The first teaser trailer forThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsfinally gave us a look at Galactus, and I’m really hoping Marvel Studios avoids repeating a hugeMCUvillain mistake with the iconic planet-eater.Ralph Ineson’s casting as Galactuswas first reported back in May 2024, shortly after the confirmation that Julia Garner would be appearing inThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsas the villain’s Herald, Shalla-Bal, the Silver Surfer. I’m very excited to see Galactus in the MCU - and not as a cosmic cloud - but I’m also nervous for Marvel Comics' legendary Devourer.
Galactus is surely one of the most recognizable and popular antagonists in Marvel Comics' history, so his debut inThe Fantastic Four: First Stepshas raised a huge amount of anticipation for the upcoming Phase 6 movie. The firstteaser trailer forThe Fantastic Four: First Stepshas hinted at the threat Galactus poses to the movie’s retro-futuristic, 1960s-inspired Earth, but I hope this won’t also be the end of his story. YorkshiremanRalph Ineson is the perfect casting choice for Galactus, and I’d love to see him have a lengthy career in the MCU.
Galactus Will Be The MCU’s Most Powerful Villain In The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Galactus Will Target Earth In The Fantastic Four: First Steps
There has been speculation that several iconic Marvel Comics villains will be appearing inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, including Mole Man, Red Ghost and evenRobert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. However,I have no doubt after watching the movie’s first teaser trailer that Galactus will be taking center-stage asFirst Steps’main antagonist, and he is certainly the most powerful and seemingly-unstoppable villain who will appear in the reboot. Galactus is a cosmic being who consumes entire planets to sustain his life force, and he has regularly targeted Earth in Marvel Comics.
It seems this story will be explored inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, asGalactus' shadow spreads across the alternate New York City, before he manipulates his size and lands on Earth, coming face-to-face with the Statue of Liberty. It seems as though Marvel Studios is setting Galactus up to destroy theFantastic Four’s alternate world, with the team somehow making the move to the MCU’s 616-Universe, ready to appear inAvengers: DoomsdayandSecret Wars. While I think this could work, this possible story has me worried about Galactus' future in the MCU.
I Really Hope Marvel Avoids Making Galactus A One & Done Villain
Marvel Studios' Best Villains Follow A Nasty Trend
Many of the most powerful, notable and exciting villains in the MCU’s history have been rendered one-and-done antagonists, meaning they get killed off or defeated in the same project that they debuted.This weird trend has befallen the likes of the Red Skull, Ultron, Malekith and Justin Hammer, among others, all of whom I would have loved to have been given more substantial roles in the MCU. I really hope Marvel avoids making this mistake when debutingGalactus and the Silver Surfer inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps.
I’m Convinced I Know The Perfect MCU Story For Galactus After The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Galactus will make his debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and I know which Marvel Comics story could bring him officially into the MCU.
The prospect of Galactus devouring the Fantastic Four’s alternate Earth while the team itself moves into the MCU’s main timeline suggests that Galactus won’t move with them. This would render the epic planet-eating foe a one-and-done villain, which I would consider a massive shame.Galactus has been an ever-present threat in Marvel Comics since his first appearance in 1966’sFantastic Four #48, so I’m desperate for him to also become a long-running threat in the MCU, and I know the best way this could happen inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps.
How Galactus Can Be A Long-Running Threat In The MCU
I Want Galactus To Return After The Fantastic Four: First Steps
I would, of course, love to seeGalactus put his Devourer of Worlds title to the testinThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, but I think this doesn’t need to mean that he gets stuck in a reality that the Fantastic Four departs. Instead,I don’t see why Galactus couldn’t follow the Fantastic Four into the MCU’s 616-Universe, or perhaps even make the journey before they do, hoping to find many new worlds to consume in the MCU’s main continuity. This would allow Galactus to be a threat in the background of many upcoming MCU projects.
Galactus previously appeared in live-action in 2007’sFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but this version was not at all comic-accurate, and was instead depicted as a gas cloud in space.The Fantastic Four: First Steps’Galactus stays very faithful to Marvel Comics.
Galactus makes an appearance during Marvel Comics’Secret Warsevent in 2015 as Doctor Doom’s sentry on Battleworld, so Ralph Ineson’s new MCU villain could appear alongsideRobert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom inAvengers: DoomsdayandSecret Warsin Phase 6.I’m thrilled that the Fantastic Four will be sticking around in the MCU for years to come, and I reckon Galactus could be a regular character featured in the team’s inevitable sequels and future adventures. I just hopeThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsdoesn’t kill off or neglect this iconic Marvel villain.
