Since his first appearanceGalactusis an ongoing and looming threat to the denizens of the Marvel Universe. Cursed with an insatiable hunger, the arrival of the Eater of Worlds is generally viewed as a planetary doom, most commonly identified by the appearance of its heralds: cosmically imbued servants searching for numerous planets for the ancient being to devour.
RELATED:10 things only comic book fans know about the Silver Surfer
While the most famous of these heralds is undoubtedly the tragic hero Silver Surfer, others have filled that role in subsequent years, some more successfully than others. While these Heralds vary in appearance and personality, they all share the common trait of being among the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe.
SCREENRANT-VIDEO OF THE TAGES
The destroyer
As one ofThor's Coolest Comic Book Villains Ever, the Destroyer was sold to Galactus by the God of Thunder in exchange for the freedom of his then-current Herald, in whom Thor had identified an inherent heroism. Unlike most of the Heralds of Galactus, the Destroyer had no prior personal identity and operated specifically at the whims of its wielder, who in theory should have been a perfect match for an uncompromising cosmic devourer. Instead, Galactus was unfazed by the Destroyer's methodical approach and did not hesitate when Loki offered to take the ancient armor from him.
redshift
Not much is known about Red Shift before he became a herald of Galactus, but he showed an unwavering loyalty to the planet-eater during his limited tenure. Channeling his cosmic power through his swords, Red Shift was a formidable threat in battle, but his chosen weapons also sealed his own fate. During a fight with theSilver Surfer, Red Shift was forced through a dimensional wormhole and disarmed. Separated from his cosmically empowered swords, he was unable to follow as the Surfer abandoned him in this adjacent universe.
Air-Walker
A distinguished Xandarian soldier and member of the Nova Corps, Gabriel Lan dedicated his life to seeking adventure. When approached, he eagerly accepted Galactus' offer of cosmic power and a chance to explore the universe and was transformed into the Air-Walker. While traveling with Galactus, Air-Walker befriended the Devourer and served him faithfully. He ended up sacrificing his life in his master's service when Galactus was attacked while he was weak and unable to defend himself.
RELATED:10 things only comic book fans know about Galactus
Lamenting the loss of his trusted companion, Galactus attempted to transfer the Air-Walker's consciousness into a robotic replica, but the replacement lacked the personality and passion for exploration of the original. Distraught, Galactus abandoned the Air Walker automaton on Earth, where it eventually fell into the hands of the enemies of theFantastic Four.
fire lord
Another Xandarian theNova-Korpsand friend of Gabriel Lan, Pyreus Kril spent years tracking Galactus' ship across the universe, determined to rescue his ally. Upon meeting him, Galactus was impressed by Kril's tenacity and bravery. After Galactus offered to reveal Lan's fate in exchange for Kril becoming his new herald, Galactus granted Pyreus the cosmic power and he became Firelord.
As a fire lord, Kril primarily manifested his cosmic power as a "stellar flame" that effectively functioned as a living sun. He could project and manipulate heat, light, and gravity sufficient to burn through most terrestrial matter. Firelord's tenure as Galactus' herald was short, however, and he was freed when the Asgardian Thor, recognizing Kril's innate nobility, traded the Destroyer armor for his freedom.
Invisible Boy
Most fans know that Susan Richards is the invisible womanmost powerful member of the Fantastic Four. When Galactus came to Earth to transform her into his latest Herald, he instead discovered that she and her brother, the Human Torch, had recently switched powers. Undeterred, Galactus chose Johnny instead, who by this point had begun calling himself the Invisible Boy.
Initially overwhelmed by his new cosmic abilities, Johnny quickly adapted and began seeking out uninhabited planets for Galactus to consume. However, his apparent loyalty to the Eater of Worlds eventually turned out to be a diversionary tactic, giving his teammates time to devise a means to drain both Galactus and Johnny's cosmic energies, restoring both to their original forms and temporarily neutralizing the ancient threat.
Frankie Raye
With nearly identical powers to the Human Torch, Frankie Raye was an ally of the Fantastic Four and eventually joined their ranks when the team briefly considered changing her name to the Fantastic Five. When Galactus arrived on Earth again, Raye's tenure with the FF was cut short as she volunteered to become his newest Herald. Like the Air-Walker before her, Raye, now known as "Nova", befriended the cosmic devourer and served him faithfully while gradually losing touch with her humanity.
RELATED:The 10 best alternate members of the Fantastic Four
Though she volunteered to serve Galactus to save Earth, Raye's tenure as Herald caused her to become apathetic to the destruction he was causing. While her initial goal was to seek only uninhabited worlds, she nevertheless eventually began to guide her master to settled planets, including the alien's homeworldskull. After years of serving as a herald, Raye was finally reminded of her past morals by the Silver Surfer, who saw her as a kindred spirit. Galactus, displaying his own rare mortal feelings, grew jealous of Raye's relationship with the Surfer and dismissed her from the service, citing her ineffectiveness as a herald after she again refused to lead him to inhabited worlds.
Stardust
Stardust, Galactus' most fanatical herald, worshiped the Eater of Worlds as a god. To that end, she not only sought out new planets for him to consume, but also attempted to hunt down and eliminate the survivors of worlds that had already been ravaged by their master.
A member of a race of beings composed of pure energy, Stardust's cosmic empowerment by Galactus effectively rendered her immortal as she gained the ability to manipulate the very energies that made up her. She was able to recover from any injury and alter her form at the molecular level for a variety of effects. Though she likely would have willingly served Galactus for an eternity, Stardust was separated from her master after a battle with theenchanted, hammer-wielding Beta Ray Bill, who held her captive in an adjacent parallel dimension.
Terrax
It was already Terraxan immensely powerful cosmic Marvel villainbefore becoming a herald of Galactus. With the ability to animate stones, he subjugated the people of his homeworld and ruled over them as a tyrannical dictator. Dissatisfied with the nobility of previous Heralds at this point, Galactus sought a more ruthless and uncompromising candidate. Terrax fitted the bill, and after being imbued with the cosmic power, his stone control powers were massively increased, allowing the villain to animate entire planets 100 miles wide.
As Galactus had expected, the immoral Terrax had no qualms about leading the Annihilator to worlds teeming with life. Unfortunately, his ruthless ambition also left little room for loyalty, and Terrax began secretly conquering worlds for himself, only to continue serving Galactus out of fear. When Terrax finally turned on his master, Galactus stripped him of his cosmic powers and left him on Earth.
Many
A ruthless and bloodthirsty bailiff, Morg volunteered to serve as Galactus' herald even after the cosmic consumed his homeworld. Like all heralds, Morg was bestowed with cosmic power. He then found the ancient "Fountain of Life" and used its energies to further increase his powers.
Unwaveringly loyal, Morg proved an incredibly effective herald, leading to the destruction of dozens of inhabited worlds. Realizing Morg's increasingly devastating cosmic menace, the Silver Surfer assembled a team of former Heralds to fight him, including Firelord, Nova, and the rebuilt Air Walker android. While the group managed to defeat Galactus' newest minion, their victory came with a price as Frankie Raye died fighting for Morg.
The fallen
The Ancient Fallen was Galactus' very first attempt to recruit a Herald to serve him. Unlike the others, the Fallen One has the unique distinction of being the only Herald of Galactus powered by dark energy rather than the cosmic power.
This allowed the immensely powerful being to manipulate the very binding fabric of the universe, even making him a threat to Galactus himself. When the Fallen proved unnecessarily cruel in his actions, Galactus banished his first Herald to a realm between dimensions. Despite this, he has regularly returned to exact revenge on his former master, and on a few occasions has almost made it.
NEXT:Marvel's 10 Most Powerful Magic Users (Who Aren't Doctor Strange)