Lee and Kirby then later revealed the origin of Galactus in Thor #169 (1969), which showed that Galactus was once a scientist called Galan. Galan hales from a different reality that existed before the dawn of creation. His inventions allowed him to survive the death and rebirth of the universe but it left him cursed with the need to feed on the life-force of planets, making him into the Devourer of Worlds. Much later Fantastic Four #262 (1983) by John Byrne emphasized that Galactus is neither moral nor amoral, but is a force of nature. He must exist as part of the galactic ecology, as his world-devouring maintains a larger balance.
Of course multiple alternate universe stories have put spins on the nature of Galactus, some of which are relevant here. In Earth X (1999) by Alex Ross, Jim Kruger, and John Paul Leon, the adult Franklin Richards—Reed and Sue’s son!—becomes the new Galactus to maintain balance in the cosmos after Reed transforms Galan into a star. And in the possible future glimpsed in Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham’s stories in Fantastic Four #600 to 604 (2011-2012), the adult Franklin has made Galactus into his herald and summoned the world-devourer to battle insane Celestials. Finally, in Fantastic Four: Life Story (2021-2022), Reed spends decades preparing for the coming of Galactus, going mad and alienating his family in the process.
In short a lot of Galactus stories involve the end of the world, and the Fantastic Four don’t often stop him.
What We Can Guess About First Steps
From these known quantities, we can start to speculate on what might happen in First Steps. The title and the trailers make clear that the birth of Reed (Pedro Pascal) and Sue’s (Vanessa Kirby) son Franklin is an important part of the movie. Although we haven’t seen signs of it in the teasers, Franklin in the comics is one of the most powerful people in the universe, a mutant with the ability to create whole new realities. Thus most fans are assuming that Galactus in this film comes to Earth not just because it’s the next planet he must consume, but because the birth of Franklin is a cosmic event that requires his attention.
As in the comics, the FF are sure to fight back, but it’s hard to believe that they’ll win. The latest trailer shows the team on the surface of an alien ship, which suggests that they will have to do some exploring in response to Galactus’s coming. That tracks with the first Galactus story, and we’ll likely see the Watcher (Jeffery Wright, who voiced the character in What If…) aid in some way.
It’s certainly possible that the FF and Watcher, and probably Silver Surfer—who may mirror her comic book counterpart and turn against her master—can chase Galactus away and save the day. After all, the past few trailers have included a scene in which Reed Richards looks at the crowds and says, “We will protect you.”