Galactus

Galactus
Galactus on the variant cover of The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #12 (December 2018), art by Adi Granov
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966)[1]
Created by	Stan Lee (writer) Jack Kirby (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Galan
Species	Taa-an
Place of origin	Galan: Taa Galactus: the Cosmic Egg
Team affiliations	Heralds of Galactus God Squad Ultimates
Partnerships	Taaia (biological mother)[2] Galacta (daughter) Heralds of Galactus Air-Walker Dazzler Destroyer Doctor Strange Fallen One Firelord Gah Lak Tus Golden Oldie Invisible Boy Ka-Zar Morg the Executioner Nova II (Frankie Raye) Praeter Rom the Space Knight Red Shift Silver Surfer Stardust Terrax the Tamer Thor Odinson Ultimates
Supporting character of	Fantastic Four God Squad Ultimates
Notable aliases	Ashta,[3] the Devourer of Worlds, the Lifebringer, the Seeder of Worlds[4]
Abilities	Mastery of the Power Cosmic

Galactus (/ɡəˈlæktəs/) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, he is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of the primary Marvel continuity. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966).

Lee and Kirby wanted to introduce a character that broke away from the archetype of the standard villain. In the character's first appearance, Galactus was depicted as a god-like figure that fed by draining living planets of their energy, and operated without regard to the morality or judgments of mortal beings.

Galactus' initial origin was that of a Taa-an space explorer named Galan who gained cosmic abilities by passing near a star,^[5] but writer Mark Gruenwald further developed the character's origins, presenting Taa and Galan as existing in the universe prior to the Big Bang that began the setting of the current primary universe. As Galan's universe came to an end, he merged with the "Sentience of the Universe" to become Galactus, an entity that wielded such cosmic power as to require devouring entire planets to sustain his existence. Additional material written by John Byrne, Jim Starlin, and Louise Simonson explored Galactus' role and purpose in the Marvel Universe, and examined the character's actions through themes of genocide, manifest destiny, ethics, and natural/necessary existence. Frequently accompanied by a herald (such as the Silver Surfer), the character has appeared as both antagonist and protagonist in central and supporting roles. Since debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books, Galactus has played a role in over five decades of Marvel continuity.

The character has been featured in other Marvel media, such as arcade games, video games, animated television series, and the 2007 film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. In 2009, Galactus ranked 5th on IGN's list of "Top 100 Comic Book Villains", which cited the character's "larger-than-life presence" as making him one of the more important villains ever created. IGN also noted "Galactus is one of the few villains on our list to really defy the definition of an evil-doer" as the character is compelled to destroy worlds because of his hunger, rather than out of malicious ends.^[6]