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The Marvel Universe has always been a hub for powerful beings, some with the power of gods. Some transcend the concepts of good and evil and exist merely as primal forces that are massive in scale. Some examples include the Celestials, Eternity, or The Living Tribunal, all of which exist to fulfill their purpose yet far exceed the scale of an average human. Some ascended to this level of height and power through sheer will or happenstance. A great example of this is Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds.
Galactus is a being that has lived off of the energy of living planets to survive. He's also proven that he could measure up to other powerful entities in the world. But to be this powerful means that he must have limits in certain areas and be unchained in others. A great example of this is his height. Officially, Galactus is 28 feet, 9 inches, and weighs 18.2 tons. However, this is wildly varying and, in its variability, opens the doors to the character's true potential and all he's accomplished over the years.
Who is Galactus in Marvel Comics?
He Is The Devourer Of Worlds
In the comics, Galactus was a man named Galan from the planet Taa, with his first appearance in this form being in Thor #169 (by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby). Galan lived a peaceful life on the planet, but as he grew older, his planet faced a massive extinction brought on by The Big Crunch. Though he and a few survivors had made it off the doomed planet, their days were numbered, and he proposed dying in a blaze of glory by flying into the core of the destruction that held a huge amount of unknown energy. In doing so, the remaining population of Taa perished, but Galan was spared.
Galan was imbued with a massive amount of cosmic energy in its rawest form, slowly transforming him. Over time, he began to grow and change until he was reborn centuries later as Galactus, Devourer of Worlds. At first, his hunger lasted him at least a century before he had to feed on the energy of another planet. However, as time passed, he grew increasingly hungry, leading him to find his first herald, Norrin Radd, who became The Silver Surfer. This led him to eventually cross paths with Earth and meet The Fantastic Four in his first canon appearance in Fantastic Four #48 (by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby). Though defeated, this would establish him in the Marvel Universe, where he would be explored further in other cosmic stories.
Why Galactus' Size Changes - and How Big Can He Get?
He Can Grow Whenever He Wants
Notable Foes | Fantastic Four, The Avengers, Silver Surfer |
Though Galactus has a set height and weight, that's not a concrete number, and he can vary in height based on his needs or even his power level. For example, as Galan, Galactus was the height of an average man. However, when he changed, he was shown to grow and change beyond his normal station. A great example of this also came in Doctor Strange #12-16 (by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson); it's revealed that a version of Galactus had absorbed a massive amount of energy from the Dark Dimension and grew not only more powerful with magic but also more massive.
This increased his hunger, and he began consuming mystical realms. Artistically, this was portrayed by how whole realms were merely the size of his eye as he devoured and grew. This implies that he had begun to eclipse even his previous form in size. However, even this was only a fraction of what Galactus was capable of as he's got the potential to grow even more should the need arise, making his true height still unknown.
What Happens if Galactus Doesn't Eat?
He Must Eat to Survive
Being that he's a humanoid like any other, Galactus' fate, should he choose not to devour planets, is the same as any other living entity. He would simply starve and perish. There have been instances where Galactus had been starved, and it nearly led to his end. Perhaps the most heartbreaking could be witnessed in Fantastic Four #257 (by John Byrne), where the Devourer of Worlds has a change of heart after a recent run-in with The Avengers and The Fantastic Four.
Cursed with a conscience, he's faced with choosing to either live his life, snuffing out planets and their inhabitants, or sacrifice himself to ensure these worlds continue. Ultimately, he chose the latter and readers were shown how Galactus' starvation affected him. Essentially, the Celestial being would grow weaker like any other human and die. Unless intervention is made, as Reed Richards had done when he decided even Galactus couldn't be allowed to die.
Is Galactus the Biggest Being in the Marvel Universe?
He Isn't the Most Powerful
Though Galactus is massive, he's far from the biggest being in Marvel. In terms of power, he's still not nearly as strong as beings such as Eternity or The Living Tribunal, either. Where Galactus could control the Power Cosmic, these entities represented existence itself. As a result, it's hard to contend with strength. That said, there's a massive degree of respect shared between them as neither would overstep the other out of turn.
In terms of size, there is even more that tower over the mighty Galactus. For example, The Black Winter was the entity that saw the end of his universe and planet, effectively being the catalyst for his creation. It's so massive that Galactus looks like a normal-sized human. But even still, The Black Winter is just a blip compared to the Cancerverse, a realm where life defeated death and was so massive that it gained sentience. In the end, while Galactus is huge, he's a lesson that the galaxy always has something larger than even a Devourer of Worlds can't comprehend.
Has Galactus Been Adapted In Movies?
He Will Redebut Soon
While Galactus will be making his long-awaited on-screen return soon, there has been one live-action version already. But, it was far from what fans wanted to see on-screen in the first place. In Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Galactus was portrayed as a massive world-eating cloud. It was, overall, one of the more disappointing portrayals of a comic book character on-screen. Instead of giving him a more traditional, comic-based look, his massive size was simply represented as a galactic cloud.
However, there is a major chance that Marvel could rectify this mistake. It was announced in June 2024 that Galactus would be returning to the big screen. He will be portrayed by Ralph Ineson, who previously starred in Game of Thrones, The Northman, The Witch, and more. He will debut as Galactus in The Fantastic Four: First Steps alongside Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, and more. Hopefully, this version of Galactus will be the massive villain he has been seen as in the comics.
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