Galactus is widely considered one of the greatest threats to the Marvel Universe, as it devours countless planets to sustain itself. It has long been thought that he is unstoppable, but Reed Richards of Fantastic Four in fact, discovered a method to permanently defeat him. Mister Fantastic’s most terrifying transformation in Marvel lore reveals the shocking secret to stopping Galactus once and for all.
In Fantastic Four: Antithesis by Mark Waid, Neal Adams, Mark Farmer, Laura Martin and Joe Caramagna, the Fantastic Four face an enemy called the Antithesis, who weakens Galactus by sapping his energy. The team fights Antithesis and traps him in the Negative Zone, and then prepares to return Galactus’s cosmic energy to its primary host. Before they can, Reed Richards takes Galactus’s powers for himself in an unexpected twisttaking the place of the universal threat.
As Reed 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 has I finally found a way to defeat Galactus for goodbut this comes at a tragic cost in his own life.
Mister Fantastic becomes Marvel’s newest Galactus to defeat him
Reed Richards defeats Galactus in a surprising way – by absorbing his cosmic power
Reed Richards undergoes a major transformation as he absorbs Galactus’s powers into his being and merges with the Power Cosmic. He becomes a Galactus-sized entity with the intellect of the universe-spanning Marvel god at his disposal. His Fantastic Four colleagues criticize him for succumbing to Galactus’ dark habits, but Reed assures them that he does not plan to consume planets like Galactus does. As Reed informs his teammates, “I will deny my hunger until I die… thus ending the threat of Galactus forever.” With these words, Reed Richards announces that he is sacrificing his life to kill Galactus.
Reed’s plan for victory against Galactus, as painful as it may seem, is a stroke of genius on his part. Galactus consumes planets to stay alive as he traverses the Marvel Universe’s cosmos, so depriving him of this nourishment would cause him to wither into nothingness. Furthermore, Reed knows that there is no real way to keep Galactus off the planets without controlling him from within. Upon taking control of Galactus, Reed Richards has the perfect opportunity to starve Galactus to death. Instead of physically taking the planets out of Galactus’ reach, the Fantastic Four finally discover a suitable solution.
The Fantastic Four’s story 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 fend him off. In Fantastic Four #48-50 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, known as “The Galactus Trilogy”, the Silver Surfer breaks through the Watcher’s protective field around Earth and explores the planet as the Herald of Galactus. He brings Galactus to Earth, introducing the divine entity to the Fantastic Four as he vows to devour the planet’s energy. Only the Fantastic Four stand in their wayand at that time, they only had the means to temporarily remove him.
Originally, there was only one weapon strong enough to defeat Galactus in Marvel lore: the Ultimate Null Void. This weapon is such a powerful weakness for Galactus that the mere sight of it causes him to give in to the Fantastic Four and leave Earth alone in peace. Fantastic Four #50. Since then, Galactus has been defeated in other ways throughout his history by various Marvel heroes, but he always and eventually returned. A hero of the Fantastic Four used similar methods to Reed Richards to defeat him over 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 the level of Galactus
Although Reed’s strategy to reach Galactus’ level proves effective, he is not the first to receive the Power Cosmic and use it to defeat the tyrant. Node Rising storm plot by Waid and Mike Wieringo, the Human Torch is kidnapped by Galactus and becomes your new and powerful Herald. As Johnny had exchanged powers with the Invisible Woman previously, the Power Cosmic is channeled through him as an upgrade to his power set rather than his usual fire abilities. Johnny takes the Invisible Woman’s powers to the next level with “cosmic vision,” which is what allows him to defeat Galactus.
Read Waid and Wieringo in full Rising storm saga in Fantastic Four #520-523, available now digitally and in collected formats from Marvel Comics!
With his enhanced powers, the Human Torch sees the mortal being within Galactus. This being is known as Galan, who was altered by cosmic rays – paralleling the Fantastic Four’s origin story – and combined with the Power Cosmic to become Galactus. Johnny manages to use a machine built by Reed to move Galan’s energy, freeing him from Galactus’ soul. While this defeat is not permanent, as Galactus has returned more terrifying than ever, it shows how The Fantastic Four harnessing the Power Cosmic allows them to surpass Galactus.
The Fantastic Four prevent Reed Richards from successfully killing Galactus
Reed Richards stops his sacrifice and spares Galactus – for now
Reed Richards is in fact capable of killing Galactus after stealing his form and powers. However, in the end, his fellow Fantastic Four stop him from going through with his plan. He takes on the Power Cosmic because he feels he lost his intellect after the birth of his daughter, Valeria, so he is risking his life to prove Galactus’ vast intelligence. His family assures him that he is just dealing with the stress of a new child and that he should not leave his children behind with his sacrifice. That’s why, Reed renounces Galactus’ power and returns to his loved ones.
Regardless of the outcome, Mister Fantastic has proven that he is one of the few who can defeat Galactus.
Galactus remains a consistent presence in the Marvel Universe following Reed Richards’ inability to take him down. Now that a winning strategy against him has been discovered, someone may one day steal Galactus’s powers again and commit to starving him to death. The brutality of this drastic measure solidifies just how dangerous the villain Galactus is, as the heroes are willing to sacrifice their own lives in the effort to save the universe from him. THE Fantastic Four may have kept Reed Richards back, but regardless of the outcome, Mister Fantastic has proven he is one of the few who can defeat Galactus.