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Ever since it was announced that Marvel Studios was working on a Fantastic Four movie, fans have been expecting the MCU debut of two additional characters. One is Doctor Doom, who we now know will be played by Robert Downey Jr. in a pair of Avengers films. The other is one of the most powerful entities in the Marvel universe – Galactus. The planet-eating cosmic entity has been a fixture in Marvel comics since 1966. With his appearance in the upcoming The Fantastic 4: First Steps – which will introduce the planet-eating giant to the MCU – being (briefly) revealed during San Diego Comic-Con 2024, here is everything you need to know about Galactus and the Power Cosmic that he wields.

Who is Galactus, and what are his powers?

The comic book origins of Galactus are tied to the origins of the Marvel universe itself. He was once a mortal man named Galan who lived in the universe that preceded the Big Bang. When his universe collapsed, Galan merged with the Sentience of the Universe and became powerful enough to survive into the next universe.

After billions of years in incubation, Galactus was born. However, the mortal man who he had been was lost – particularly his empathy and compassion. In exchange, Galactus acquired two things. First, the Power Cosmic, which allowed him to do almost anything imaginable, including telepathy, energy projection, transmutation of matter, and even the creation (and manipulation) of life itself. He also gained a hunger that can only be sated by feeding on entire planets.

With his powers and hunger driving him to always consume entire planets, Galactus is one of the most powerful and dangerous entities in the Marvel universe, but that doesn’t make him evil. Most iterations of the character portray him as almost an inevitable force of nature. He eats planets not out of malicious intent or a desire for power but simply because he hungers. The same way we eat a cheeseburger – just on the cosmic scale.

Who are the heralds of Galactus?

Throughout his very long life, Galactus has bestowed a small portion of the Power Cosmic to individuals in exchange for their service. What that service is can vary, but generally, it involves traveling the galaxy and finding suitable planets for Galactus to consume. The most famous of these is the Silver Surfer, who was played by Laurence Fishburne in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but there have been more than 20 different Heralds of Galactus throughout the character’s history. Julia Garner has been cast as the Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Who is playing Galactus in the MCU?

It has been all but confirmed that Galactus will serve as the primary villain of Fantastic Four: First Steps when it debuts on July 25, 2025, and British actor Ralph Ineson has reportedly been cast in the biggest role (literally) in the MCU. As confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, this version of Galactus will be truer to his comic book counterpart in design. Instead of being an amorphous cloud of space dust like in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, the MCU Galactus will be humanoid-shaped and purple, just like we like our planet-devouring villains.

Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:

• How to watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe in release or chronological order
• The best Marvel Comics stories of all time
• All the MCU movies ranked from best to worst
• Our weekly Marvel insider's column, Marvel Matters