Chaos, Mistress Love, and Sire Hate who, in turn, are well below Eternity and Infinity, who, again in turn, are well below the Living Tribunal. As such, Galactus is able to employ the cosmic energy within him to produce virtually any effect he desires. Galactus has also shown the ability to overcome Odin. In effect, the virtually omniscient Oblivion remarked that Galactus' battle against Scrier and the Other affected reality itself, and suggested that they threatened to destroy the Multiverse entirely if their fight had not ended. Galactus and his various Heralds were stated to be cosmic level threats. He himself was stated to be a "Universal" threat by the Nova Corps. Although Galactus' power is great, it is fully dependent on the amount of energy he has absorbed from planets. If he does not feed regularly, he will weaken and starve to death. Normally, he needs to feed once a month and he is at his weakest between feedings. Conversely, he can also power himself up by consuming additional planets; for example, Galactus consumed four planets in preparation for the Mad Celestials, thus becoming powerful enough to challenge four Mad Celestials simultaneously and even destroyed one of them, though he was still no match against the Mad Celestials' combined form.[100] Additionally, some planets have unique energies that give him much more power than usual, but such planets are quite rare. •Immortality: Galactus is said to be destined to survive until the end of the universe. •Godlike Strength: Galactus has demonstrated the potential for a solar scale of limitless strength.[101] •Godlike Stamina: Galactus can partake in physical strenuous action, like battles, for an undefined period of time, but consuming the life energy of a planet will only sustain him for one month, and using it will cause the time span to lower dramatically, so he normally cannot fight for too long. •Godlike Speed: Despite his size, Galactus can fly at speeds that greatly surpass the speed of light. •Invulnerability: Galactus is immune to all diseases, ailments, and toxins. In addition, he is enormously resistant to damage. He was able to survive from two planets colliding and a sizable nuclear arsenal, but was severely injured in the process; however, this happened while his power was drained by the cosmic entity the Hunger.[102] Galactus emerged intact from a massive strike from Nega-Bombs. He has also stated that, much like Tenebrous of the Darkness Beneath and Aegis, Lady of All Sorrows, he could not survive the forces of the Crunch. After Odin headbutted him from the outer atmosphere all the way to Earth, Galactus very swiftly recovered, while Odin was severely injured and forced to fall into the Odinsleep. Galactus has regularly withstood attacks from beings as powerful as the mystical entity Agamotto in Agamotto's own realm,[103] and even managed to withstand a blow from a Chaos King-empowered Zeus.[104] •Energy Projection: Galactus can project devastating energy blasts. In effect, after consuming the life energy of several planets following a period of starvation and thus still heavily weakened, Galactus proved capable of destroying at least three solar systems.[105] Galactus has effectively affected entire galaxies while battling the powerful demon-lord Mephisto, and would have annihilated the universe if the battle had continued any longer.[106] Furthermore, it has been speculated by the nigh-omniscient cosmic being Oblivion that Galactus might be able to destroy even the Multiverse as a side effect of a titanic battle. Indeed, Galactus' clash with the mystical entity Agamotto even wreaked havoc on entire dimensions.[103] Also, during a confrontation with Tyrant in his original form, it was stated that they "must have destroyed entire galaxies".[107] Being the physical embodiment of a cosmos,[108] his brute power must be, in standard conditions, at least universal in scope. Moreover, the captive Galactus would be employed as a weapon capable of destroying two universes.[109] After consuming four planets, Galactus even destroyed a Mad Celestial,[110] who had withstood the destructive power of the Ultimate Nullifier (though its power depended on the wielder's mindset, varying between universal to multiversal in magnitude).[111] Galactus was also stated to transcend space and time altogether,[112] making him beyond the physical universes and classifying his raw power beyond the multi-universal level. •Energy Absorption: Arguably this is Galactus' most viable power, as his very survival depends on absorbing the life energy from either planets or stars. During his fight with Mephisto, he showed that he is even capable of absorbing an entire domain.[106] During his attack on the Ultimate Universe, he also absorbed the Vision's Dark Matter attacks. During the "Time Bubble" / "Black Celestial" alternate future storyline, he was going to consume an entire four-dimensional universal space-time continuum, and grew larger than a galaxy.[113] •Force Fields: Galactus can erect near-impenetrable energy shields.[114] •Levitation: Galactus can traverse or glide through air and space using sheer willpower. •Size Alteration: Galactus' base height and weight will diminish when he is greatly in need of life-giving energy. Galactus has the ability to increase his size and mass at will, the full extent of which is unknown. He once grew to a stature so great that he could wrestle with the Wraithworld's Black Sun.[101] •Molecular Restructuring: Galactus can manipulate, reshape and rearrange the molecular complexions of any organism, allowing him to rebuild or redesign things internally.[115] •Matter Transmutation: Being a cosmic being, Galactus can control matter in any object, which allows him to turn something tangible, like lead, into something intangible, like water.[114][116] •Teleportation: Galactus can make himself, other people, and objects appear anywhere in the entire universe that he wishes with just a mere thought.[117] He has even teleported the planet Galador from one galaxy to another.[101] •Interdimensional and Intradimensional Portals: Galactus can create wormholes both between and within dimensions.[118][119] •Telepathy: Galactus is telepathic and able to read or communicate with other minds across universal distances.[120][121] •Telekinesis: Galactus has the ability to move enormous amounts of mass through mental concentration. •Cosmic Awareness: Galactus can sense disturbances or changes within the cosmic ether on a universal scale.[122] •Resurrection: Galactus can resurrect the dead.[123] •Life Creation: Galactus can create complex, sentient, biological or bio-technical life forms seemingly from nothing, or at least by using his control over molecules to do so.[124] •Soul Control and Manipulation: Galactus can control and manipulate the souls and spirits of living beings at will.[121] He uses this power to alter the memories and emotions of others. •Recreation: Being a cosmic being, Galactus was able to recreate the entire planet of Zenn-La, including its population, etc. in every detail.[121] •Power/Ability Bestowal: Galactus' Heralds, whom he has endowed with a minuscule fraction of the Power Cosmic, are able to manipulate matter and energy in ways that are far beyond human comprehension. •Healing Powers: Galactus is able to heal himself and others from physical wounds, although this may simply be molecular reconstruction.[citation needed] If he is grievously injured, he can restore himself by consuming a planet.[125] •Adapted Appearance: Although Galactus is usually represented in humanoid form, each sentient being in the universe perceives him having a form resembling their own.[126] This is due to the Manifestations, who change his appearance based on the mental image of the beholder (as they do with Abstract Entities).[127] Former Powers Fear Rays: After being merged with Gah Lak Tus, Galactus could generate "fear rays" from space on psychic frequencies, rendering a targeted population permanently insane within hours. Gah Lak Tus' modules can release flesh-eating viruses capable of devouring organic life on a planetary scale within hours; the modules can also penetrate a planet’s core and tap its thermal power, transferring it to Gah Lak Tus' main body. The Lifebringer: After his existential nature was fundamentally changed by the Ultimates, Galactus was freed from his cosmic hunger and came to emit life instead of consuming it. •Biosphere Recreation: After the same process that made Galan become Galactus was re-created and amplified with Neutronium, Galactus had the power to re-create entire planets and biospheres.
Abilities
Cosmic Genius: Galactus possesses one of the universe's absolutely most advanced minds. His scientific knowledge is beyond all human understanding. Reed Richards has admitted an inability to fully comprehend even the most rudimentary devices found within Galactus' Worldship, Taa II, and has said that it is the greatest source of clean energy in the universe. The Worldship itself is a solar system-sized construct that is said to surpass any natural world in beauty and splendor and yet, within its computers is contained knowledge so unfathomable and far-reaching, it can grant awesome power to those who come into contact with it (see Korvac).
Weaknesses
De-powerment: Galactus was not originally a cosmic being. He was the mortal Taa-an Galan who was cosmically empowered when the universe ended and then began again; therefore, it is possible for him to be de-powered and return to his original form of Galan.[108][128][129] •If this happens, his Power Cosmic, the "Soul of Galactus," will automatically search for him, so it is not a permanent non-violent solution to the problem of Galactus.[130] •It is also possible for his powers to be transferred to someone else. In another instance where Galactus was de-powered,[129] Reed Richards absorbed it, turning Reed into a Galactus-like being instead of Galan.[131] Reed had planned on using this opportunity to starve himself to death and thus free the universe from the Devourer of Worlds, but the rest of the Fantastic Four convinced him to restore both Galactus and himself.[132] •Doctor Doom once used a Cosmic Cube to de-power Galactus and then transfer Galactus' powers into himself.[128] Reed Richards used the same Cosmic Cube to transfer them back into Galactus.[133] •Galactus can change back into Galan of Taa willingly, at least temporarily. Galactus is susceptible to certain powerful artifacts and weapons: •The Ultimate Nullifier •The Infinity Gauntlet[134][135] •The Cosmic Cube[128] •All-Black the Necrosword[136] •A device created by the Brotherhood of the Shield that focused the energy of the Brotherhood[137] •Galactus' own Elemental Converter •Technological means to dispel, absorb, and/or harness Galactus' power[108][138][139][140]
Equipment
•Galactus wears a full-body suit of armor of his own design, constructed from an unknown material, that helps him regulate and control his energy. It is a separate apparatus that can be taken off or physically removed,[142][143][118] and it remains even if Galactus loses his powers or dies.[108][144] Without his armor, Galactus takes on a humanoid form of crackling energy. •Galactus often employs his Elemental Converter when devouring planets to help him in the conversion of matter into energy. Although he does not require this device to devour planets and will forego its use in certain scenarios, it does make the conversion of energy more efficient. •Galactus briefly merged with the Destroyer to become the Destruction.
Weapons
•Galactus often employs a large group of humanoid robots named the Punishers, which possess vast superhuman strength, speed and durability, both to guard his Worldship, Taa II, and battle adversaries whose power levels do not warrant his immediate attention or are completely beneath his notice. One Punisher alone is strong enough to battle the Thing to at least a standstill. •Galactus also keeps in his possession a weapon called the Ultimate Nullifier. This weapon has the ability to destroy any target that the wielder can mentally envision. In the hands of Galactus, due to his cosmic awareness, the Ultimate Nullifier is capable of destroying entire universes and even entire timelines from beginning to end.
Transportation
•Although Galactus is capable of space travel via his own power, he disdains the needless expenditure of power and prefers to travel in starships of his own design. Though Galactus has many different starships in his personal fleet, his preferred long range vessel is his sphere-shaped starship (over one mile in diameter) which is capable of trans-light speeds and interdimensional travel. Galactus has even on rare occasions been shown to travel in his solar system-sized Worldship, Taa II.
Aug 17, 2023 · The character now known as Galactus began life as Galan of Taa. Hailing from the reality that existed before the current one, he and a group of fellow adventurers attempted to explore a "Cosmic Egg." Galan was the only survivor and merged with a being called the Sentience of the Cosmos.
Galactus is a cosmic being who devours planets to survive and has a herald, the Silver Surfer, to find him worlds. Learn about his origin, powers, enemies, and battles in the Marvel Universe.
Herald of Galactus (Earth-8417) Last Galactus Story (Earth-8436) Victor von Doom became an armored hero (Earth-8610) Stepping Into New Shoes (Earth-8734) Time Bubble
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Galactus is a cosmic being who devours planets and threatens the universe. Find out more about his origin, powers, appearances and videos on the official Marvel page for Galactus.
