Galactusis widely considered one of the greatest threats to the Marvel Universe, as he devours countless planets in order to sustain himself. He’s long been thought to be unstoppable, butReed Richardsof theFantastic Fourhas actually come up with a method to vanquish him permanently. Mister Fantastic’s most terrifying transformation in Marvel lore unveils the shocking secret to stopping Galactus once and for all.
InFantastic Four: Antithesisby Mark Waid, Neal Adams, Mark Farmer, Laura Martin, and Joe Caramagna, the Fantastic Four face off against a foe called Antithesis who weakens Galactus by sapping his energy. The team fights Antithesis and traps him in the Negative Zone, and then they prepare to returnGalactus' cosmic energyto its main host. Before they can,Reed Richards seizes Galactus' powers for himself in an unexpected twist, taking the place of the universal threat.
AsReed becomes the new Galactus, he reveals that this is part of his plan to rid the universe of the world-eater. The leader of the Fantastic Four hasfinally found a way to defeat Galactus for good, but it comes at the tragic cost of his own life.
Mister Fantastic Becomes Marvel’s Newest Galactus in Order to Defeat Him
Reed Richards Beats Galactus in a Surprising Way - by Absorbing His Power Cosmic
Reed Richards undergoes a major transformation upon absorbing Galactus' powers into his being and merging with the Power Cosmic. He becomes a Galactus-sized entity with the universe-spanning intellect of the Marvel god at his disposal. His fellowFantastic Four memberscriticize him for succumbing to Galactus' dark ways, but Reed assures them that he doesn’t plan on consuming planets like Galactus does. As Reed informs his teammates,“I shall deny my hunger until such time as I perish…thus ending the threat of Galactus forever.“With these words, Reed Richards announces that he is sacrificing his life to kill Galactus.
This Galactus Concept Art Is the Scariest He’s Ever Looked, In Any Medium
Galactus possesses no true form, but this nightmarishly horrific spin on the Devourer of Worlds transforms him into the monster he truly is.
Reed’s plan for victory against Galactus, as heartbreaking as it seems, is a stroke of genius on his part. Galactus consumes planets to stay alive as he traverses the cosmos of the Marvel Universe, so depriving him of that nourishment would cause him to wither to nothing. Furthermore, Reed knows there’s no real way to keep Galactus away from planets without controlling him from within. By taking control of Galactus,Reed Richards gets the perfect opportunity to starve Galactus to death.Instead of physically taking planets away from Galactus' reach, the Fantastic Four discover a proper solution at last.
Fantastic Four’s History with Galactus Culminates in Reed’s Cosmic Transformation
Reed Richards Learns How to Beat Galactus After Years of Trying
Galactus seems invincible upon his introduction, but over the years, Reed Richards and his fellow superheroes have found ways to ward him off. InFantastic Four#48-50 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, known as “The Galactus Trilogy”,Silver Surfer breaks throughthe Watcher’s protective field around the Earth and scouts the planet as the Herald of Galactus. He brings Galactus to Earth, introducing the god-like entity to the Fantastic Four as he vows to devour the planet’s energy.Only the Fantastic Four stand in his way, and back then, they only had the means to temporarily ward him off.
Galactus made his first appearance in 1966’sFantastic Four#48 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Originally, there was only one weapon strong enough to defeat Galactus in Marvel lore: theUltimate Nullifier. This weapon is such a powerful weakness for Galactus that the mere sight of it causes him to concede to the Fantastic Four and leave Earth in peace inFantastic Four#50. Since then,Galactus has been beatenin other ways throughout his history by a variety of different Marvel heroes, buthe’s always and eventually returned. One Fantastic Four hero has used similar methods as Reed Richards to defeat him for a period of time, using Galactus' signature Power Cosmic against him.
Reed Richards Isn’t the Only Fantastic Four Hero to Beat Galactus
With the Power Cosmic, the Human Torch Reaches Galactus' Level
While Reed’s strategy to reach Galactus' level proves effective, he isn’t the first to be granted the Power Cosmic and use it to overcome the tyrant. In theRising Stormstoryline by Waid and Mike Wieringo,the Human Torch gets kidnapped by Galactusandbecomes his powerful new Herald. Because Johnny had swapped powers with Invisible Woman beforehand, the Power Cosmic is channeled through him as an upgrade to her power-set rather than his usual fiery abilities. Johnny takesInvisible Woman’s powersto the next level with “cosmic sight,” which is what allows him to beat Galactus.
Read Waid and Wieringo’s entireRising Stormsaga inFantastic Four#520-523, available now digitally and in collected formats from Marvel Comics!
With his enhanced powers, the Human Torch sees the mortal being inside Galactus. This being is known as Galan, who was altered by cosmic rays - paralleling theFantastic Four’s origin story- and combined with the Power Cosmic to become Galactus. Johnny manages to use a machne built by Reed to move Galan’s energy around, freeing him from the soul of Galactus. Though this defeat isn’t permanent, asGalactus has since come back more terrifying than ever, it shows howthe Fantastic Four tapping into the Power Cosmic enables them to surpass Galactus.
The Fantastic Four Prevent Reed Richards from Successfully Killing Galactus
Reed Richards Halts His Sacrifice and Spares Galactus - For Now
Reed Richards is indeedcapable of killing Galactusonce he’s stolen his form and powers. However, in the end, his Fantastic Four teammates stop him from going through with his plan. He takes on the Power Cosmic because he feels that he’s lost his intellect after the birth ofhis daughter, Valeria, hence why he’s risking his life for a taste of Galactus' vast intelligence. His family assures him that he’s just dealing with the stress of a new child, and that he shouldn’t leave his children behind with his sacrifice. Thus,Reed relinquishes Galactus' power and returns to his loved ones.
Regardless of the outcome, Mister Fantastic has proven he’s one of the few who can defeat Galactus.
Galactus remains a consistent presence in the Marvel Universe after Reed Richards' inability to take him down. Now that a winning strategy against him has been uncovered, someone else might one day steal Galactus' powers again and commit to starving him. The brutality of this drastic measure solidifies howdangerous a villain Galactus is, as heroes are willing to lay down their own lives in the effort to save the universe from him. TheFantastic Fourmay have heldReed Richardsback, but regardless of the outcome, Mister Fantastic has proven he’s one of the few who can defeatGalactus.
