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Galactus

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Galactus
Series Marvel Comics
Age Immemorial/Immortal
Birthday N/A
Sex Male
Species Taa-an
Height 28′9″/8.76 m (Varies)
Weight 3,6400 lbs/16.51 tons (Varies)
Alignment True Neutral

Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds, is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

“ No living thing dares ignore my call. For I am which has always been, since this Universe was birthed from the ashes of the last. I am the hunger that dooms worlds. I am he who is beyond such frail concepts as good and evil. I am Galactus. „
~ Galactus

“ I am inevitable. I am... Destiny. I am Galactus and I hunger. „
~ Galactus

“ I am power incarnate! To Galactus, nothing is impossible „
~ Galactus

“ On our level, combat is a metaphor. A clash of ideas. By existing in this form, I damage your narrow systems -- your boundaries and categories. They lose your meaning. You lose your -- and by proving myself -- unnh -- the stronger of the two of us -- I damage you further. Retreat, ordered one, before I break your precious worldview into pieces. „
~ An injured Galactus to Master Order

Background[]

Born as Galan, Galactus was a brilliant scientist from the utopian planet Taa in a Universe preceding the current Marvel ones. Through his studies, Galan discovered that his Universe was collapsing, and would destroy itself very soon. He desperately tried to warn his fellow Taa-ans, but no one would listen. Eventually resolving to save himself, Galan quickly took a ship and traveled to the World Egg, which was at the center of the Universe. As his Universe died around him, Galan found a way to merge with the Egg, and survived the Big Crunch. When the 616 Universe was born, Galan was reborn as a being of pure energy named Galactus. For millions of years Galactus slept while collecting his energies, until the day he managed to build himself a suit of armor to contain his godly strength. With his suit complete, Galactus soon hungered for energy, which he found he could sate through the consumption of planets. Ever since then, Galactus has traveled the Universe as the Cosmic Entity of Equity and go on many adventures as he devours worlds to survive.

Powers & Abilities[]

  • Cosmic Entity: 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 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 was stated to have an "Universal" threat level 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; he became powerful enough to challenge four Mad Celestials simultaneously and even destroyed one of them, though he was still no match for the other three's combined power. 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.
    • 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 he was drained by the cosmic entity the Hunger. Galactus emerged intact from a massive strike from Nega-Bombs. He has also stated that, much like Aegis and Tenebrous, 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 and Odin, and even managed to withstand a blow from a Chaos King-empowered Zeus.
    • 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. 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. Furthermore, it has been speculated by the nigh-omniscient 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 in entire dimensions. Also, during a confrontation with Tyrant in his original form, it was stated that they "must have destroyed entire galaxies". Being the physical embodiment of a cosmos, his brute power must be at least universal in scope. Moreover, the captive Galactus would be employed as a weapon capable to destroy two universes. After consuming four planets, Galactus even destroyed a Mad Celestial, who had withstood the destructive power of the Ultimate Nullifier (although its power depended on the wielder's mindset, varying between universal to ultimately multiversal in magnitude). Galactus was also stated to transcend space and time altogether, making him beyond the physical universes and classifying his raw power beyond the multi-universal level.
      • Eye Beams:
    • 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. During his attack on the Ultimate Universe, he also absorbed the Vision's Dark Matter attacks. During the "Time Bubble"/"Black Celestial" alternative future storyline, he was going to consume an entire four-dimensional universal space-time continuum, and grew larger than a galaxy.
    • Absorba Shields:
    • Force Field Creation: Galactus can erect near-impenetrable energy shields.
    • 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 extent of which is unknown. He once grew to a stature so great that he could wrestle with the Wraithworld's Black Sun.
    • Astral Projection: The Astral Plane has been described as being the power source for the Power Cosmic, thus Galactus should have abilities relating to the spirit, such as astrally projecting himself. He was able to imprint an astral projection of himself in the mind of the Fantastic Four from billions of light-years away. Surfer has also shown astral projection such as when he fought Mephisto in his astral form, showing incredibly potent spiritual resilience.
    • Illusion Creation:
    • Molecular Restructuring: Galactus can manipulate, reshape and rearrange the molecular complexions of any organism, allowing him to rebuild or redesign things internally.
    • Teleportation: Galactus can make himself, other people, and objects appear anywhere in the entire universe that he wishes with a mere thought. He has even teleported the planet Galador from one galaxy to another.
      • Interdimensional and Intradimensional Portals: Galactus can create wormholes both between and within dimensions.
    • Telepathy: Galactus is telepathic and able to read or communicate with other minds across universal distances.
    • 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.
    • Resurrection: Galactus can resurrect the dead.
    • Life Creation: Galactus can create complex, sentient, biological or bio-technical life-forms seemingly from nothing, or at least using his control over molecules to do so.
    • Soul Control and Manipulation: Galactus can control and manipulate the souls and spirits of living beings at will. 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.
    • 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.
    • Power/Ability Removal:
    • Healing Powers: Galactus is able to heal himself and others from physical wounds, although this may simply be molecular reconstruction.
    • Regeneration: Through sheer force of will, Galactus is able to revive not only himself, but anyone he so chooses, and Death is ultimately unable to stop him even when he tries to do so. He was able to reconstruct his body physically despite being completely annihilated, even down to his very soul.
    • Perception Manipulation: Also called ‘adapted appearance’, Galactus can manipulate how he is seen in the eyes of others. Although normally he is perceived as a giant physical being with purple armor, each sentient being can at times, see him in a form resembling their own, even if that means being a squirrel. As explained in Quasar #37, this is because the Manifestations, an unknown race, give M-Bodies that make the Abstracts have physical bodies, changed in appearance based on the mental image of the beholder.
    • Shapeshifting:
      • Deity Ashta Form:
    • Size Manipulation: Galactus is capable of using the Power Cosmic to grow and shrink his body as he deems necessary. He can grow as large as the Wraithworld’s Black Sun, a star orbiting Wraithworld.
    • Mind Manipulation: Galactus has shown he can also manipulate what goes on in the mind of others to beings in a variety of ways, from unlocking their memories to making imprints of him on their mind in some form or way, or taking full control of sentient beings. He was once able to produce an illusion in the minds of the Fantastic Four that they were on a sinking island, catapulting them into space despite Galactus being billions of light-years away, and manipulated Frankie Raye’s mind to turn her into one of his heralds. One capability he has shown is using telepathic bolts, which he used to down Terrax the Tamer, and is even skilled enough to transfer information from one person’s mind into another, such as when he transferred information to Dr. Strange in such hastily fashion, Dr. Strange was knocked unconscious.
    • Memory Manipulation: Galactus is capable of removing and manipulating the memories of anyone he chooses. Even other beings imbued with the Power Cosmic, like the Silver Surfer.
    • Time Manipulation: Galactus is capable of using the Power Cosmic to manipulate time itself, down to the last detail. Such as when he created a time loop to trap the immortal Sphinx in an endless 5,000 year loop that forced him to retrace his steps endlessly, unable to even hope to die. The Enchantress stated that time itself warps around Galactus. The Silver Surfer has also shown a wide variety of time manipulating abilities, ranging from stopping time to more unusual abilities, such as peeling the fabric of the universe to look back in time, seeing events that have occurred in the past, and he can even enter a higher dimensional plane where all of time intersects.
    • Physics Manipulation:
    • Matter Manipulation: The Power Cosmic also grants Galactus control over matter, such as being able to use transmutation or alter the biology of living beings, or even manipulate types of matter, whether present in others or not. He was able to transmute Terrax the Tamer into a worm, and in proclaiming his matter manipulation power to the Fantastic Four he implied in a vision that by tampering with the Invisible Woman’s molecules, she could become ‘invisible forever.’, and could turn Human Torch’s flame body into ice and melt the Thing into a pool of mere atoms. He’s able to affect intangible beings such as Ultimate Kitty Pryde, can make Human Torches electrons contract, can create a visicloud to knock out Thor, or assimilate a being in power armor. And due to his scientific genius in conjunction with matter manipulation, he even created a planetary energy converter from the materials on Earth.
      • 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.
    • Antimatter Manipulation: Can generate blasts of anti-matter particles, which have the opposite electric charge of normal stable matter.
    • Adapted Appearance: Although Galactus is usually represented in humanoid form, each sentient being in the universe perceives him having a form resembling their own. This is due to the Manifestations, who change his appearance based on the mental image of the beholder (as they do with Abstract Entities).
    • Reality Warping: The Power Cosmic grants Galactus numerous ways to manipulate reality to his own doing. His reality warping is so potent, that his mere presence can distort the universe around him, and this is an effect that can act across multiple planets of existence simultaneously. Galactus himself stated that his every passing whim becomes reality, and Doctor Doom described the material world and his own imagination as having become as one after absorbing Galactus' power.
  • Cosmic Genius: Galactus possesses one of the universe's absolutely most advanced minds. His scientific knowledge is beyond human understanding. Reed Richards has admitted an inability to fully comprehend even the most rudimentary devices found within Galactus' Worldship, Taa II. 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).
  • 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.
  • Abstract Existence:

Alternate Forms[]

Lifebringer Galactus[]

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.

True Form[]

Equipment[]

  • Worldship Taa II: A very massive Spaceship designed by Galactus himself out of the very first planet he ever destroyed. It took him a millennium to completely construct and he can call it to him from anywhere in the Universe. It's technologies are so advanced that not even Reed Richards, Earth's smartest scientist, could fully comprehend it.
  • Elemental Converters: A series of devices that Galactus uses to increase the efficiency of his devouring.
    • Full-Body Suit of Armor: Galactus wears a full-body suit of armor he constructed from an unknown material of his own design that helps him to regulate and control his personal energy. Without his armor, he takes on a humanoid form of crackling energy.
  • The Ultimate Nullifier: 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.
    • Absolute Destruction: When wielding the weapon, Galactus can completely and utterly annihilate nearly anything he desires. In the hands of lesser people, it has been known to destroy themselves in the process. When Galactus himself wields it, however, it can destroy an entire reality on its own without destroying the Devourer.
    • Summoning: As the weapon is an aspect of Galactus himself, he can summon the weapon to his arms whenever it is needed.
    • Existence Erasure:
  • The Punishers (Robots): Galactus often employs several humanoid robots named the Punishers, which possess vast superhuman strength, speed, and durability, to battle adversaries whose power levels do not warrant his direct attention.
  • Heralds: Throughout his travels, Galactus has gained various heralds that he would bestow portions of his infinite Power of Cosmic inexchange for service to seek out world to sustain the Devourer of Worlds.
    • Silver Surfer: Easily his most well-known herald, Silver Surfer was once known as Norrin Radd, an astronomer from the planet Zenn-La, becoming his herald to save his homeworld and turning into a metallic-skinned alien with a cosmic surfboard.
    • Firelord: Once a Xandarian, Firelord was brainwashed into the servitude of Galactus with the innate ability to wield fire on a cosmic level with a double-ended staff of fire.
    • Terrax the Tamer: Terrax the Tamer was a former dictator who became a herald of Galactus in an attempt to find a more cruel and tyrannical herald as opposed to Silver Surfer’s more noble nature. He has the ability to move rock and stone to his whim, and not without his deadly battle axe that can crack a planet in two.
    • Stardust: Stardust is an Ethereal, a powerful alien entity, and regained his powers when Galactus made him a herald. Like Galactus, Stardust has a body composed of pure energy that allows them to heal from any physical attack.
    • Nova (Frankie Raye):
    • Fallen One:
    • Air Walker: Without Silver Surfer, Galactus sought a suitable replacement, and chose a Xandarian to become his herald, eventually dying at the hand of the Ovoid alien race, having to have his consciousness put in the body of a robotic replacement, with a self-repairing circuitry and cosmic battery to power his abilities.

Feats[]

Strength[]

Speed[]

Durability[]

Skill[]

  • Is older than the Universe and thus has billions of years of experience.
  • Had destroyed countless planets in the entire Marvel Universe, such as Zenn-La or the homeworld of the Skrulls
  • Has taken on the entire Avengers roster while starving.
  • Matched In-Betweener, a lesser Cosmic Entity in the Marvel Universe, in combat while hungry.
  • While hungry, could fight Mephisto.
  • Very nearly defeated Mephisto in his own realm in an attempt to reclaim his herald, Silver Surfer
  • Took on four Celestials at once and nearly won.
  • Has built many complex devices, such as Taa II or his suit of armor.
  • Matches reality warpers in combat.
  • Doom stated that a reality warping Cosmic Cube amplified by Anilhilus's Cosmic Control Rod is a fraction of Galactus' power.
  • Nearly absorbed Point Zero and destroyed all of Fortnite.
  • Defeated the Avengers, Fantastic Four, Ultron, High Evolutionary, Rom and the Space Knights, Red Hulk, Thanos, and the Mad Celestials
  • Ate all the energy of the M’Kraan Crystal that was going to destroy the Multiverse
  • Defeated the Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer at the same time
  • Helped stop the Annihilation Wave
  • Fought the Phoenix Force
  • Stalemated Agamotto, the First Sorcerer Supreme
  • Became the Lifebringer, and in doing so restored the planet Archeaopia, and stood up to Master Order and Lord Chaos within the Superflow

Faults[]

  • Cosmic Hunger: Galactus requires unknown energies obtainable only from certain type of planets in order to sustain his life. The suitable type of planet need not to be one where life is present, but it must have the potential to support life. When recently sated, Galactus is incredibly powerful; however, the longer he goes without feeding, the more his strength, power, and cosmic awareness wane. Indeed, over one month after consuming a suitable planet his power will have already been reduced exponentially, although in such a hungry state his powers are still far beyond mortal comprehension. In recent times Galactus has been known to go without feeding for numerous months at a time, bringing him to the brink of death and reducing his power to such a degree that superhuman teams such as the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, etc. can defeat him. When he first emerged from his incubator, Galactus could go without feeding for over 100 years before his cosmic hunger weakened him to a significant degree. Why the intervals between his feedings have decreased over the millennia is unknown. After his recent resurrection, however, Galactus' cosmic hunger has seemingly ended.
  • 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 began again; therefore, it is possible for him to be de-powered and return to his original form of Galan.
    • 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.
    • It is also possible for his powers to be transferred to someone else. In another instance where Galactus was de-powered, Reed Richards absorbed it, turning Reed into a Galactus-like being instead of Galan. Reed had planned on using this opportunity to starve himself to death and thus free the universe from the World Devourer, but the rest of the Fantastic Four convinced him to restore both Galactus and himself.
      • Doctor Doom once used a Cosmic Cube to de-power Galactus and transfer his powers into Doom. Reed Richards used the same Cosmic Cube to transfer them back into Galactus.
    • 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:
    • The Cosmic Cube:
    • All-Black the Necrosword:
    • A device created by the Brotherhood of the Shield that focused the energy of the Brotherhood
    • Technological means to absorb and/or harness Galactus' power

Fun Facts[]

  • In a fantastic four cartoon, he was voiced by the late Tony Jay.
  • Galactus once ate every twinkie on Earth.
  • Galactus actually has a daughter.
  • Galactus appeared in the season 10 finale of the popular web series DEATH BATTLE! where he fought against Unicron from Transformers and won.
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