The Heralds of Galactus
The Heralds of Galactus are responsible for finding suitable planets for the Devourer to consume, eliminating the planet's defenses, and protecting Galactus while he feeds. Possessing a portion of the Power Cosmic, giving them powers on par with a Physical God, the Heralds are some of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe. The most well known Herald is the Silver Surfer, who made his debut in Fantastic Four #48. Other characters who have served as Herald include Johnny Storm, the Asgardian Destroyer, Dazzler, Aunt May, Deadpool, and Superman in the non-canon crossover Superman/Fantastic Four: The Infinite Destruction.
- All Just A Dream Within a Dream Within a Dream Within a Dream: Aunt May's term as a Herald. Granted, while the cover proclaimed, "Not a hoax! Not a What If?! Not an imaginary story!" it didn't say, "Not a dream!"
- Batman Can Breathe in Space: As servants of Galactus, they need to go find other worlds. As such they empowered by power cosmic to survive in space, some need it more than other.
- Casual Interstellar Travel: The Power Cosmic lets them travel through space effortlessly.
- The Dragon: To Galactus.
- Earth-Shattering Kaboom: The Heralds possess the power to destroy planets with energy blasts or, Depending on the Writer, pure physical strength.
- Energy Absorption: All of them to a degree, but Silver Surfer deserves a big mention.
- Flying Brick: All of the powers given to them by the Power Cosmic.
- Hand Blast: One of the more common attacks used by the Heralds, especially those without weapons.
- High Turnover Rate: Considering that Comic-Book Time demands that it's only been fifteen years or so, in-universe, since Galactus first attacked Earth and the Silver Surfer quit, the sheer number of heralds this multi-billion year old entity has hired, empowered, and then lost while leaving their powers intact during that time is... surprising.
- Hyper-Awareness: The Cosmic Awareness.
- Monochromatic Eyes: Generally white or yellow.
- Mook–Face Turn: Much to Galactus' chagrin, all of his Heralds who haven't died in service or been stolen like Air Walker and the Destroyer have been figures possessing a morality that led them to leave Galactus' service out of repugnance of the nature of Galactus' feeding. He tried to choose a Herald like Terrax whose evil power hungry amoral outlook would not be disturbed by the work, but was betrayed anyway because the herald was evil and power hungry.
- Nigh-Invulnerable: The various Heralds have shown the ability to withstand incredible punishment, including planet-destroying blows from Beta Ray Bill.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: The eyes of the Heralds tend to turn red while using the Power Cosmic.
- Super-Reflexes: Very high, although this is Depending on the Writer as Badass Normals somehow sneak on them.
- Super-Senses: Extremely high senses, which is a requirement given that they are supposed to find planets.
- Super-Speed: In and out of combat they move and react at lightspeed.
- Super-Strength: The Heralds can match strength with heroes like Thor, Hercules, and Beta Ray Bill. In Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus #1, Terrax was powerful enough to slice a planet in half with his axe.
- Swiss-Army Superpower: The Power Cosmic.
Members
The Fallen One
Making his debut in Thanos #11, the Fallen One is Galactus's first attempt at creating a Herald. Powered by dark energy instead of the Power Cosmic, the experiment proved to be a failure as the Fallen One was both insane and power hungry. Cast out by Galactus, the Fallen One continuously attacked his former master until being locked in the intergalactic maximum security prison known as the Kyln.
- Ax-Crazy: Saying he lacks rationality is an understatement.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Thanos turned him into his herald via mind control after defeating him.
- Loss of Identity: Loss his identity long ago when he embraced madness.
- Person of Mass Destruction: A vicious cosmic ravager and powerful enough to give Thanos some trouble in their fight.
- Psycho Prototype: One of the first servants of Galactus, but cast aside when Dark energy ruined him.
- Retcon: The Silver Surfer was considered the first Herald until the creation of the Fallen One.
- Small Role, Big Impact: He's only a bit player in the Annihilation storyline, but he's responsible for Peter Quill's Cynicism Catalyst, as he was forced to sacrifice a whole planet and its people in order to stop the Fallen One's rampage in the past, which led to Quill rejecting the title of Star-Lord and become a prisoner in the Kyln.
Silver Surfer
The most well known Herald of Galactus, The Silver Surfer made his first appearance in "The Fantastic Four #48"
See his page for more info.
Gabriel the Air-Walker
Alter Ego: Gabriel
Notable Aliases:
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #120 (March, 1972)
The 3rd Herald of Galactus, the Air-Walker made his first appearance in Fantastic Four #120. Once the Captain of the exploratory starship Way-Opener, Gabriel Lan was abducted by Galactus and willingly transformed into a Herald after the Devourer of Worlds explains his actions. Ever devoted to his master, to the point of being Galactus's only real friend, Gabriel served until being killed in battle with the Ovoids. In response, Galactus transfers Gabriel's soul into an android duplicate. Unsatisfied with his creation, Galactus sends the android Air-Walker to Earth in an attempt to lure the Silver Surfer back into his service.
- The Captain: He was the Captain of the Way-Opener before he became a Herald of Galactus along with his former status as a high-ranking member of the Nova Corps.
- The Chosen Many: He and Firelord are former members of the Nova Corps.
- Hostile Terraforming: The 2018 miniseries about the Black Order revolves around his bow being used by a galactic tyrant. He used it to transmute planets to be ultra nutritious for Galactus while at the same time pacifying the populace. The tyrant modifies it to transmute a planet for resources to perpetually fuel his empire while brainwashing the citizens into obedience.
- Robotic Reveal: His soul was placed into a robot after his original self perished.
- Unexplained Recovery: After being destroyed during Annihilation, Gabriel would resurface during Herald Supreme, aiding Dr. Strange against his former master.
Firelord
Alter Ego: Pyreus Kril
Notable Aliases: Nova Centurion, Cosmic One
First Appearance: Thor #225 (July, 1974)
A graduate of the Nova Corps Academy, Firelord made his first appearance in Thor #225. Serving as the first officer on the Xandarian starship Way-Opener, Pyreus Kril assumed command of the ship after his close friend and Captain, Gabriel Lan, was taken by Galactus. Tracking Galactus down, Pyreus agreed to become a Herald in exchange for information on Gabriel's whereabouts. Galactus agreed, revealing that Gabriel died in battle just before transforming Pyreus into Firelord. Now a Herald, Firelord blames the Silver Surfer for Gabriel's death.
- Boom Stick: His Cosmic Staff, a near-indestructible staff five feet in length, the ends of which he keeps ablaze with his cosmic flame. He uses this fire-staff as a striking weapon and a celestial navigation aid. Firelord generally projects his cosmic flame through the stick rather than directly from his body.
- The Chosen Many: A former member of the Nova Corp.
- Doomed Hometown: The forces of Annihilus destroyed his home-world of Xandar during the Annihilation event.
- Flaming Hair: A literal example.
- Hot-Blooded: Easy to work in contrast to the Silver Surfer.
- Last of His Kind: In the wake of Annihilation Day, Pyreus is one of the two known living, flesh-and-blood Xandarians alongside Garthan Saal.
- Once Done, Never Forgotten: In-Universe and out, the fact he got thrashed by Spider-Man gets brought up once every few years.
- Playing with Fire: Firelord's primary use of the Power Cosmic is to manipulate cosmic energy in the form of stellar fire. He can project a stream of fire resembling a solar flare for distances measured in the hundreds of miles.
- Power Creep, Power Seep: That one infamous fight where he lost in a one-on-one battle with Spider-Man. To repeat, a cosmic-level entity who can casually conquer and destroy planets versus an enhanced human, and he couldn't even land a single hit on the wall-crawler as he was pummeled to the ground and nearly killed until the Avengers interrupted.
- The Power of the Sun: His entire organic carbon-based body was transformed to accommodate the nuclear energies that course through him. These energies make him the humanoid equivalent of a miniature sun.
- Revenge:
- After the Annihilation war, he seeks vengeance against the remnants of the forces of Annihilus as they destroyed his home-world of Xandar.
- Before that, he chased Nebula for doing the same thing to Xandar.
- Strong as They Need to Be: In one Spider-Man issue, two kids nearly get accidentally killed by Firelord. Spidey loses his cool - and proceeds to pound Firelord into the pavement, punctuating every barrage of fists with statements on the order of "Hey, you don't attack kids!" It takes the arrival of Captain America and The Avengers to snap him out, by which time Firelord is flat on his back, eyes crossed, and dazed for quite a while. Just to elaborate, Firelord is a being on a power level roughly equal to Thor or the Silver Surfer and leagues above the power level of Spidey or any of his usual foes.
- Trademark Favorite Food: He absolutely loves pizza.
- Villains Out Shopping: In one issue Firelord comes to Earth. The first thing he decides to do is go enjoy a pizza, which is apparently a delicacy of interstellar fame. Things do quickly go south after he responds to the cook's protest that the oven is not yet hot by melting the oven with his Eye Beams.
- Wreathed in Flames: His general form.
Terrax the Tamer
Alter Ego: Tyros
Notable Aliases: The Tamer, Stone Dome, Tyros the Terrible
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #211 (October, 1979)
Originally Tyros, the ruler of the city-state Lanlak on the planetoid Birj, Terrax made his first appearance in Fantastic Four #211. Possessing the mutant power to manipulate the earth, Tyros was transformed into a Herald of Galactus after being defeated by the Fantastic Four. Maintaining a grudge against the Four for their role in his transformation, Terrax attacks the heroes after accompanying Galactus to Earth to combat the growing threat of the Sphinx.
- Back from the Dead: Has died and revived multiple times.
- Black Shirt: Wears one, and isn’t as fleshed it out in comparison to the Surfer.
- De-power: Several times when his ambition grew too large.
- Dishing Out Dirt: He possessed the natural mutant ability of geokinesis, enhanced by Galactus transformation at least a hundredfold. Terrax can move planetary masses up to 100 miles in diameter. He can move asteroids of 10 miles in diameter at speeds of up to thousands of miles per hour. The farther the distance, however, the less mass he is able to affect.
- Evil Overlord: Tyros was originally the dictator of the small city-state Lanlak (originally called Terran) on the world of Birj, a moon of the gas giant Marman in a solar system eighty thousand light years from Earth.
- Meaningful Name: Terr- (shortened from Terra, meaning Earth) -Ax (his weapon of choice).
- Mutants: His form.
- Unwilling Volunteer: Didn’t want to be a servant of Galactus.
- The Worf Effect: Often, once a powerful warrior of Galactus, to now a punching bag for the villain of the week or superhero teams.
Nova (Frankie Raye)
Just a 14 year old girl when she was accidentally exposed to the chemicals that gave her fire-based powers, Frankie Raye had her memories hypnotically repressed by her stepfather, Professor Phineas Horton. In addition, Professor Horton gave his stepdaughter a severe fear of fire to prevent her from subconsciously activating her powers. With no memory of her accident, Frankie grew up to be an interpreter for the United Nations. After meeting Johnny Storm in a singles bar, the two start dating until her memories begin to resurface after Johnny uses his own fire-based powers in front of her. Eventually Frankie learns the truth about her past with the help of Reed Richards, which allows her to begin training alongside him and the rest of the Fantastic Four once she overcame her stepfather's hypnotic manipulations.
Working with the Fantastic Four, Frankie used the name Human Torch along with her boyfriend. Though their relationship was strained by the revelation of her fire-based powers, Frankie and Johnny grew closer until the unexpected arrival of Terrax. Curious about the newcomer, Frankie does some research and learns about the Silver Surfer and the sacrifice he made to save his homeworld. With Galactus starving, Frankie volunteered to become his Herald if the Devourer spared the Earth. Agreeing, Galactus transforms Frankie into his newest Herald: Nova.
- Atomic Superpower: Frankie has the ability to manipulate cosmic radiation. Her entire organic carbon-based body was transformed to accommodate the nuclear energies that course through her. These energies make her the humanoid equivalent of a miniature sun.
- The Bus Came Back: After not being seen since her resurrection and Fusion Dance, she was recruited by The Fearless Defenders to fight off the Doom Maidens.
- Fiery Sensuality: Frankie is an extremely attractive woman with fire powers. Prior to her death, she was romantically engaged with numerous male cosmic heroes like Firelord and even Silver Surfer for a brief time.
- Flaming Hair: Nova is a literal Fiery Redhead.
- Freak Lab Accident: Nova got her powers after being exposed to the same chemicals as Jim Hammond, the original Human Torch.
- Freak Out: She initially didn't know Johnny Storm was the Human Torch, and was a little startled when he flamed on right in front of her to fight the Crusader.
- Most Common Superpower: Pretty well endowed.
- Muggle: What she started off as, one of Johnny's numerous girlfriends. Then came the revelations...
- Nonhumans Lack Attributes: Nova's Herald body is similar to the Silver Surfer's: smooth and shiny.
- Playing with Fire: The same as her predecessors, although with a more cosmic twist to it.
- Seeks Another's Resurrection: At some point after Frankie Raye's death, the Surfer came upon a young girl that resembled her in Nevada named Frances Hyatt, and imbued her with a portion of Frankie's soul in an apparent attempt to have some part of her live on. Years later an incident causes her to be united with Nova's Power Cosmic, and she has reluctantly become Supernova.
- Stealth Pun: Introduced as one of the Human Torch's girlfriends; Frankie and Johnny
. - Tomboyish Name: Frankie is just as often a boy's name.
- Wreathed in Flames: Her superpowered appearance.
Morg the Executioner
A heartless, brutal court executioner from the planet Caraner, Morg was selected to be a Herald after showing no fear when Galactus came to consume his planet. Lacking the conscience of his predecessors, Morg willingly led the hungry Galactus to inhabited planets, including the planet Bastion, where Morg augmented his portion of the Power Cosmic with mystical energy from the Well of Life. Angered, the Silver Surfer and several former Heralds confront Morg for his actions but cannot defeat him. Desperate, the Surfer convinces Galactus that Morg is too dangerous, so the Devourer agrees to enter the fray. While the Surfer is away, Morg kills Nova and wounds Firelord, Terrax, and Air-Walker. Angered by the loss of Nova, Galactus strips Morg of the Power Cosmic and takes Firelord and Air-Walker as his temporary Heralds.
Secretly resurrected by Galactus, Morg is sent to confront Terrax, who stole the executioner's axe, only to be captured by the living machine known as Tyrant. Unable to free his Herald, Galactus leaves Morg in the hands of Tyrant, who siphons away part of the Power Cosmic. Finally escaping from Tyrant on his own, Morg returns to his master's side and becomes one of Galactus's more loyal Heralds. Some time later, Tyrant returns and attacks Galactus. Faced with the prospect of losing his master, Morg confronted the insane Tyrant with the Ultimate Nullifier aboard Galactus's ship. Melting Tyrant's body before attempting to escape, Morg is caught in the blast as the nullifier detonates and left severely wounded. Believing his master dead, Morg heals only to be defeated and, later, dissected by the forces of Annihilus during Annihilation.
- Ax-Crazy: Probably the most fierce and sadistic of the heralds.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: Captured and tortured to Death off-screen by Annihilus.
- Undying Loyalty: In contrast to nearly every servant of Galactus, he remained the most loyal and devoted of his followers. It’s Denconstructed as his loyalty to his master makes him blind, and performs cruel acts just to make sure people are aware of how great he is.
Red Shift
Almost nothing is known about Red Shift prior to his time as a Herald of Galactus. Wielding two swords that can cut holes in the fabric of space, Red Shift leads Galactus to Earth to feed only to encounter the Silver Surfer. Recognizing Red Shift as a wielder of the Power Cosmic, the Surfer defeats the new Herald by trapping him in a black hole. Later, during the Annihilation event, Red Shift is one of several Heralds targeted by the enormous fleet of starships known as the Annihilation Wave. Successfully stalemating the Wave with his cosmic allies, the United Front, Red Shift sacrifices himself by delaying a planet-scorching energy blast long enough for his allies to escape.
- Color Character: Red Shift.
- Dual Wielding: Two swords that can cut through space.
- Heroic Sacrifice: He sacrificed himself to delay a planet scorching blast.
- Identical Stranger: Red Shift is a dead ringer for Beta Ray Bill, though his creator claims it wasn't intentional.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: His outfit.
Stardust
Alter Ego: Lambda-Zero
Notable Aliases: Entity Lambda-Zero
First Appearance: Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill #1 (March, 2005)
Originally an Ethereal named Lambda-Zero, Stardust made her debut in Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill. Leading Galactus to feed on New Korbin, the home of Beta Ray Bill and the survivors of the Korbinite race, Stardust hunts down the remaining Korbinite fleet while Galactus consumes the planet. Battling Beta Ray Bill, Stardust accidentally releases a demonic creature called Asteroth. Bill and Stardust team up to defeat the creature before going their separate ways. Later, during Annihilation, Stardust is presumed lost after staying behind with Red Shift to delay a planet-scorching energy blast long enough for their allies to escape. An energy being, making her functionally immortal, Stardust reconstitutes herself and attempts to rejoin Galactus. Surprised to find the Silver Surfer back in the Devourer's service, Stardust willingly offers up the surviving Ethereal race to Galactus. Impressed, as no other Herald has ever given up his or her own people, Galactus names Stardust his second Herald.
- Ambiguous Gender: Lacking any gender specific features, Stardust was originally written as a male in her earliest appearances. Later writers would make Stardust female, reflected by her appearance in The Super Hero Squad Show voiced by Cheryl Hines.
- Double Weapon: Stardust wields a polearm with the head of an axe on one end and a curved spear tip on the other.
- Enemy Mine: With Silver Surfer.
- Energy Beings: The Ethereal race were energy beings.
- Eye Beams: Stardust can fire energy beams from all six of her eyes.
- Making a Splash: In The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Herald of Thunder
After Galactus crashed into Asgard, warning something called the Black Winter that was coming to kill everything, the Silver Surfer revealed the existence of five special planets scattered around the cosmos. If consumed by Galactus, these planets would make him more powerful than ever before. For this mission, Galactus turned Thor, the God of Thunder, into his new Herald.
See Thor Odinson for more information.
Cosmic Ghost Rider
A Herald of Galactus from an alternate far future, who's also the Spirit of Vengeance and The Punisher as well.
See Cosmic Ghost Rider for more information.
