History Comicbook / Galactus

[[redirect:Characters/MarvelComicsGalactus]

[[redirect:Characters/MarvelComicsGalactus]]

[[related:Characters/MarvelComicsGalactus]]

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[[caption-width-right:279:Big hat. Bigger appetite.]]

->''"Of all the creatures in the vastness of the Universe, there is none like me. I was present at the birth of the Universe, and I shall be there at its end. Though I ravage worlds to live, I bear no malice toward any living thing. I simply do what I must to survive. And why must Galactus survive? For, no matter how many worlds I devour ... How many civilizations I destroy ... It is my destiny to one day give back to the Universe – Infinitely more than I have ever taken from it. So speaks Galactus!"''
-->-- '''Galactus'''

Galactus is a Creator/MarvelComics character created by Creator/StanLee and Creator/JackKirby. He first appeared in ''Fantastic Four'' #48 (March, 1966).

Sole survivor of [[TimeAbyss the universe existing before the Big Bang]], Galactus is perhaps the most feared being in the cosmos. Untold billions of years ago, he was born the [[HumanAlien humanoid]] Galan on the planet Taa, a wondrous paradise of scientific and social achievement. However, his universe was in its final stages, with all matter plunging towards a central point via the "Big Crunch", collapsing into a new "CosmicEgg", a sphere of disorganized, compact primordial matter. Galan, a space explorer, discovered a radiation plague threatening all of Taa. Though he was initially [[IgnoredExpert scoffed at]], the truth became clear as the people of surrounding planets perished. Despite the efforts of Taa's greatest scientists, no cure could be found, and the population began to die off. Galan convinced the handful of remaining survivors to die gloriously by flying a starship into the blazing cosmic cauldron. The others were killed by the intense radiation, but Galan was filled with new energy and saved by the [[SentientCosmicForce sentience of the dying universe]]. The sentient energy spoke to Galan as it brought him into the egg.

With the next Big Bang, the Cosmic Egg matter exploded outwards, eventually condensing into stars and planets. The future Galactus and his starship were re-created simultaneously with the [[AnthropomorphicPersonification embodiments of Eternity and Death]], though he drifted inert for billions of years while new life began to populate the universe. The starship crashed on an unnamed planet, where Ecce TheWatcher saw its occupant emerge as raw energy. Ecce recognized the danger the nascent being would pose and could have destroyed him then, but instead chose to abide by his [[ObstructiveCodeOfConduct oath of non-interference]]. Launching his ship back into space, the being ejected its lifeless companions into the void, there to drift in endless flight. He then created a suit of armor to harness and regulate his awesome energies, and transformed his ship into an incubation chamber, where he spent countless centuries evolving into his current form. Eventually his craft again fell into orbit around a verdant planet, Archeopia. The advanced natives scanned the craft, detected its awesome energies, and wisely left it undisturbed.

Galactus initially went centuries between feedings, seeking out uninhabited worlds that could support life; but he gradually hungered more frequently, and began consuming inhabited worlds if he could find no others. [[AboveGoodAndEvil He rationalized his actions by deeming himself a higher being]], a belief made easier after learning of a prophecy that he would eventually compensate for all his destruction. In addition, he eventually encountered Eternity and Death, and the three beings hypothesized that Galactus represented a balancing force between the two opposites.

Lonely, Galactus created a being in his own image; however, while Galactus was content to survive, his creation craved conquest. The creation, becoming known as [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Tyrant]], battled his creator in a struggle beyond description. Galactus eventually triumphed, possibly aided by the Spinsterhood order of women warriors, banishing Tyrant to parts unknown. Since then, Galactus has used many mindless servants, chief among which are the Punishers, possibly living beings enslaved or created by Galactus. Eventually, the world-devourer realized it was more efficient to send a herald to seek out worlds for him. His first herald was eventually cast out and imprisoned, presumably due to its corrupt and violent nature. This former herald, the Fallen One, escaped many times over the millennia, each time heading directly after its previous master, who always defeated it.

Galactus threatened to devour the planet Zenn-La, but was persuaded by native Norrin Radd to spare it in exchange for becoming a new herald. Galactus transformed Radd into the ComicBook/SilverSurfer, suppressing his morals so that he would lead Galactus to inhabited worlds when necessary, such as a [[ComicBook/{{Venom}} symbiote]]-ruled planet, and the Kree planet Tarsis. The Surfer once even led Galactus into ending the threat of the murderous warlord Kallreich the Unconquerable by consuming a world he had invaded. When the Silver Surfer brought Galactus to Earth, despite the efforts of Uatu The Watcher to hide the planet, Alicia Masters reached Norrin's long-submerged emotions, convincing him to turn against his master. Galactus had easily overpowered the Fantastic Four, but the Surfer's power delayed Galactus' meal long enough for Reed Richards to present him with his first defeat. Uatu sent the Human Torch to Galactus' worldship to retrieve the [[DoomsdayDevice Ultimate Nullifier]], a device allegedly having the power to destroy even mighty Galactus; Reed used it to force him to spare Earth, but Galactus punished the Surfer for his betrayal by trapping him on Earth.

Soon after, Galactus sensed abundant energy sources within the enigmatic Black Galaxy, but Galactus was distracted when Dr. Doom usurped the Silver Surfer's power and crashed into Galactus' barrier; sensing this disturbance, Galactus scanned Doom, but found him beneath his notice and sent him back to Latveria. Galactus soon sent his Punishers to retrieve the Surfer from Earth; the Fantastic Four held it off long enough for the Surfer to escape into the microverse. Galactus forced them to help him find the Surfer, who located an uninhabited planet for him, after which he left the Surfer trapped on Earth for easy future location.

Galactus had a daughter, Galacta, who suffers from the same hunger issues that he has, but chooses to prevent the destruction of most forms of life by instead consuming malevolent sources that would end up destroying life if left unchecked.

The ComicBook/AllNewAllDifferentMarvel era has been a time of great change for Galactus. The new ComicBook/{{The Ultimates|2015}}, an all-star team dedicated to solving cosmic problems, picked ''him'' for their first mission. They tracked down his old incubation chamber and forced him back into it, "evolving" him into a new, golden form. This "Lifebringer" Galactus, who restores desolate worlds, became one of the team's central allies throughout the book's entire run. It's all a bit ironic, considering his rampage through the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel universe ended up destroying the ''[[ComicBook/TheUltimates original]]'' Ultimates. Note, by the way, that the Ultimate universe had his own one, Gah Lak Tus (for tropes about this one, see [[Characters/UltimateMarvelCosmicCharacters here]]).

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!! Galactus appears in the following works:

[[index]]

[[AC:Comics]]
* ''Super-Villain Classics: Galactus the Origin''
* ''Galactus: The Devourer''

'''Storylines'''
* ''ComicBook/TheComingOfGalactus'' - Also known as "The Galactus Trilogy"
* ''ComicBook/TheTrialOfGalactus''
* ''ComicBook/SecretWars1984''
* ''ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet''
* ''ComicBook/TheInfinityWar''
* The ''ComicBook/UltimateGalactusTrilogy'', composed by the miniseries ''Ultimate Nightmare'', ''Ultimate Secret'', and ''Ultimate Extinction''; (though the Ultimate version's proper name is "Gah Lak Tus"). The ''Ultimate Vision'' miniseries spun off from this also has to do with Gah Lak Tus.
* ''ComicBook/MarvelZombies''
* ''ComicBook/{{Annihilation}}''
* ''ComicBook/BulletPoints''
* ''ComicBook/TheThanosImperative''
* ''ComicBook/ChaosWar''
* ''Hunger'' - A four issue limited series in which Galactus finds himself in Marvel's Ultimate Universe following the massive tears in the time space continuum at the conclusion of ''Comicbook/AgeOfUltron'' and merges with Gah Lak Tus.
* ''ComicBook/CataclysmTheUltimatesLastStand'' - A CrisisCrossover and the immediate sequel to ''Hunger''. The story sees the various heroes of the [[ComicBook/UltimateMarvel Ultimate]] line (ComicBook/TheUltimates, [[Comicbook/UltimateSpiderMan Miles Morales]], and the [[Comicbook/UltimateXMen X-Men]]) banding together to stop Galactus from consuming their world.
* ''ComicBook/TheUnbeatableSquirrelGirl'' - Issues 1-4 involves Marvel's ultimate bad guy vs. the ''Unbeatable'' Squirrel Girl. Only she can face him because he's stealthed, but didn't deign to stealth himself from ''squirrels!''
* ''ComicBook/TheUltimates2015'' - The first two issues see his transformation into the Lifebringer. He then becomes a main figure in the book's MythArc, aiding both the team and Eternity himself in the war against a mysterious threat to the entire multiverse.

'''DC Crossovers'''
* ''ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}/Galactus: The Hunger''
* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}/Fantastic Four: The Infinite Destruction''
* ''ComicBook/JLAAvengers''
* In the 1996/97 Crossover/Merger of ''ComicBook/AmalgamUniverse'', Galactus was merged with Brainiac as "Galactiac".

[[AC:Film]]
* ''Film/FantasticFourRiseOfTheSilverSurfer''

[[AC:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/SilverSurfer'': Galactus makes a cameo appearance in the 1990 video game, sending the Silver Surfer to the Magik Domain to collect the Cosmic Device.
* ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance'': Galactus is the boss of the "Skrull Planet" level. The Silver Surfer appears to fight alongside the heroes, dishing out the damage while the player characters activate three consoles that will overload Galactus's machines.
* ''Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet'': Galactus is the boss of Episode 8: Taste of a Throneworld.
* ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'': The final boss of the game, Galactus takes up the entire right side of the screen. In order to reach this fight, the player characters must defeat two randomly-selected "Heralds": silver versions of some of the game's playable villain characters.
* ''Ultimate VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'': Same deal, except there's now an unlockable mode where you play as Galactus.
* ''VideoGame/LegoMarvelSuperheroes'': Galactus is the game's BigBad, and also an unlockable character upon completing the game. Sadly, He's only playable as a minifigure, smaller even than Big Figure characters like the Hulk.

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFantasticFour1967''
* ''WesternAnimation/FantasticFour''
* ''WesternAnimation/SilverSurfer''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperHeroSquadShow''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes''
* ''WesternAnimation/HulkAndTheAgentsOfSmash''
* ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble''

[[/index]]

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!! Tropes in these series include:

* AboveGoodAndEvil:
** He doesn't see himself as good or evil, just a predator doing what he has to do to survive. In a way, this is true due to him being InherentInTheSystem. In the end, he is more a cataclysm than an actual villain and cannot be judged by human moral standards.
** Reed Richards even gave this a great deal of thought during the first Secret War storyline, musing about how odd it was that the Beyonder considered Galactus "evil" and grouped him in with all the other villains. Reed knew that Galactus was so far beyond good or evil that the concepts simply didn't apply. He regarded Galactus as a force of nature, comparable to an earthquake or a hurricane, which also cannot be judged as good or evil.
** He uses this to call out the Phoenix (then possessing the comatose body of ComicBook/RachelSummers, while the latter recovered from psychic trauma resulting from her brutal battle with Necrom in ''{{ComicBook/Excalibur}}'') after she nearly killed him in a misguided attempt to protect a planet he was about to feed on. Not only did the fallout devastate the planet, but as Galactus pointed out, he's a) just doing what he has to in order to survive, b) would much prefer to feed on barren worlds or dying civilisations. The Phoenix, by contrast, draws on life as yet unborn when she's incarnate on the mortal plane, which is why her power seems infinite. This leads to the ArmorPiercingQuestion of who is the greater evil: the one who devours life whose time has ended, or the one who denies life to generations unborn. The Phoenix is understandably horrified.
* AdaptationNameChange: The ComicBook/UltimateMarvel universe reimagination is called "Gah Lak Tus".
* AdvancingBossOfDoom: Type B in ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance''. The heroes must run from Galactus as he destroys the platform behind them with each step. Eventually ends in a PivotalBoss fight.
* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: Beings of different planets perceive Galactus differently, as seen [[http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/powerlisting/images/5/50/Galactuspov.png/revision/latest?cb=20120927070258 here]].
* AGodAmI: One of the most powerful forces in the Marvel Multiverse. Reducing matter to energy and travelling at 'impossible' speeds are everyday matters to him. With the aid of the Power Cosmic that invests him, even planet-shattering foes like Thor or the Hulk can be destroyed. In one DC/Marvel crossover he was noted for surviving ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}'s Omega Beams, which are ordinarily a OneHitKill to ''anything.'' It's hard for him to stay humble:
-->'''Ego the Living Planet:''' You are but a simple being! I am an entire world!
-->'''Galactus:''' Your words are true. But in all of Space, ''I stand alone!'' I am Galactus...''the be-all and end-all of the Universe''.
* AGodIAmNot: Although he's pretty egotistical, Galactus does not consider himself godlike. He has criticized the mortal belief that power makes you one.
--> "'''Sphinx!''' You share the folly of all your lowly species. You believe that power itself makes one a '''God!''' But even Galactus, to whom all is possible, even Galactus whose every passing whim becomes reality -- '''even Galactus is no God."'''
* AllianceWithAnAbomination: While a CosmicEntity, Galactus is still reasonable and has agreed to work with mortals like the Fantastic Four. His Heralds were also mortals who he gave a job offer to search for worlds in turn for sparing their own.
* AlwaysABiggerFish: Many galactic threats, like (regular) ComicBook/{{Thanos}} or the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree, quail at the thought of direct confrontation with Galactus. But Galactus is not at the very top of the power spectrum either: he has been [[CurbStompBattle stomped]] by the Beyonder in the original ComicBook/SecretWars1984, by the Phoenix (possessing ComicBook/RachelSummers) in ''Excalibur'' (though he won the moral victory by pointing out the cost of her power to the universe at large), defeated in a DC/Marvel crossover by Krona, and conquered by the Chaos King in ''Chaos Wars.''
** Subverted when he is confronted by Master Order and Lord Chaos after his reversion at the hands of the Ultimates. Thanos with the ''Infinity Gauntlet'' rated either of them individually well above Galactus, but now that he has fused with his Ultimate counterpart and been reversed (which removes his hunger, not to mention directly conflicts with Order and Chaos' fundamental existence), he not only defies them, but subjects ''them'' to this trope.
** In ''The Hunger'', The Source warned Highfather that Galactus was coming, so Highfather hid New Genesis, which, unlike Apokolips, ''would'' make a tasty treat for Galactus.
* ArchEnemy: Has been a contender for this to the ComicBook/SilverSurfer.
* AttackDrone: What Gah Lak Tus becomes after it merges with Galactus in ''Hunger''.
* BackFromTheDead: Galactus was actually killed once in the Marvel-616 universe. Unfortunately for the many mortals who cheered this event, it was soon revealed that Galactus' existence was denying a certain MultiversalConqueror access to their universe. The Fantastic Four had no choice but to restore Galactus to life.
* BadassBaritone: In the 90s Fantastic Four cartoon where he's voiced by ''Creator/TonyJay''.
* BadassBoast: Galactus may be a bombastic gloater, but he produces some truly imposing boasts.
* BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil: Eating planets may be monstrous, but it is necessary for the continuation of the entire universe. The writers just can't seem to agree on ''why'', though.
** Originally it seemed like he was storing up the energy from devoured worlds so he could, should the universe come to an end, use it to restart the whole thing. [[note]] Arguably, this is what happened in ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015''; following the collapse and re-creation of the Multiverse, a series of events causes him to reach his final form, and start ''seeding dead planets for life''. But this [[StatusQuoIsGod predictably]] did not last. [[/note]]
** Later authors suggested he needed the energy to maintain a seal that held the EldritchAbomination Abraxas in check.
** ''ComicBook/EarthX'' posited that he was created to keep the numbers of Celestials (who incubated inside planets, with shells of Vibranium, and developed living/superpowered populations to protect them while they incubated) at manageable levels.
* BeamSpam: One of his attacks in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''. Galactus fires energy beams from his eyes and all ten of his fingers, filling the screen with a barrage of unavoidable firepower. All the player can do is block and suffer massive chip damage.
* BigBad: He sometimes takes this role either to the Silver Surfer or in a Marvel crisis crossover.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: DependingOnTheWriter. In Kirby's original story, Galactus was outright stated to be beyond good and evil and incapable of being judged by any human morality system. He more resembles a natural disaster than a man. During the Secret Wars event, when the Beyonder transported a group of heroes and villains to a distant planet to battle each other, Galactus was placed among the villains. Reed Richards found this to be completely incomprehensible, stating that Galactus was a force of nature and was no more capable of having enemies than a hurricane or an earthquake. Galactus completely ignored the rules that the Beyonder tried to impose on him, choosing instead to try to drain the planet of all its energy in order to challenge the Beyonder, whom he claimed had the power to end his all-consuming hunger.
* BreakoutVillain: He started out as [[TheWorldIsAlwaysDoomed just another threat from space:]] nowadays he rates just behind ComicBook/DoctorDoom as Marvel's most famous villain.
* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu: In his fight with the Mad Celestials, he took all of them at once and actually killed one. Unfortunately this only caused them to see how much of a threat he was and [[FusionDance merge together]].
* BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: DependingOnTheArtist he often has a clear letter G on his chest. Going back to his first appearance.
* CannotTellALie: And it's because he never ''needs'' to.
* CaptainErsatz: Another multi-universal devourer of worlds: [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Unicron the Dark God]], the Chaos Bringer. When the Transformers' Marvel Comics series retooled Unicron's being and backstory, the similarities between Galactus and Unicron were so great that Unicron is often seen as the Transformers version of Galactus, right down to YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm. Unsurprisingly, this has led to many fanworks and fanwanks about a Galactus vs. Unicron showdown and their squabbling over worlds to devour. As far as motives go however, they couldn't be more different. Unlike Galactus, Unicron doesn't even need to eat worlds and only does it out of ''sheer hatred'', which itself can be seen as a parallel to the 1610's Galactus. Also, Galactus has to absorb biospheric energy from planets. Unicron literally just eats them and consumes their mass.
** DC's character [[Comicbook/OurWorldsAtWar Imperiex]] feels very much like their own version of Galactus.
* CasualInterstellarTravel: Although he can teleport, he usually utilizes [[CoolShip Cool Ships]] to cross the universe.
* CatchPhrase: "I hunger". Usually at the end of a BadassBoast, [[http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/2/28028/3227871-delight007.jpg like so]].
* CombatCompliment: Usually only in the face of incredible power, like when he got hit by Darkseid's Omega Beams.
--> '''Galactus''': Your power is ''great'', master of Apokolips. But if in this you think you see a weakness in Galactus, you see no weakness but your ''own''.
* CompleteImmortality: Well, he can be killed by more powerful cosmic entities as well as the Ultimate Nullifier, but basically true so long as he [[PlanetEater remembers to eat]].
* CoolHelmet: Galactus' helmet is easily his most recognizable feature. In ''[[Film/FantasticFour Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer]]'', the cloud entity called Galactus takes on a familiar shape once the Silver Surfer reaches its center. The helmet itself becomes a prized possession of [[spoiler:MODOK]] in his ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' ending. His daughter Galacta also has a helmet modeled after his. Par for the course for Creator/JackKirby, of course. His helmet is not unlike many of the helmets the ComicBook/NewGods wear.
* CoolStarship: The Taa II, a ship the size of a solar system.
* CosmicEntity: One of the fundamental forces of the universe. Unfortunately, the most likely of them to visit an InsignificantLittleBluePlanet.
* CurbStompBattle: Most of his fights have him dishing this out to the point where it's easier to list exceptions. When he's subjected to TheWorfEffect he ends on the receiving end of it.
** In his debut, the Fantastic Four couldn't scratch him. He's only driven away by the Ultimate Nullifer.
** When Doctor Doom stole the powers of the Silver Surfer, he was defeated by tricking him into the barrier Galactus created around Eartht to keep Silver Surfer from leaving Earth. When Doom run into the barrier, it alerted Galactus, who scanned Doom, felt he was beneath his notice and sent him back to Latveria without the Power Cosmic.
** During ComicBook/RedHulk's InvincibleVillain phase, Galactus knocked him out with a single attack.
** Terrax rebelling against him led to this. Galactus demonstrated how little patience he had at this point for his Heralds and turned Terrax into a worm digging through dirt, then energy dispersed through the galaxy, before returning him to normal. Terrax quickly surrendered.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: After the combined forces of the Comicbook/FantasticFour, Comicbook/TheAvengers and Comicbook/DoctorStrange prevent a starving Galactus from destroying the Earth, Reed Richards shows the Devourer of Worlds mercy. In exchange, Galactus calls Richards "friend" before vowing that Earth need no longer fear his hunger.
* DeflectorShields: Galactus can erect near-impenetrable energy shields.
* DePower: Reed Richards once built a weapon that stripped Galactus of the Power Cosmic, turning him back into the mortal Galan for a time.
* DestroyerDeity: Although he isn't actually a god, Galactus is this in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse. He regularly destroys entire planets while consuming their LifeEnergy as food.
* {{Determinator}}:
** Tasked with finding a way to save Taa, Galan piloted his ship into the heart of a Big Crunch singularity as a last resort. Galan would not stop, surviving radiation that killed not only his shipmates, but most of the life in the universe. Eventually, Galan gets the attention of the Sentience of the Universe, who gives rebirth to Galan as Galactus, and bids farewell to him when sent away into the new universe.
** Galan became this again after being depowered. Initially considering his merging with the Power Cosmic as it seeks him out to be inevitable, he became inspired after seeing the people around him struggling against the inevitable to survive. He used the Four's teleportation technology to warp to another dimension in an attempt to escape the Power Cosmic. Galan ''knew'' it would find him again sooner or later, but he realized he had to try.
* DoomedHometown: The planet Taa, Galan's home prior to becoming Galactus.
** And the ''entire previous universe'' it was a part of; Galen fused with its consciousness as it was dying at the end of the last Big Crunch/Big Bang cycle to become Galactus.
* TheDreaded: He's known feared across the universe. He once frightened off an armada of aliens planning to attack Earth by threatening to destroy the homeworld of whoever attacked first. All of them ran away with their tails between their legs.
* DubNameChange: In Spanish-translations:
** The completely stupid, silly and awful name of Alberto El Hambriento (Alberto the hungry) was given to Galactus by the now defunt Novaro editorial for a time. Quite difficult to take a planet-eater seriously with that name.
** The Mexican dub of the Hannah-Barbera cartoon of the ''WesternAnimation/TheFantasticFour'' named him Marte (Mars) for some unexplained reason. Still better than Alberto.
** The Latin American dub of the ''WesternAnimation/SilverSurfer'' cartoon named him "Galaxius", possibly to combine better with "galaxy", we are not sure. We repeat, still better than Alberto.
* EarthShatteringKaboom: In the comics, the battle between Galactus and Tyrant is said to destroy entire galaxies before its conclusion. In ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'', Galactus destroys Earth if the player loses the final battle.
* EldritchAbomination: A CosmicEntity who needs to feed on energy of planets to survive, and is capable of feeding the energy from anything from stars to pocket universes.
* EnemyMine: During ''ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet'', Galactus teamed up with ComicBook/AdamWarlock and other cosmic heroes to challenge ComicBook/{{Thanos}}. Later, Galactus worked with The God Squad to protect his food supply, not for the greater good.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Some regard Galactus as ALighterShadeOfBlack. His survival preserves the universe from greater harm: he does what he must to survive and can rightly be considered a higher being. He always keeps his word, pays his debts, and is willing to leave sentient beings alone or escape doomed planets as long as they don't bother him. He tends to show disgust at those who cause meaningless destruction like Tyrant and the Fallen One. And if it's one of his own that's causing it, he'll usually do something about it when someone brings it to his attention.
** He calls out the Phoenix, ''hard'', in an issue of ''Excalibur'' when the entity in question nearly kills him in a misguided attempt to protect a planet he was feeding, on the grounds that a) the battle had devastated the planet anyway, b) he's just doing what he has to in order to survive, while the Phoenix, when incarnate on the mortal plane, draws on the life of generations unborn to fuel her power, leading to the ArmorPiercingQuestion of who was the greater evil. The Phoenix genuinely didn't know this and was horrified.
** On the other hand, he also tried to kill every sentient being on Counter-Earth out of self-stated spite, simply because they had succeeded in killing a future version of himself in self-defense, which renders much of the above claims of his nobility and lack of pettiness null and void. In addition, it has been established that he can just as easily feed on stars or non-sentient cosmic energy sources instead of wiping out trillions of sentient beings, yet only rarely does he seek out such sources.
** When he confronted Darkseid in a Marvel/DC crossover, he became outraged at Darkseid for the massive waste of life, throwing his Parademons and troops at Galactus knowing they didn't stand a chance ''and'' knowing that there ''was'' no life force on Apokolips for Galactus to feed on. He's mollified by Darkseid stating that he did it because it's in his nature - Galactus nods and states that he and Darkseid are NotSoDifferent: both are slaves to their basest drives.
** Galactus also has no love for Cyborg Superman either.
** Once he got to the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel universe and was confronted by its version of the Vision, he was disgusted and outright called the DarkerAndEdgier universe broken.
* EvenMoreOmnipotent: Whenever the Silver Surfer rebels, Galactus just [[NoSell No Sells]] all of his attacks. Or when any being he bequeathed with the Power Cosmic tries the same - it's surprisingly common. Galactus is able to take back their powers at will or override any actions they attempt to take.
* EvilIsBigger: They don't get much bigger than Galactus, who is approximately the size of a planet.
* EvilerThanThou: Doctor Doom running into the barrier Galactus created to keep the Silver Surfer from leaving Earth caused Galactus to notice him. He scanned Doom, decided he wasn't worth his attention, stripped him of the Silver Surfer's stolen powers and sent him back to Latveria.
* ExactWords: Galactus is a RulesLawyer and will honor the ''word'' of any pact he makes.
** When the [[ComicBook/RomSpaceknight Space Knights]] offered a deal for him to feed on the [[EldritchLocation Dark Nebula]] instead of their planet, Galactus kept up his end of the deal to spare their planet and keep their world from falling into the Dark Nebula even though he was under no obligation to. But he saved the planet by moving it to a location the Space Knights didn't know about.
** In a wider sense, this applies to Galactus's unique diet of planets. Specifically speaking, he has to drain the "bioenergy," or life-sustaining capabilities, of worlds. But there doesn't have to be life ''on'' the planet at the time--it just has to be capable of someday supporting it. Writers will often use this to HandWave why the Fantastic Four are helping an entity that eats entire planets--the heroes specifically try to send him to uninhabited worlds for his meals.
* EyeBeams: One of Galactus's most deadly attacks. In ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance'', Galactus immediately knocks down any player character who attempts to fly with these.
* TheFaceless: [[http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/0/378/98308-147721-galactus.jpg He does have a face]], but he's far more recognizable with that helmet on.
* [[{{UsefulNotes/FermiParadox}} Fermi Paradox]]: Reed Richards's answer to this paradox is [[spoiler: PlanetEater]] Galactus.
* FluffyTheTerrible: In Latin America, [[DubNameChange he was renamed]] Alberto El Hambriento (Literally Albert The Hungry).
* ForegoneConclusion: InUniverse. In ''The Hunger'', Galactus tells Darkseid he knows Norrin Radd will someday regain his memory and turn on him, and that it'll be a difficult time for him. He isn't particularly upset about it, just knows it's going to happen and there's nothing he'll be able to do about it.
* FusionDance: Before anything else Galactus is arguably a fusion of the last universe's Eternity, maybe the equivalent of the Phoenix Force and the last known surviving mortal Galan of Taa.
** Galactus is sucked into the Ultimate Marvel Universe when Wolverine breaks reality during the ''Age of Ultron'' event, and is attacked by his counterpart Gah Lak Tus, which tries to eat and ends up fusing with him, creating an even more powerful and ravenous entity.
** There is also Galactiac from the ''ComicBook/AmalgamUniverse'' when the Marvel universe fused with the [[Creator/DCComics DC universe]], a fusion of Galactus and ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Although he is sometimes depicted with BlackEyesOfCrazy and/or ElectronicEyes.
* GreenLanternRing: The Power Cosmic, as the name implies, can do just about anything. It's a lot more limited in the hands of other beings, who haven't had billions of years to perfect their technique.
* HandBlast: Galactus can project powerful energy blasts from his hands capable of knocking ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} off his feet.
* HatesBeingAlone: While often solitary and can't really interact with most any other being in the universe as an equal, Galactus actively fears and dreads the prospect of being the last living thing in existence. Keep in mind the guy's been alive since the dawn of creation and spent billions of years alone until life and other cosmic beings came into the picture. He's secretly elated when he finds out that Franklin Richards will be there with him when the last light goes out and after all other life has gone billions of years before that. [[spoiler:Unless the One Below All has his way in which case, neither of them will be there to see it.]]
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Even leaving aside the fact that he's generally considered a force of nature, and AboveGoodAndEvil, he makes an apparent HeelFaceTurn as the Life-Bringer. However, as Carol Danvers points out in the second volume of ''The Ultimates'' when he recruits the titular team and assures them of his benevolence, he might be benevolent now, but there's no guarantee it'll last - StatusQuoIsGod and all that. Galactus, who's been worrying about that very problem, is struck silent and admits he can't guarantee that the wind will always blow in their direction (however, even after he's reverted to normal and Doctor Doom unwisely tries to use him as a giant battery, he still leaves Earth alone, with Reed noting that he gave his word).
* HeelFaceTurn: As the Life-Bringer, he's cured of the Cosmic Hunger and no longer feeds on planets, instead restoring them. As such he's now a force for good (he even recruits two new teams of Ultimates to help protect the universe), and he won't go back to the old status quo without a fight. He does, eventually, but some of the CharacterDevelopment seems to stick. Some.
* HolierThanThou: Often displays this attitude. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in his case though, as he indeed is a natural part of the Cosmic Balance, in contrary to many self-proclaimed Gods. His mere existance also keeps Abraxas at bay, a far worse entity.
* HumanAlien: As [[WasOnceAMan Galan]].
* HumanoidAbomination: As seen by humans. Other races see him... differently. See YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm.
** [[ComicBook/TheUnbeatableSquirrelGirl Squirrel Girl's]] sciurine sidekick, Tippy-Toe, sees him as an enormous squirrel.
* HyperAwareness: The Cosmic Awareness, which Galactus shares with his Heralds.
* IGaveMyWord:
** After his life was saved by Reed Richards, he promised never to attack Earth again, a promise he's kept thus far, even in the face of provocation. He's even come to the planet's defense.
** He also gave his word regarding sparing Zenn La in exchange for Norrin Rad's servitude as his herald. He erased the Surfer's memories so he no longer had any attachment to his planet, but still kept his end of the deal. After [[spoiler:the Surfer dies]], Galactus vows that neither he nor anyone else will ever harm the planet.
** When Galactus attempted to devour the homeworld of the Space Knights, while it was falling towards the Dark Nebula, the home of their enemies the Dire Wraiths, the Space Knights cut a deal with Galactus to feed on the Dark Nebula instead in exchange for sparring their world. [[TooSpicyForYogSothoth Galactus couldn't feed on the Dark Nebula]], but nonetheless kept his word to spare the Space Knight's planet even though nothing was stopping him from feeding on it.
* InherentInTheSystem: Not only does he serve as a force to fix the natural imbalance between Eternity and Death, but destroying him would result in unleashing a much more dangerous MultiversalConqueror on the Universe.
* JokerImmunity: Well, he isn't really a ''villain' per se as much as an incredibly dangerous force of nature, but nevertheless applies. {{Justified}} too, since his continued existence is necessary for the stability of the entire universe.
* TheJuggernaut: The best Marvel's heavy hitters can typically do is slow him down, not actually beat him. Advanced civilizations can't even do that. Most cosmic entities have stalemated him at best.
* LargeHam: One of the biggest in Marvel (except during his Life-Bringer period, and even then, he had his moments). His dialogue in written entirely in capitalized letters, and usually for very good reason.
---> "I am Galactus-- and I hunger!"
** HamToHamCombat: His fight with Mephisto, along with an evenly matched clash of power, the two equally hammed up the scenery in their verbal clash. Likewise, when he confronts the ''Phoenix Saga'' era Phoenix in ''Generations'', the two being more or less evenly matched, both go all out - both in power and ChewingTheScenery.
* LastOfHisKind: Galactus is the sole survivor of a universe destroyed by the Big Bang. [[SubvertedTrope However, he recently conceived a daughter]] [[spoiler: and she's pregnant]].
* LifeEnergy: The life energy of planets is what keeps Galactus alive.
* MechaMooks: His Punisher robots.
* MindOverMatter: Not often used, but he can throw planetoids with it.
* MisterSeahorse: Oddly enough.
* NaturalEndOfTime: As Galan, he lived during the end of the previous universe and traveled with a shapeship in hopes of his crew surviving. This failed, but he merged with the dying Sentience of the Universe to be reborn in the current Marvel Universe. It's suggested that [[ComicBook/GreatLakesAvengers Mr Immortal]] will play the same role when the current universe reaches its end, and be reborn as the Galactus equivalent in the next universe.
* NoSell: [[NighInvulnerability In a big way]]. Examples are innumerable, while exceptions can probably be counted on the fingers of one hand.
* NobleDemon: He will honor his word.
* NonStandardGameOver: He delivers one in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' if he defeats you. End result: The worlds of Marvel and Creator/{{Capcom}} are [[ItsAWonderfulFailure destroyed]].
* OneHitKO: In ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'', Galactus will start using an instant knock-out attack when he's low on health. The only way to avoid it is to stun him before he can complete the long charge time for the attack.
* OneTrackMindedHunger: Galactus himself. His hunger defines his character, and it's pretty much the only thing he ever does, his Life-Bringer phase being the main exception (and even that had a lot of him worrying about reverting/being reverted to his old self).
* OnlyFriend: Galactus' first post-[[ComicBook/SilverSurfer Surfer]] Herald was the Xandarian Gabriel Lan, called the Air-Walker. He and Galactus became friends and Lan ended up sacrificing himself to buy a severely malnourished Galactus the time needed to escape from a race of aliens that might have been able to destroy him. Its been insinuated many times that Galactus regrets not being able to save Lan's life.
** He comes to consider the new Ultimates team his friends after teaming up with them during his Life-Bringer period, and like Lan, he considered Conner Sims a.k.a. Anti-Man, his Herald of Life, a friend, and mourned him when he performed a HeroicSacrifice to save him, determined that his sacrifice wouldn't be in vain.
* ParentalAbandonment: After creating Galacta and placing her on Earth, Galactus left for parts unknown to continue his own existence, with no intention of watching over how she developed. Galacta doesn't enjoy the fact that she's related to him. In fact she outright hates him because of what he does. However, in her greatest moment of need, Galactus shows Galacta that he still cares for her with what he would consider to be unconditional love by saving her from death by starvation.
* PetTheDog:
** As mentioned above, he does care for his daughter. Saving her from starvation involved sacrificing some of his energy - which means making his own hunger ''even worse''. All for her.
** His treatment of Conner Sims a.k.a. Anti-Man, who was rather less than sane thanks to being continuously bombarded with a form of cosmic awareness, turning him into his Herald of Life, and mourning him after Sims performed a HeroicSacrifice to save him.
* PhysicalGod: Most of Marvel's standard [[PhysicalGod Physical Gods]] need to ZergRush him to stand half a chance.
* PlanetEater: Very likely the TropeMaker.
* PlanetSpaceship: Taa II, the Worldship belonging to Galactus, and named after his ravaged homeland Taa, is the size of a solar system.
* PowerEchoes: How adaptions portray his voice.
* PowerLimiter:
** The Ultimate Nullifier, which was once part of him and which he sealed away from himself because he feared it's power and destruction.
** There's also his own armor, which serves as a self-imposed Power Limiter. The power inside Galactus is so overwhelming that he needs the armor to control it, and if he were to ever remove it, he'd be consumed from within and turned into a small star.
* PowersDoTheFighting: Relies almost entirely on the Power Cosmic and rarely uses his hands when fighting.
* PsychicPowers: Has both {{Telepathy}} and [[MindOverMatter Telekinesis]] powers.
** [[ComicBook/XMen Professor X]] barely managed to rouse his attention in the ComicBook/SecretWars1984, whereas Moondragon and Thanos almost managed to overcome him in Thanos' own series.
* PurpleProse: Galactus often speaks like this, especially during the Jack Kirby years or the ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} crossover.
* RealityWarper: Being a cosmic being, Galactus was able to recreate the entire planet Zen-La, including population, etc. in every detail.
* RedemptionPromotion: Part of the attempts to avert him suffering TheWorfEffect also had a break from the status quo and had him become the Life-bringer. As he's cured of the Cosmic Hunger, Galactus is even more powerful, and when confronted by Lord Chaos and Master Order try to force him back to his old self, both of whom were considered to be stronger than him before, he punched the teeth out of the latter.
* ResetButton: The one time we do see the Ultimate Nullifier used in the mainstream universe it erased its target, Abraxas, along with the ''entire multiverse'', yet everything is recreated to before Galactus' death effectively undoing it all.
* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: We are constantly told that Taa II (Galactus' worldship) is the size of a solar system. If so, no comic book artist has ever ''really'' done it justice. And how could they? Fitting it into a panel would shrink even Jupiter to invisibility by comparison.
* SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan: Galactus is the can holding OmnicidalManiac Abraxas sealed; he's so incredibly hungry that he needs to eat planets because most of his energy is going to keeping Abraxas locked up, and, as bad as Galactus is, Abraxas is ''worse''. In another sense, the Galactus armor itself is a can; Galactus is said to look differently to each race that perceives him, and outside of the armor he's basically a blob of energy.
* SizeShifter: His physical size directly reflects his own strength and power. A severely weakened Galactus will be relatively humanoid in size.
* SplashPanel: Dr. Strange explained it in ''ComicBook/SergioAragonesMassacresMarvel'': "He has it in his contract. The first time he appears in a story, he has to get a '''full-page panel'''! He must have Mike Ovitz as his agent"
* StrongAsTheyNeedToBe: In his case, as much he has eaten. When starving even normally far weaker beings can hurt him, and the Thing once knocked him out. When he is fed however, he is extremely formidable, being able to destroy several solar systems in a single attack, during his fight with Tyrant it was even said that entire galaxies were destroyed and it is generally accepted that a fully-fed Galactus is on par with Eternity. Between that, it varies depending on the story.
* SufficientlyAdvancedAlien: Even taking into fact he was once a man who became an energy being, most of Galactus's power really comes from technology. His form is encased in a special suit and even his planet eating is done with machinery. He apparently doesn't need his toys but survival would be a lot more difficult for him without them. Basically, the Taa II (his ship) lets him travel without using his own power, and the extraction machines he uses to drain planets are more efficient than he is.
* SummonBiggerFish: How he's typically used when he isn't used a villain.
* SummonToHand: As an aspect of him Galactus could summon his Ultimate Nullifier out of Abraxas' hands. Why he never did that under any other circumstance is a mystery.
* SuperEmpowering:
** The Heralds of Galactus receive a portion of the Power Cosmic while they serve, usually granting them access to power greater than the majority of most Earth-based heroes. To put it another way, in the Galactus/Darkseid crossover ''The Hunger'', the Silver Surfer hit a severely weakened Galactus with a full-power blast. Galactus shrugged it off like it was nothing and proceeded to beat the Surfer down in the dirt.
** UpToEleven when Galactus made ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' his Herald. Yes, a demigod superhero endowed with godlike cosmic power. Cyborg Superman wanted this power for his own, but Galactus immediately knew he was unfit. He did grant him "perfection" - unfortunately for Cyborg Superman, he used ExactWords and turned him into a brick of metal, a ''perfect'' alloy with no imperfections.
** Was on the receiving end of this when a Franklin Richards from the future empowered ''him'' as his Herald to combat the Mad Celestials.
* SuperheroSobriquets: The Devourer of Worlds, the World Eater, the Ravager of Planets, the God of Genocide etc.
* SuperStrength: Virtually unlimited thanks to the Power Cosmic.
* SuperWeight: Level 6, although where exactly depends on how well-sustained he is.
* TalkToTheFist: When Order and Chaos chastise him for going against his Devourer of Worlds to be the Life-bringer and that, sooner or later, he'll go back to being his previous role, Galactus responds by punching Order in the teeth. However, this is also noted as being more metaphorical than literal, since they were fighting on a level of metaphor.
* {{Teleportation}}: Galactus can teleport not only himself, but entire planets, such as Galador, if he chooses.
* ThirdPersonPerson: Frequently refers to himself as "Galactus" mid-speech.
* ThisWasHisTrueForm: Galactus is in truth an EnergyBeing who only looks like whatever mortal mind is currently observing him. This is often ignored in parallel universe and alternate timelines, where his death leaves static and physical remains in his iconic getup, but his first death in the mainstream universe lead to his body exploding into a second sun for the Shi'ar homeworld.
* TimeAbyss: Older than the current universe by a slim margin. "The Last Galactus Story", which was never finished, and happens within an unofficial alternative future, states that his ultimate fate is to restart the universe with a new big bang.
* TookALevelInBadass: It might seem impossible seeing how godlike he already was to begin with, but due to the fact that he had suffered quite a bit from TheWorfEffect in recent years, the writers' attempts at CharacterRerailment have resulted in this:
** First, he gets dropped off in the Ultimate universe and fuses with his Earth-1610 version.
** Then,after the events of ''Secret Wars'', the Ultimates "reversed" him ridding him of his [[WorfHadTheFlu hunger]] and turning him into a life-giver. This has upped his position in the cosmic foodchain a bit to boot.
* TooSpicyForYogSothoth: The main canon and various continuities have all occasionally depicted him consuming something too volatile for him keep down. Poppup and the Dire Wraith homeworld gave him indigestion, as well as the Elders of the Universe since they were [[CompleteImmortality banished from Death's domain]].
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Mmmm... Planets. Yummy, delicious, life-sustaining planets.
* TrappedInAnotherWorld: After ComicBook/AgeOfUltron, he has found himself in the Ultimate Universe.
* TrulySingleParent: Galactus created Galacta spontaneously from the Power Cosmic within him. [[spoiler:Unbeknownest to her, she had the same capacity, which has already triggered and created the "Tapeworm" that drives her hunger.]]
* UltimateUniverse: Is portrayed as a fleet of sentient ships called Gah-Lak-Tus in Earth 1610 who hate all organic life with a passion. Galactus himself merges with them after the events of ''ComicBook/AgeOfUltron'' tore up reality.
* UniquenessDecay: Jack Kirby never intended for Galactus to be used past the first story he appeared in. He objected to all the character background later given for Galactus as well as the characterization for ComicBook/SilverSurfer in later stories. He wanted Galactus and his herald to remain a mystery and felt that overexposure and excessive character development would undermine the character's effect. Given that there are so many "gods" and other cosmic entities in the Marvel Universe, not to mention ones that are explicitly world eaters as well, he was right. Only in recent years have writers attempted to restore Galactus position in the grand scheme of things, and even then Galactus will always be more of a character than a true mysterious force of nature as he was intended to be.
** To an indirect extent, his Ultimate Nullifier has also shown up in ''many'' hands over the years with little explanation. Only very few of them have been denounced as fakes.
* UnskilledButStrong: He is extremely powerful, but his fighting skill is average at best. This is noted in his official power ratings, which lists every stat as 7 except for fighting skill, which is listed as a 2.
* WasOnceAMan: Before merging with the Power Cosmic.
* WeaponOfMassDestruction: During ''ComicBook/{{Annihilation}}'', Annihilus planned to turn Galactus into a cosmic bomb capable of destroying all life in the universe and the Negative Zone. Annihilus was able to capture Galactus because he'd acquired the aid of two of the oldest cosmic beings, each individually ''almost'' as powerful as Galactus is.
* WorldOfHam: When Galactus encounters the New Gods, PurpleProse and dramatic posturing goes UpToEleven. (Which makes sense, as both are Creator/JackKirby creations.)
* TheWorfEffect: Being a very recognizable, incredibly powerful character, Galactus has a tendency to be the one to suffer in order to establish that the new cosmic bad guy is a serious threat.
** Amazingly subverted when, after an entire storyline of beating established characters like [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]], [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]], and the ComicBook/SilverSurfer, ComicBook/RedHulk was dismissively one-shotted by him.
** ''Franchise/{{Superman}} / ComicBook/FantasticFour: The Infinite Destruction'' had Galactus making Franchise/{{Superman}} his Herald. His hold wasn't as strong as it was on others, however.
** WorfHadTheFlu: Often handwaved by other writers by saying that Galactus hadn't fed off any planets in a while at the time when he was getting Worfed and wasn't at full strength.
** ''ComicBook/JLAAvengers'': Krona kills Galactus in a few seconds, and turned into his ''house''. Justified, as Krona is a ''universe destroyer''. Galactus revives after Krona is dispatched, though.
* WorthyOpponent: Despite their antagonism after the Silver Surfer's rebellion, he deeply respects Norrin Radd for the sacrifice he made for his planet. Especially evident in ''Silver Surfer: Requiem'', where Galactus seems to basically regard himself and the surfer as a father and son who had a fall-out, [[spoiler:even comforting the Surfer in his last moments.]]
* WowingCthulhu: Those who are able to impress him or gain his respect are made his heralds. Silver Surfer is the prime example. Golden Oldie aka Aunt May is another.
* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: The giant man with a weird helmet you see? That's only how your mind ''interprets'' what you are seeing. Every species in the Universe sees him differently because what he really looks like is beyond our understanding. An image of what various races interpret Galactus to look like is currently our page image.
** From ''Fantastic Four V1 #262''.
--> '''Narrator''': A million and more alien eyes look upon him who is Galactus, and for each race the vision differs. For Galactus is truly no longer a being in the absolute, physical sense. He is as Odin named him, a force of nature. And each mind that views him struggles as best it can to perceive that unguessable force as an image it can comprehend.
** Galan is/was humanoid, so the Galactus that ''we'' see is perhaps closest to the real deal. Or perhaps we just ''[[AFormYouAreComfortableWith saw]]'' him as a humanoid.
** Given that when ComicBook/SquirrelGirl faced off against him, her companion Tippy Toe saw him as a gigantic squirrel, it may instead be AFormYouAreComfortableWith
* YouKillItYouBoughtIt: In a What If where Uatu killed Galactus himself, he's punished by being forced to take his place.
----

!This character appears in the following works:

!!Tropes in these series include:

* ExactWords: Galactus is a RulesLawyer and will honor the ''word'' of any pact he makes.

** He also gave his word regarding sparing Zenn La in exchange for Norrin Rad's servitude as his herald. After [[spoiler:the Surfer dies]], Galactus vows that neither he nor anyone else will ever harm the planet.

* BreakoutVillain: He started out as [[TheWorldIsAlwaysDoomed just another threat from space:]] nowadays he rates just behind SelfDemonstrating/DoctorDoom as Marvel's most famous villain.