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Edited by Mrph1 on Jul 29th 2024 at 3:09:00 PM
Galactus isn't even humanoid. That is just how humans perceive him
◊.
Characterizing Galactus as only a force of the universe kinds of ignore that he was also once human(at least a human-looking alien) that had to become Galactus so that the current universe could exist. He has sometimes(depending on writer) expressed guilt and willing to listen to reason. If any cosmic entities should act human, he should be that one. Compared to say, Death, who really shouldn't be going around seducing Thanos into doing what she wants when she's the physical embodiment of death across the universe.
Yeah, that is what he WAS. Galactus is an all-new entity from Galan. And I know that he could sometimes be reasoned with. I just like him better when he acts as a force of nature, not lowering himself to the needs of insects.
Certified: 48.0% West Asian, 6.5% South Asian, 15.8% North/West European, 15.7% English, 7.4% Balkan, 6.6% ScandinavianYou can call him tragic if you want, but he leans into his "necessity" with quite the passion, as I understand it. Also, his hunger requires "life force", and intelligent life is way up there on that scale, so either you have to have him constantly devastating primitive biospheres or killing intelligent beings. Having them be in "another universe" doesn't solve that problem from a moral perspective.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"He does have memories of being Galan though, and considering he has been defeated by or befriended human beings, he doesn't always view them as insects. He's not a Lovecraft god, and has questioned his place in the universe and tried solving his hunger in other ways. I like him better when he's not just a force of nature, because then it might as well just be a giant space cloud. I prefer his distant, arrogant God-like demeanor as him distancing himself from his horrific acts. He shouldn't be killed because he is necessary, he shouldn't be judged because his actions are natural part of how the universe functions, but the human elements make him more a character.
I feel like different Marvel writers have different ideas of what Galactus is, and they don't care if their interpretation contradicts a different writer, they'll just write Galactus however they want anyway. Of course, that applies to all characters in comics, but with Galactus it's a bit more noticeable because they can't even agree on what he fundamentally is.
Edited by PushoverMediaCritic on Jan 30th 2019 at 8:10:06 AM
I think him being a Blue-and-Orange Morality cosmic entity is pretty much consistent to all differing interpretations though.
I can't recall any example where he has been portrayed as a villain, in the classical sense.
Edited by Forenperser on Jan 30th 2019 at 4:12:04 PM
Certified: 48.0% West Asian, 6.5% South Asian, 15.8% North/West European, 15.7% English, 7.4% Balkan, 6.6% ScandinavianI'd rather they just go with the Eldritch Abomination angle that Kirby originally implied.
Make the whole deal a Cosmic Horror Story, don't explain where he came from or what he is. Lack of information is always much scarier than any backstory the writers can make up.
Interpretations where he's just some scary unknowable space monster (like the Fantastic Four movie) tend to be a lot less interesting than interpretations that play up his cosmic force of nature aspects, largely because it reduces him to something simplistic and easily (narratively) punched in the face.
It's the same reason turning Darkseid from a god with an inherent cosmology into a simple evil space conqueror dude is boring as hell: the Blue And Orange / force of nature aspects to Galactus are what makes him so fascinating.
Galactus is broadly consistent when it comes to being characterized as a vastly powerful cosmic being of unfathomable nature. He always shows up with this aura of ancient reverence, power and wisdom and the sense you're little more than a bug on his windshield.
Myself, I like Galactus more when he's played a more lonely and tragic Punch-Clock Villain.
"All you Fascists bound to lose."
You say it does, but for me that's throwing away one of the best plotlines in years to appease that God of Evil The Status Quo.
I mean, what happened with just making someone die holding the line, Gandalf-style? Remember when Skurge did that, and it was the greatest thing since the invention of white bread? Couldn't they have just done that, maybe set up a new character to take the role of Galactus and maybe put some new stories in the comics?
In any case, even Al Ewing knew that Galactus was going to be reverted back. He was actually going to do it himself at the end of The Ultimates, but he decided not to do it because he liked the fact that Galactus had changed. But there was no way that Marvel was going to leave him as the Life-Bringer, especially since they were bringing back the Fantastic Four. Same with Doom being a good guy. They are just too big in the pantheon of villains to change for very long. (And yet they keep pushing that boulder uphill...)

Too confusing to the audience...it needs to understand how the Silver Surfer wanted to trick him and why the trick failed. That is hard to just visualize.