Who is Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds? Exploring the big bad guy for Marvel's 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps'

Where do you eat when you’re a pillager of planets named Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds? Anywhere you please!

Galactus is an ultra-heavyweight Marvel Comics supervillain who will be properly introduced for the first time in live-action in all his planet-munching glory as the prime antagonist in this summer's retro-futuristic "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" flick directed by Matt Shakman, and he can be seen briefly in the new trailer. Sure, we caught a nebulous glimpse of the mega-domed intergalactic being in "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" as a churning tubular tempest, but we've never witnessed the complete manifestation of his towering form in a Hollywood feature.

Now that we’ve viewed a tease of this latest iteration of Marvel's First Family starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, it's time to prepare for the coming of Galactus in a manner befitting his helmet-headed immensity in the Marvel Universe as a formidable foe of the Fantastic Four.

But where did this behemoth baddie come from, who first created the ginormous Galactus, when did he first appear in the pages of Silver Age comic book Nirvana, and will Marvel Studios do deserved justice to the character when "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" launches on July 25, 2025? Let's explore his complex origins...

When did Galactus first appear in Marvel Comics?

Billed by the House of Ideas as The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine, the "Fantastic Four" title first hit the newsstands and magazine racks in November of 1961 as an entirely new species of superhero comic. Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic), Sue Storm (Invisible Girl), Johnny Storm (The Human Torch), and Ben Grimm (Thing) gained their superpowers during an experimental space flight that bombarded them with DNA-changing cosmic rays. Upon returning to Earth they remained together to form an uncanny crimefighting team battling a variety of imposing adversaries.

Created by the legendary team of writer/editor Stan Lee and artist Jack “King” Kirby, the Fantastic Four encountered incredible adventures while dealing with relatable realities of everyday life and interpersonal family dynamics. It was an overwhelming instant success that bolstered and solidified Marvel's status within the industry.

Galactus was born in the pages of "Fantastic Four #48" from March of 1966 due to the flagship series’ extreme popularity of the era and the need to keeping building out that fictional world. It was actually released to the public on Dec. 9, 1965 but carried the March 1966 cover date.

WHAT IS GALACTUS’ ORIGIN STORY?

In that seminal 1966 issue, the Fantastic Four are visited by an all-knowing being called The Watcher, who warns the team that Galactus is on his way to consume Earth and that he’s tried to hide humanity’s home by lighting the sky on fire to obscure the planet from Galactus’ heavenly scout, the Silver Surfer. This sleek argent-toned agent was once Norrin Radd, a historian from the planet Zenn-La who signed up to be Galactus’ herald to spare his homeworld from an unthinkable fate.

But despite the Fantastic Four putting up a good fight against the Sentinel of the Spaceways, Silver Surfer is able to signal Galactus, who arrives in grand fashion to make a meal out of our Big Blue Marble.

Three years later, Galactus himself received a more detailed origin story in the pages of "Thor #169" from 1969, where it was explained that he was once a mortal man (later given the name Galan) living on the planet Taa, the last survivor of a dying galaxy whose people fled in a starship aimed at the largest star in the universe to avoid a Creeping Plague, which will be deemed The Black Winter in future comics.

In subsequent retcons and embellishments over the years, before the Big Bang occurred for the seventh round, Galan was infused with the glowing omnipotent essence of the Sentience of the Cosmos to become the immortal being Galactus. His insatiable appetite for worlds comes out of an elemental necessity to ingest fertile planets for sustenance and to maintain balance in the cosmos, forever on the prowl in his world ship, the Taa II. Interestingly, despite ravaging worlds to live, he bears no real malice toward any living thing and only does what he must to survive.

WHAT ARE THE SUPERPOWERS OF GALACTUS?

Galactus is considered to be one of the most feared beings in all of creation, a ravenous colossus of planetary consumption. Given that reputation, you better believe he’s equipped with some impressive powers to back it up.

His list of awesome skills channeled via his Power Cosmic includes Size Alteration, Telepathy, Energy Projection and Absorption, Teleportation, Time Manipulation, Levation, Telekinesis, Forcefield Creation, and general omnipotence.

WHO IS PLAYING GALACTUS IN "THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS?"

The mighty Galactus is being portrayed by the acclaimed British actor Ralph Ineson, who’s been seen in some major genre productions such as "Game of Thrones," and director Robert Eggers’ "The Witch,""The Northman," and last year’s "Nosferatu."

We're excited to see what he can do in the role; Ineson’s booming baritone voice and imposing presence make him the ideal candidate for the pivotal role.

WILL "THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS" STAY TRUE TO KIRBY’S DESIGN?

Marvel bringing in Galactus for this reboot of Fantastic Four — the latest treatment of the characters since director Josh Trank's insufferable adaptation in 2015 — is a strong clue that they’re serious about giving fandom what they’ve been craving from a blockbuster movie featuring Marvel's First Family.

Galactus will hopefully appear resplendent in his iconic magenta-blue armor and winged helmet to correct the lazy iteration as a weird space cloud in "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" and all will be forgiven. Kirby’s Galactus magnificent silhouette and character traits are timeless and one of the cornerstones of the entire Marvel Comics universe.

So, do you think god-like Galactus could remain faithful to his roots in this new Hollywood alt-universe story and will his epic appetite be quelled to maintain the preservation of the cosmos? Grab a seat at the cinematic table this summer to see!

"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" will be released in theaters on July 25, 2025, and will later be available to stream on Disney+.