Galactus: Who is the Devourer of Worlds?

Galactus Hungers

A world buzzes in fear. They were warned that the end draws near. Wealthy citizens board spaceships while armed guards hold back furious crowds. Houses of worship are filled to capacity. Some beg deities to save them, others recite soothing prayers as they await the end.

A gargantuan figure surrounded by arcane machinery descends from the sky. The end has come. Guards fall as fear-maddened crowds surge forward. Ships launch, not caring if anyone is too close. Prayers become desperate, but there is no salvation. People scream as the planet burns, transmuting into the raw energy that this giant feasts upon.

The survivors weep at the sight of their desecrated homeworld. The giant enters his own ship. He is sated for now. All too soon, another world must know the hunger of Galactus.

Galactus is one of Marvel’s biggest guns because who is bigger than a guy who goes around eating planets? So who is he? Where did he come from? What’s got him so hangry? Let’s find out.

Before Creation…: Galactus’ Backstory

Galactus debuted in The Fantastic Four #48 in 1966. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Lee believed that a god was the only way to top the other villains they had introduced, but thought that another world conqueror would be boring. He decided on hunger as a motive, making Galactus a semi-divine parasite beyond the concepts of good and evil.

Galan was a scientist living on the utopic planet Taa. He discovered that the multiverse was dying, resulting in a plague that killed everyone. He and a handful of scientists failed to cure it and decided to die gloriously instead of waiting for death. They stole a spaceship and flew into Taa’s sun.

Galan’s reverence for life saved him. He fused with the Sixth Cosmos, the personification of the dying multiverse. Galen had been the last living being in his universe and was charged with gathering energy in the Seventh Cosmos to ensure the Eighth’s creation. That need for energy became an all-consuming hunger, transforming Galen of Taa into Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds.

….Cometh Destruction: Galactus’ History

Galactus wandered the universe, always hunting edible worlds. Leftovers from his meals coalesced into new worlds, thus keeping universal balance. He arrived on idyllic Zenn-La and prepared to feast until a man named Norrin Radd offered to find uninhabited planets for Galactus to eat in exchange for his world’s safety. Galactus felt a kinship with Radd and transformed him into his Herald, the Silver Surfer.

The Surfer kept Galactus fed without harming innocents, but eventually screwed up and led him to an inhabited planet. Galactus saw his Herald’s breakdown and suppressed the memories to help him cope. That’s when the Silver Surfer began leading him to inhabited planets, including Earth.

The Watcher broke his non-interference oath by warning the Fantastic Four about Galactus. They couldn’t beat him, even with a rebellious Silver Surfer backing them up, until they stole Galactus’ Ultimate Nullifier. Mr. Fantastic used the superweapon to threaten him into sparing Earth forever.

Galactus remained a major cosmic threat, devouring homeworlds of many alien heroes and villains. He also became a benchmark for the strongest characters. Want to show they’re tough? Have them fight a hungry Galactus. He could smack them down when full and show that those characters still had limits.

Lifebringer: The Modern Stories

Galactus fulfilled his destiny in 2015. The multiverse was being destroyed by godlike beings called The Beyonders and only a single planet held together by Dr. Doom survived the apocalypse. Galactus channeled the cosmic energy he had consumed and created the Eighth Cosmos.

Galactus continued devouring planets in the Eighth Cosmos to maintain balance. A team called The Ultimates figured out a way to stop him, forcing him into a device that transformed Galactus like the Sixth Cosmos had. He emerged as the Lifebringer Galactus, a being who created worlds instead of destroying them.

The Lifebringer assisted the Ultimates several times, but was eventually tried by other cosmic beings. Galactus had many duties to multiversal balance as the World Devourer and his new role interfered with them. Galactus convinced the embodiment of the multiverse that his prior duty was obsolete and punched out his prosecutor for good measure, enabling him to remain the Lifebringer.

The Power Cosmic: Galactus’ Powers and Personality

Galactus wields the Power Cosmic, a limitless energy source connecting him to the multiverse. He can do almost anything with it: fire lasers, shapeshift, empower Heralds, and resurrect the dead. 

Several tools help Galactus perform his duties. The Elemental Converter transmutes planets into pure energy, allowing him to feed without losing any power the planet would grant him. He pilots the Taa II, a gargantuan spaceship that can travel the universe without forcing him to expend power and which is guarded by androids called Punishers.

The Ultimate Nullifier is Galactus’ last resort. It destroys the universe, then recreates it completely anew without the target. Galactus can summon it from anywhere and uses it against the rare foes that can threaten him. 

Galactus is a reluctant monster. He has killed countless beings, but must continue killing to survive and create the next universe. Galactus is bombastic and sometimes arrogant, but never sadistic. He is often lonely because of his constant hunting and the fear it creates. That is partially why he employs Heralds and the entire reason for creating his daughter, Galacta.

The Actors Who Play Him

Ted Cassidy – Fantastic Four (1967)
Tony Jay – Fantastic Four (1994)
James Blendick – The Silver Surfer
George Takei – The Super Hero Squad Show
John DiMaggio – Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Avengers Assemble
Ralph Ineson – Fantastic Four: First Steps

Didya Get All That?

A god of necessary evil.

Jared Bounacos

Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.