Galactus is one of the most frightening and powerful villains in Marvel comics who literally consumes entire planets. A massive being and master over the power cosmic, Galactus has struck terror in the hearts of many worlds and has been a terrible foe for Marvel heroes. He was created by Silver Age architects Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who introduced him 60 years ago in Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966).

He was born billions of years ago as Galan, a humanoid being on the plant Taa. At that time, the world was close to ending and there was no way to save it, so Galan convinced the remaining inhabitants to fly a starship into the cosmic cauldron as a way to die in a blaze of glory. While everyone else was consumed by the overwhelming radiation, Galan was saved by the Phoenix Force, filled with powerful energy, and brought into the new Cosmic Egg.

It exploded during the next Big Bang becoming planets and stars, while Galactus, Eternity, and Death were recreated. He spent billions of years drifting in space before creating a suit of armor to harness his power and he turned his starship into an incubation chamber. Over the course of centuries, he evolved into his best known form and landed on the planet Archeopia. When Galactus’ ship was attacked, he exited the craft and killed everyone there. Then he went on to consume all the life energies on the planet, consuming his first world.

Early in his new life cycle, Galactus would go centuries before the hunger to consume a planet overtook him and he stuck to uninhabited worlds that could sustain life. Eventually, his hunger grew and he wanted to devour planets that were inhabited and on a more regular basis. He created Tyrant to have a companion, but his creation betrayed him, prompting Galactus to banish him in a far-off place. It was then that Galactus decided to initiate a herald who would find worlds for him to eat.

Galactus threatened to consume Zenn-La until Norrin Radd swore to be his herald in exchange for the planet’s safety. The devourer turned Norrin into the Silver Surfer and muted his morals so that the Surfer would find inhabited worlds for Galactus. But when the Silver Surfer arrived on Earth, Alicia Masters convinced him to turn on his master. He helped the Fantastic Four defeat Galactus by telling them where to find and how to use the Ultimate Nullifier weapon. Once they possessed it, Mr. Fantastic convinced Galactus to spare Earth, and the massive being trapped the Surfer on the planet in retaliation.

Dr. Doom took the Silver Surfer’s power and attacked Galactus, but when the mighty being scanned Doom, he deemed him unworthy and sent him back home to Latveria. Galactus traveled to the Black Galaxy and met Ego the Living Planet, but Ego and Thor led forces to drive him away. Wanting a new herald, he turned the Xandarian Gabriel Lan into the Air-Walker, but Lan was killed defending Galactus from Ovoids. Heading back to Earth, he tried to force the Surfer to rejoin him, then Mr. Fantastic altered his ship and sent him to the Negative Zone.

When he came back to the Earth dimension, Galactus chose Pyreus Kril to be his new herald, and asked Thor to help stop Ego after the living planet consumed the Archeopians. Galactus then ate the planet Poppup and briefly disappeared because of cosmic indigestion. Once he reformed, Reed Richard sought Galactus’ help to stop the Sphinx. In return for his help, the Fantastic Four agreed to help Galactus find a new herald who would not feel guilty about the deaths of innocent beings.

They recruited Tyros, the lord of the planet Lanlak, who quickly betrayed Galactus by trying to turn planets into his own empire instead. Galactus sought help from Dazzler, giving her cosmic power to bring Tyros back. The Spaceknight ROM convinced Galactus to go after Wraithworld, but the power of that world and the Dark Nebula was too much for the Devourer. Back at Earth, he tried to consume the planet again, but was stopped by the Fantastic Four, Avengers, and Dr. Strange. At the last minute, they saved Galactus and Human Torch Frankie Raye chose to become his herald, Nova.

When Galactus finally ended Silver Surfer’s exile on Earth, he was attacked by the Elders of the Universe. Surfer and Nova helped Galactus to defeat their advances, including fights with Ego and the In-Betweeners. His next challenge came at the hands of Thanos and the Infinity Gems. Thanos destroyed a planet that Galactus was going to consume, so the latter joined other cosmic beings to help stop the Mad Titan.

Nova tried to stop taking him to inhabited worlds, so he chose a new herald in Morg, who then led past heralds into a war with Galactus. Following that conflict, Mr. Fantastic asked Galactus to help stop Hyperstorm, and the two powerful beings were drawn to the dimensional void. Galactus’ never-ending hunger became stronger than it ever had been before, and he went on an eating binge, consuming many planets. Earth’s heroes gathered to stop him, and Surfer turned Galactus’ ship against him, consuming him and making him inert. Then Franklin Richards and Marvel Girl used their reality altering abilities to reform Galactus.

The extradimensional being Hunger convinced Galactus that he could end his hunger with the Infinity Gems. But, Hunger used Galactus to enter our universe and Thanos ended up stopping Hunger while Galactus was left in a weakened state. Once he regained power, Galactus turned Johnny Storm into his new herald. Johnny used his new power to learn more about Galactus and showed Mr. Fantastic and Quasar how to transform him back into Galan. In this form, Galan saw the good in the human spirit and chose to leave the planet to avoid harming it.

He has since returned to being Galactus, and chose Stardust as his herald. Stardust was engaged in battle by Beta Ray Bill and they unintentionally unleashing Astoreth. As they joined forces to stop Astoreth, Galactus empowered Bill’s predecessor, Alpha Ray Bill, who sacrificed himself to send Astoreth through black hole.