It’s common knowledge thatGalactusis one of the greatest villains in the history of Marvel Comics, as he’s nearly destroyed the world a number of times, has murdered trillions of life forms, and remains one of the most dangerous entities in the universe. But, then again,is Galactus really a villain?That question has stumped fans for decades, but with just four words, the truth about whether Galactus is a hero or a villain is permanently settled.
In the four-part miniseriesHungerby Joshua Hale Fialkov and Leonard Kirk, Galactus crosses over into the Ultimate Universe after a rift is created between Earth-616 and Earth-1610 following the events ofAge of Ultron. While that event ended with the heroes of Earth-616 saving their reality, they nearly doomed the Ultimate Universe in the process. Galactus didn’t just cross into the Ultimate Universe, but once there, he merged with his Earth-1610 variant, Gah Lak Tus, becoming even more cosmically powerful.
Out ofeveryone in the Ultimate Universe, there were only three heroes powerful enough to challenge Galactus: Silver Surfer, Captain Marvel, and Rick Jones (who had been chosen by the Watchers and granted god-like cosmic power). The first to encounter Galactus was the Silver Surfer, who first tried to reason with the Devourer of Worlds before resorting to violence. However, after taking a peek into Galactus’ mind, Silver Surfer realized that Galactus could not be reasoned with, as Norrin Radd himself said aloud the reason why: “You have no choice”.
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Galactus has No Choice but to Devour Worlds, Meaning He’s NOT a Villain
Ultimate Silver Surfer was, indeed, taken aback by the realization that Galactus truly has no choice but to devour worlds, especially since that is not the way things are in the Ultimate Universe. In Earth-1610, Gah Lak Tus is an android hive-mind consisting of countless drones that swarm planets like bugs and devour them for energy, just to go and do the same thing over again. Gah Lak Tus was created by the Kree eons ago, meaning it is not an agent of universal balance, but a man-made monster that shouldn’t exist.
Earth-616’s Galactus, on the other hand, is basically a force of nature. Being the sole survivor of the universe that came before the Marvel Universe (when Galactus was a man named Galan), Galactus was imbued with cosmic purpose by the universe itself, as he was tasked with keeping the cosmos in balance by consuming worlds. Galactus serves a cause greater than himself, and he truly has no choice but to carry out his eternal task. Therefore, Galactus is definitively not a villain - but is he a hero?
Galactus isn’t Just ‘Not a Villain’, He’s a Legitimate Hero
Galactus is Forced to Devour Worlds, but He Regularly Chooses to be a Hero
It’s been established that Galactus has no choice when it comes to his cosmic duty to devour worlds, meaning those acts cannot be considered villainous. So, there is only one question to ask when considering if Galactus is more than just ‘not a villain’, but an actual hero: what does Galactus do when he does have a choice? Over the years, Galactus has fought side-by-side with Marvel’s greatest heroes against threats that required the assistance of a cosmic entity such as himself, including when Galactus battled the likes of the Annihilation Wave, Dormammu, and Doom the Living Planet.
Galactus didn’t choose to be an immortal being cursed to consume planets, but he constantly chooses to use his vast power for the overall good of the universe. When given the choice, Galactus chooses to be a hero, despite having the reputation as one of Marvel Comics’ greatest villains - andGalactus’ tragic existence can be summed up in just four words: “You have no choice”.
