Marvel Was Long Overdue To Make This Villain Absolutely Terrifying Again (& Now He’s More Dangerous Than Ever)

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Doom!Marvel Comics has no shortage of terrifying villains that pose a threat to not only fans’ favorite superheroes, but to the whole of the Marvel Universe – and one of those villains is Galactus. When Galactus was introduced, he was perhaps the greatest example of cosmic horror and existential dread ever assigned to a Marvel villain at that time. However, the hopelessness that was initially synonymous with his arrival became greatly watered down over the years. At least, until now, as Galactus has finally returned to his former glory.

In the giant-sized one-shot Doom by Jonathan Hickman and Sanford Greene, the universe is on the precipice of total annihilation, and Galactus is the cause. After billions of years dutifully keeping all life in-check by regularly consuming entire worlds, the hunger that plagues Galactus to ensure the continuation of his cosmic duty became too much to bear. Galactus decides it’s time to replace this universe in the Universal Renewal Cycle, just as his original universe was replaced by (what fans know as) Earth-616. However, two remarkable humans stood in the way of Galactus’ universe-destroying plan: Valria Richards and Doom.

In order to complete his mission, Galactus consumes as many worlds as possible as quickly as possible (including Earth), and then transfers that energy into a piece of Celestial tech that’s described as the ‘monstrous mother’ of the Ultimate Nullifier. Galactus uses the deaths of countless worlds to power a machine that will initiate the Universal Renewal Cycle early. At least, until Valaria gave her life to blow it up, which was immediately followed by a cosmically-powered Doom challenging Galactus to a one-on-one match, the winner of which is left undetermined.

Galactus is Finally a Major Threat to the Marvel Universe Again (After Years of Being a Joke)

Doom features Galactus as a being who is quite literally capable of ending the entire universe – even without the Celestial tech that would have restarted it. Single-handedly, Galactus killed every hero/villain in Marvel Comics, consumed every planet with sentient life in the entire universe, and eradicated an army of Celestials. The tech he stole from the Celestials would have replaced this universe, but this comic makes it clear that Galactus was more than capable of ending it with nothing more than his own power itself.

When Galactus was introduced in Fantastic Four #48, it was made clear by Uatu the Watcher himself that he wasn’t just a mere villain-of-the-week, but a cosmic force of nature. Galactus was coming, he had his eyes set on Earth, and there was nothing Marvel’s heroes could do about it. No amount of brute force or quick thinking was enough to stop him, and in the end, the Fantastic Four had to leverage the entire universe by threatening to use the Ultimate Nullifier just to make Galactus leave for the sake of his own self-interest.

The Fantastic Four didn’t beat Galactus, they simply threatened to destroy the universe (which would have included Galactus) if the Devourer of Worlds consumed their planet. It was a gamble, and thankfully, it paid off, as Galactus did leave the Earth alone. However, whether Galactus decided to consume the Earth or not, everyone would have died – that’s how incomprehensibly powerful this creature truly was. And then, suddenly, that was no longer the case.

Galactus started being featured in more and more stories, which seemed to make him increasingly more of a joke. Galactus was confined alongside other cosmic entities by Thanos in Infinity Gauntlet before being killed outright by the Mad Titan in Thanos Wins, Galactus was murdered by Thor with a single blow, he was consumed by a horde of the undead in Marvel Zombies, and Galactus was even convinced to leave the Earth alone by Squirrel Girl. While there are in-universe explanations for all of his defeats, each depiction of Galactus being defeated lessens his initial, terrifying impact.

Doom was set in an alternate future where Galactus decides it’s time to bring an end to everything, but the power he exhibits falls in-line with his awe-inspiring potential in the main series canon. So, now that Galactus has proved yet again that only the complete annihilation of the whole universe is enough to defeat him, what does that mean for the next time he makes an appearance in Marvel Comics?

What it could mean is that Galactus is officially Earth’s greatest ally when it comes to battling practically all other cosmic threats. Doom saw Galactus kill an entire fleet of Celestials after wiping out every other hero in the cosmos (despite any of their potential god-tier power-ups). That level of strength is nearly unfathomable, and proves that practically any cosmic/multiversal threat that faces the Marvel Universe could be easily handled by the Devourer of Worlds himself.

Marvel Comics Just Proved Galactus Can Be an Era-Defining Villain in the MCU

Galactus has recently been confirmed to make his MCU debut in 2025’s Fantastic Four (played by actor Ralph Ineson), which comes at a time when many fans have wondered if the Devourer of Worlds could fill the role of the MCU’s next overarching ‘big bad’, just as Thanos was in the Infinity Saga.

The discord of that debate is rooted in the fact that Galactus has never really been a ‘villain’ the same way Thanos was, as Galactus is simply a force of nature rather than an antagonistic figure with villainous designs. Sure, Galactus threatened the Earth, but he was just doing what he was born to do. His presence was no different from a natural disaster, which is perfect for a single story, but not ideal for an era-defining villain. However, with his latest appearance in Doom, that has completely changed.

After debuting in the 2025’s Fantastic Four, Galactus could absolutely fill the role of the MCU’s next ‘big bad’. Just like in Doom, Galactus could be on a rampage across the Marvel Cinematic Universe, trying to find a way to end this reality and replace it with a new one. His goals would be similar in scale to those of Thanos, which would make the stakes just as high – if not higher – than they were in the Infinity Saga.

Regardless of what the MCU may or may not do with the character following his latest appearance, the main takeaway is that Galactus has just redeemed himself in Marvel Comics in a big way. No longer is Galactus someone who seemingly anyone can beat given the right upgrade or story arc, but rather a cosmic horror who’s utterly unstoppable barring the destruction of the entire Marvel Comics universe – just as he was upon his first appearance.

Doom by Marvel Comics is available now.