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Edited by Mrph1 on Jul 29th 2024 at 3:09:00 PM
The biggest struggle is that when depicting a cosmic-level force, reducing it down to a Nigh-Invulnerable giant or monster makes it feel plain. When something is physical you feel as though you can fight it. If an entity has no defined shape it feels more like a force of nature, how do you fight the ocean or a wind storm? But when you create a character in the abstract like that it becomes more difficult to see them as having a consciousness, that they are more than just a mindless entity.
The solution is probably to do something in the middle, a physical form you can comprehend but who has influence that goes beyond that form in something of a Battle Aura. I believe in Rise of the Silver Surfer it was intended to show the form of the comics Galactus inside the cloud. I consider Parallax in GL as slightly better if only because it was shown as being a self-aware threat directly attacking planets and the heroes, and was given a recognizable face even as its body changed size.
But consider also something like Dr. Manhattan from Watchmen (book or movie), where his powers come with a radically different point of view of the universe "I have walked on the surface of the sun..." Galactus needs a Blue-and-Orange Morality characterization to be more important than what it looks like.
Imo, the problem with Galactus is a narrative one, not a power scaling one. Galactus is a cosmic force of nature, a balancing agent that has existed in this form as long as the universe itself (he's actually older, but he wasn't Galactus before that point). He has cosmic powers to boggle the mind, from matter manipulation and energy projection to temporal manipuation and powers over the laws of physics. He's a god, and all that implies, with a complicated and fascinating niche int the cosmos and has had a role both malevolent or otherwise in many of the universe's most pivotal moments.
But the thing is, most adaptations that feature Galactus are from the point of view of a character who isn't a cosmic actor who would interface with him in that way. Usually, it's just an Earthling hero with their own stories in their own backyard who just happens to be on the wrong end of his hunger. And to an Earthling, Galactus is just a big powerful monster showing up to destroy the planet, with no context for the greater implications and little way for a movie to organically insert it if it's primary focus is that hero's story.
That's why the typical Galactus story in adaptations usually has him significantly less nuanced and interesting than he is in the comics - because the comics can flesh him out and use him in a variety of ways, while a tv series has somewhat less of the luxury of variety and movies especially have basically none.
So in short, if they're going to really showcase Galactus, they need to introduce him as a cosmic character from the get-go rather than as a threat first. If Guardians wasn't already going in an Adam Warlocky direction for it's final movie, I'd say do it there. Have them meet this giant force in the universe that nobody is supposed to mess with, and play Galactus up as a force of nature rather than a villain or even a character: an ancient being they cannot truly interact, but must act around, etc - neither helpful nor harmful, except for those in the way.
edited 8th Apr '18 6:50:33 PM by KnownUnknown
Guardians has given us so many giant space men that drawing the line at Galactus seems weird
Although I'd love to see a movie about Galactus played out like a disaster movie
Forever liveblogging the AvengersNot gonna lie. I really, really, really like the idea of a scene where characters come to meet this great, unknowable cosmic force, and to their surprise find a man the size of a star. With good cinematography, a scene like that would be gorgeous.
I keep imagining something like this, but mixed with the reveal of the Death Star from A New Hope. Something so big and terrifying it just comes off as alien, even if it's bizarre.
edited 8th Apr '18 10:20:24 PM by KnownUnknown
If he survives, I expect him to retire in-universe.
edited 10th Apr '18 1:16:20 PM by Spinosegnosaurus77
Peace is the only battle worth waging.Hawkeye shoulda died in Ao U; I’m fine with him dying and would love to get Kate Bishop. Also a good chance to improve MCU diversity by casting an Asian-American or Latina Kate Bishop.

Do you know that hazy atmospheric effect when something is unfathomably big on the horizon?
I want to see that
I want to see a mind boggling large purple man from miles away.
Millions will tremble before his pink armor
edited 8th Apr '18 6:25:37 PM by Bocaj
Forever liveblogging the Avengers