Galactus

"Of all the creatures in the vastness of the Universe, there is none like me. I was present at the birth of the Universe, and I shall be there at its end. Though I ravage worlds to live, I bear no malice toward any living thing. I simply do what I must to survive. And why must Galactus survive? For, no matter how many worlds I devour … How many civilizations I destroy … It is my destiny to one day give back to the Universe - Infinitely more than I have ever taken from it. So speaks Galactus!"

- Galactus

Galactus (real name: Galan) is a godlike supervillain and one of the main antagonists of the Marvel universe. Although he is not exactly malevolent, he is nevertheless a dangerous individual who requires nothing short of entire worlds to hold off his eternal hunger and is also linked in such a way to the Marvel universe, that if he dies, the entire Marvel universe will end. This makes Galactus somewhat unique in the fact he is both an immensely destructive force yet also necessary for the existence of the universe. He is considered to be the arch-enemy (and sometimes as ally) of the Silver Surfer being his main antagonist and the Fantastic Four serving as one of the main antagonists alongside Doctor Doom. He is also the main antagonist in the ultimate crossover Cataclysm: The Ultimates' Last Stand and the coming of Galactus trilogy.

Overview
Born before the current Marvel universe came to be the young Galactus escaped death when his universe came to an end via merging with the Cosmic-Egg - resulting in him being reborn into the new infant universe as the mighty Galactus - devourer of worlds. as time went by Galactus would create numerous Heralds to seek out suitable worlds for him to devour, the most famous of his many Heralds was the Silver Surfer - who would rebel against Galactus in defense of the Earth and be replaced by Nova.

Galactus seems to prefer planets that are inhabited, or at the very least suitable for life, this trait only serves to make him more villainous as his endless hunger has cost the lives of millions - otherwise billions as well as rendering even more homeless and scattered across the universe (as was the case when he famously devoured the Skrull home-world, causing the once powerful Skrull Empire to disperse into the stars).

Too powerful to be defeated by anyone who is heroic, Galactus is often portrayed as a force rather than a being like a destructive god who thinks nothing of pitiful pleas for mercy or compassion yet also seems to be driven by a deeper understanding of the universe than mortals - as he once stated he is ultimately destined to give much more than he has taken from the universe.

It has also been revealed that Galactus is the only thing stopping the spirit of destruction known as Abraxas from being released into the universe - so in many ways, the Marvel universe is lucky to have Galactus around.

Of course none of this means much to those caught in the path of a hungry Galactus and for many the towering figure of Galactus is the final image they will ever see as their world is consumed by an unimaginable force of power - perhaps this is what truly makes Galactus so terrifying.. he is not evil, he can not be bribed nor reasoned with.. he simply is.

Recently Galactus has spawned a daughter named Galacta who is a devourer much like her father but seeks ways to stop her eternal hunger - in contrast to Galactus, who is content with his activities.

Powers

 * Cosmic Entity Physiology: Galactus possesses the immeasurable Power Cosmic and is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe, having lower levels of nigh-omnipotence. He was once referred to as "the most awesome living entity in the cosmos." As such, Galactus is able to employ the cosmic energy within him to produce virtually any effect he desires.
 * Immortality: Galactus is said to be the oldest living entity; therefore people consider him as an ageless being.
 * Invulnerability: Galactus is immune to all diseases, ailments, and toxins. In addition, he is enormously resistant to damage. He was able to survive from 2 planets colliding and a sizable nuclear arsenal, but was severely injured in the process.
 * Energy Projection: Galactus can project an energy blast powerful enough to shatter a medium-sized planet. After absorbing the energy from several planets, Galactus proved capable of destroying at least three solar systems in one omnidirectional blast.
 * Energy Absorption: Arguably his most viable power, as his survival depends on absorbing the Life Force from planets or stars. During his fight with Mephisto, he showed that he is even capable of absorbing an entire pocket dimension.
 * Size-Alteration: Galactus has the ability to increase his size and mass at will, the extent of which is unknown. He once grew to a stature so great that he could wrestle with the Wraithworld sun.
 * Force-Fields: Galactus can erect near-impenetrable energy shields.
 * Levitation: Galactus can traverse or glide through air and space using sheer willpower.
 * Molecular Restructuring: Galactus can manipulate, reshape and rearrange the molecular complexions of any organism, allowing him to rebuild or redesign things internally.
 * Matter Transmutation: Galactus can control matter in any object which allows him to turn something tangible like lead, into something intangible like water.
 * Teleportation: Galactus can make himself, other people, and objects appear anywhere in the entire universe that he wishes with a mere thought. He has even teleported the planet Galador from one galaxy to another.
 * Interdimensional and Intradimensional Portals: Galactus can create wormholes between dimensions and within dimensions.
 * Telepathy: Galactus can read or communicate with other minds across universal distances.
 * Telekinesis: Galactus can move enormous amounts of mass through mental concentration.
 * Cosmic Awareness: Galactus can sense disturbances or changes within the cosmic ether on a universal scale.
 * Resurrection: Galactus can raise the dead.
 * Sentient Life Creation: Galactus can create complex, sentient, biological or bio-technical life-forms seemingly from nothing, or at least using his control over molecules to do so.
 * Soul Control and Manipulation: Galactus can control and manipulate the souls and spirits of living beings at will. He uses this power to alter the memories and emotions of others.
 * Absolute Recreation: Galactus was able to recreate the entire planet Zen-La, including population, etc. in every detail.
 * Power/Ability Bestowal: Galactus' heralds, whom he has endowed with a minuscule fraction of his cosmic power, are able to manipulate matter and energy in ways that are far beyond human comprehension.
 * Healing Powers: Galactus is able to heal himself and others from physical wounds although this may simply be molecular reconstruction.

Abilities

 * Cosmic-Intellect: Galactus, as the oldest known living entity in the universe, arguably possesses the universe's most advanced intellect. Reed Richards has admitted an inability to fully comprehend even the most rudimentary devices found within Galactus' Worldship Taa II. The Worldship itself is a solar system-sized construct that is said to surpass any natural world in beauty and splendor and yet within it's computers is contained knowledge so unfathomable and far reaching it can grant awesome power to those who come into contact with it.

Equipment
Galactus often employs his Elemental Converter when devouring planets to help him in the conversion of matter into energy. Although he does not require this device to devour planets and will forego its use in certain scenarios, it makes the conversion of energies more efficient. Galactus also wears a full-body suit of armor constructed from an unknown material of his own design that helps him to regulate and control his personal energy. If he were to remove the armor for an extended period, his vast cosmic energies could run rampant and potentially give him the appearance of a star.

Transportation
Although Galactus is capable of space travel via his own power, he disdains the needless expenditure of power and prefers to travel in starships of his own design. Though Galactus has many different starships in his personal fleet his preferred long range vessel is his sphere-shaped starship (over a mile in diameter) which is capable of trans-light speeds and interdimensional travel. Galactus has even on rare occasions been shown to travel in his solar system-sized Worldship, Taa II.

Weapons
Galactus often employs a robot called the Punisher—which possesses vast superhuman strength, speed, and durability—to battle adversaries whose power levels do not warrant his direct attention. Galactus also keeps in his possession a weapon called the Ultimate Nullifier. This weapon can destroy any target the wielder can mentally envision. In the hands of Galactus, due to his nearly omniscient and cosmically aware intellect, the Ultimate Nullifier is capable of destroying entire universes and even entire timelines from beginning to end. It was revealed in the Abraxas story arc that the Ultimate Nullifier is actually an aspect of Galactus himself.

Trivia

 * Despite being the main villain of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Galactus only gets a short amount of screen time.
 * There are theories that Galactus will appear in Avengers: Endgame.