The Genesis of the Devourer
Disclaimer: This is a literary adaption of the Marvel Comic book issue: The Origin of Galactus. As such, the characters and the general plot belong to Marvel and not me. I do not benefit in any way monetarily from this adaption.
Author's Note:
Hey guys and gals. Something you should know about this little ficlet, its based off of an old comic that ran in the 1990s. Being a 90s comic, the main character is puffed up with many examples of how powerful he/she/it is and may seem a bit stuffy. The aim of this particular issue in Marvel comics sought to explain with pictures rather than tell a complete story with emotions and relationships. I took a little, not a lot mind you, creative reimagining of scenes to make the origin story a little more palatable to a reader.
Hope you enjoy my one-shot!
-Li Zhang
Italics indicates character's thoughts
Outer Space.
Frigid and desolate.
Devoid of all life except tiny little dots that inhabit the great expanse of the universe.
Yet for all its vacancy of sapient life, it is here that the greatest drama unfolds. Abstract concepts warring with each other for dominance among the meager life forms, cosmic entities of great and wondrous power battling till the end of time; all within the endless cosmos.
And among these god-like beings, Galactus exists alone.
Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds.
Galactus, the oldest entity in the universe.
Remnants of Planet Archaeopia- Andromeda Galaxy
Home.
A gleaming silver pocket of life breaks through the fabric of hyperspace into the cold depths of the universe.
It is the flagship of Galactus.
And it is coming home.
Nostalgia bites into the old being's heart as the familiar scene comes upon his view. A collection of lifeless asteroids and dust lay suspended, floating gently together. A mar in the otherwise untouched solar system.
The being stopped at the threshold of its ship; the cosmic winds hissing angrily, battering his form to no avail for one who had long since lost any semblance of humanity.
To lesser life forms, his true form was incomprehensible. In their failure to perceive a being of such magnitude, their brains imprint on him an image of their own characteristics. He no longer was a being in the physical sense, but a true force of nature.
Hunger. A painful constant in Galactus's life. It was the cause of his eternal search across the universe.
Hunger gnawed at Galactus, begging him to seek out thermal and biological energy to sustain his body. Galactus shook off the rumblings and stood, surveying the empty cosmos.
In all my endless treks across the universe, I always return here.
For only here is there respite from the eternal gnawing of my cosmic appetite.
Only here do I have time to reflect…Yet what price do I pay… for such a return ever rekindles bitter memories of ancient days.
Galactus felt his cosmic memories dig deep, triggered by a familiar yet totally foreign feeling of mortality; a mortality that he had not felt in an eternity.
Memories of a world that are lost forevermore- My homeworld of Taa!
Flashback
Feeling a wet chill crawl up his spine, Galan stepped out of the telesphere into the Drumon, the well-funded astronomy complex in Taa. Touching the silver surface of the telesphere, Galan issued a command to unload its precious cargo. A hologram projector and a data sheet gently jettisoned from the interiors.
The grand capital of Taa.
Gleaming metalloid skyscrapers stood tall and proud, asymmetrical and spherical architecture that seemed impossible to support itself prevailed within the great capital and heralded the most advance planet within the entire galaxy, and perhaps even within the universe.
Taa The planet that knew no equal.
Taa. Among the simplest of its many miracles were the abodes that men lived and traveled.
Taa. Ever changing. Ever ancient. Ever splendid to behold.
Taa. A fabled planet that could not endure forever…
The city was oddly silent. Reticence prevailed within the streets, the wind swept alleys bringing no signs of life. The entertainment districts' lights were dead, its vibrant roads and casinos devoid of patrons.
Every citizen was gathered near the Drumon, quiet. It was as if the denizens were holding their breath…
A garbed man who bore the insignia of an administrator looked upon Galan as he took off his body suit, stripping away at the pressurized foam that protected his body from the extreme rigors of space. Underneath the foam helmet, Galan's face was clouded with doubt and worry…
The administrator turned toward the mass of people that congregated at the Drumon and addressed them,
"Galan has returned at last! Now we shall learn of our planet's fate!"
The gathering of people cheered their optimism at their beloved astronomer's return to Taa, ready to hear the news.
Galan turned away from his instruments onboard the telesphere, his face down, toward the group.
The administrator, dismayed by the apparent silence and attitude of their adventurer, urgently inquired,
"You do not speak, Galan?"
Galan replied morosely,
"Of what use are words at a time like this?"
Sighing, he addressed the administrator in a loud and clear voice,
"The molecules- the very atoms of our universe- are changing. It is as we feared, the world of Taa… No, the very universe is doomed. I have traveled to the farthest ends of the cosmos- But my journey was in vain! Our world is perhaps one of the last in existence!"
The crowd of onlookers broke out in panic and heart rent cries, but was quieted by the stern reprimands from the cooler, more level headed of the congregation. Turning to face Galan, the administrator solemnly said,
"Then we must prepare for the inevitable"
Galan looked on the man's visage. Even with the knowledge of his impending doom, the administrator's face was reserved and unemotional. Galan found the qualities of a man of Taa in his face, stalwart and unshakeable. Turning back to his instruments, Galan replied,
"Yes, but if our race must die- let it be in a way befitting of Taa"
The universal decay had come to Taa, and the greatest mind on the greatest world was powerless to stop it.
Bringing up a hologram of the data collected, Galan gazed upon the images of many myriad species, struck down in their prime.
The hardy Rigellians, their green spiny skin provided protection from even the most extreme environments; but in the hologram, their skin appeared motley and diseased, no doubt suffering the plague of radiation, and lay dying on their lava habitat.
The adaptive Kree too were assaulted. Their rapid evolution was unable to respond to the intense heat overwhelming them. Galan watched as a Kree's form grew so volatile that the Kree's skin boiled off its bones. The dying Kree wailed as its body eventually collapsed under its own glob of liquefied remains.
Switching the projector to the planet Tarnax Galan saw that even the ruthless Badoons, who were the greatest enemy of the Taa, were not exempt from the hazard. Their massive bio-space ships that were notorious for their planetary size spontaneously combusted by the corrosive effects of radiation.
No matter where they hailed from, all fell before the lethal plague produced by the universe's final minutes of existence.
Shaking his head vehemently, Galan slammed his fists into the consoles of his hologram projector, shattering its smooth mirror-like exterior. As he picked up the pieces, Galan's fractured image gazed back at him from the broken reflection. He knew that he could no longer deny the reality of things. He quietly said,
" Its hopeless, the radiation as we approach oblivion is unbearable. And each passing moment brings death close to Taa while all we can do is watch…and wait"
The crowd broke out into a crazed stupor, unwilling to believe such an apocalypse, and rushed Galan with questions of their survival.
Driven by pure helplessness, Galan escaped into the telesphere. Leaving behind the bemoaning mob, he ordered the telesphere to fly into the heart of the city.
Traveling through the city blocks, Galan saw all that Taa was- all of its grandeur, all of its achievements. Frustration mounted as he witnessed the pending doom of his civilization at its peak.
Somehow, just some way, Taa must live and pass on its knowledge!
Reaching the city square, Galan saw scores of men, women, and children come to their knees at the news of the apocalypse, the end of worlds. Already, signs of the plague manifested: choking, visible tumor growth, and madness. The whole scene played itself out just like what he had seen on the hologram.
Galan raked his brain to think of something….ANYTHING that could save his beloved home world.
Our efforts are useless; for all our skill and potency, we cannot find an antidote. But even if there is no cure, there MUST be someone that is immune!
But there was no one immune. Already people were coughing. The sky was dotted with little bright explosions, indicating the breakdown of the Taa ships. A behemoth starship malfunctioned and crashed into the square, as atoms broke down in the face of massive entropy.
Not knowing what to do, Galan followed his first instinct and flew his telesphere towards the heavens, towards the rapidly diminishing outer space.
Behind him, Galan gazed at Taa. The blue planet was assaulted by energies beyond comprehension. Crumpling in on itself, Taa's blue surface quickly turned into black oblivion. The gravitational force was too great, and Galan realized that he was witnessing a death of a world. The black planet had already shrunk to a miniscule ball of grey opaque dust.
Galan glued his eyes to the clear port of his telesphere at the dust that was once his home, his friends, and his colleagues. The dust was moving, attracted by a force. Following the trail of dust, Galan saw a multitude of faint grey lines litter the empty space. Each line was drawing to some point above Galan's head. Looking up slowly, Galan gasped as he saw a sphere of blindingly powerful light. Galan was looking upon the singularity that every atom, every particle was drawn to.
A thought crept into Galan's mind. A desperate ploy of glory, a bid for an honorable end that would be worthy of Taa.
The terminal point…will be my funeral pyre. Let my last flight- my death- be a living monument to Taa.
The Taa that is…no more.
And so the telesphere ventured forth. On its final flight: the final gallant, futile gesture into the blazing cosmic cauldron that all matter was plunging into.
Galan wished, he prayed, and found fulfillment as the first cosmic rays inundated the tiny telesphere.
He fell to the bottom of the telesphere overwhelmed by the heat of the energy, but curiously he was not gone. On the contrary, it felt like a new, strange force was entering his body. Straight into the fiery heart of the singularity the telesphere flew, not even a small ripple in the cosmic winds to mark its passage.
Then, the sole survivor hears a majestic voice call forth to him.
HEAR ME SON OF TAA, FOR I AM THE SENTIENCE OF THE UNIVERSE.
Galan couldn't fully comprehend who or what was communicating with him. The red hot radiation he was experiencing was beyond allowing him to think clearly. The voice went on,
LIKE YOURSELF, I AM DYING. IN MERE MOMENTS AS I MARK TIME, I WILL HAVE DRAWN ALL THAT EVER IS INTO MY VERY BREAST AND BE CRUSHED BY MY OWN ABYSMAL WEIGHT. THOUGH WE MUST DIE, WE NEED NOT DIE WITHOUT A HEIR TO OUR LEGACY.
Galan's eyes popped, the cosmic energies searing his eyes. His feet began to catch on fire from the ethereal force. He was immersed in a conflagration that would not stop until it consumed everything that he is.
LET OUR DEATHS SERVE AS THE BEGINNING OF NEW LIFE!
COME! SURENDERR YOURSELF TO ME AND LET US BECOME ONE! LET OUR DEATH THROES SERVE AS THE BIRTH PANGS OF NEW LIFE!
Galan felt a presence, a presence so totally omniscient that he felt his consciousness almost implode with the vast information that merged with his core being. His cerebral synapses fired all at once, as it was flooded with the cosmic knowledge of the very universe. Every thing that had once existed, every planet, every cell, every particle, was within Galan's mind. He screamed a soundless plea for relief, begging for the overwhelming influx to end. His body was destroyed atom by atom to make way for a new life form, a stronger frame. In the background of his deliriousness, Galan heard a decree,
IN A TIME FAR AWAY, A NEW UNIVERSE SHALL BE BIRTHED AND IN THAT UNIVERSE THERE SHALL BE A BEING LIKE NO OTHER.
Galan wordlessly pleaded,
What does this have anything to do with me? I just want to die…
Visions of a time far away came to him. Visions of a terrible desire. A time when a being of unquenchable thirst for life in all its forms would walk the cosmic plains.
Fading in and out of consciousness, Galan could no longer hold on, his sanity almost shattered…
A BEING THAT CONTAINS MATCHLESS POWER AND A RAGING APPETITE OF A GALAXY. BUT THIS BEING SHALL BE MORE THAN A GALAXY. THIS BEING SHALL BE… GALACTUS!
The singularity exploded. From the womb of the universal egg burst forth millions of dust particles.
A gleam of silver jettisoned from the hulking explosion. The silver object condensed into a sphere with an utmost precious cargo inside.
The cosmic dust settled to become the first stars, the first galaxies. More particles arrived from the cosmic Big Bang to settle empty space, and an eternity of nothingness passed. The first life arouse out of the planets lucky enough to receive the right warm care of the new suns.
For eons, the spherical object hurtled through the newborn universe. Within the spacecraft, a terrible, avaricious power radiated outward…
Eventually, the sphere approached the planetary outpost of a Watcher, one of the first highly gifted psionic creatures evolved. Their sole purpose to observe and study the vast universe...
On the Surface of the Third Planet from its Sun.
Ecce watched. He loved to spend endless centuries watching the doings of the universe. He had so many questions and a burning desire innate to him to answer them. What allowed some planets to support life? How did this life come about? What were the behaviors of such life? All of these were pertinent questions that he yearned to explore.
Pursuing his passion, Ecce was, at the present, absorbed in a specimen that was famous for its fast evolution in the cool environment of a forest.
He recorded every fine detail of a curious two-legged animal: its legs, its hands, its mouth, its feet, and its big cerebral nervous system. Not wanting to draw any attention to himself, Ecce was veiled through his telepathic powers.
The bipedal animal walked slowly, stalking a quadruped animal with two curious lengthy protrusions on its head. Ecce took note of the biped's rudimentary features. It had a sharp long tool that served as its weapon of choice. Most of its body was furless, unlike its prey who sported a thick coat of brown fur.
Studying the specific species at length, Ecce knew that the biped came from a line of species that was not only self aware, but also carved simple tools to help it survive. A smile crept upon Ecce's face,
So this is the species that my colleagues talk so avidly about.
The bipedal animal, in a sudden display of power, threw the sharp tool with deadly accuracy. Ecce admired the sharp tool as it corkscrewed in the air and buried itself within the prey's head. Excitement welled up within Ecce's soul at the success of the biped's hunt, his large brain quickly analyzing and storing the observations.
The animal has gone through many evolutionary changes, but this form is definitely the one with most potential. It has evolved from many previous lesser forms,
Hmmm, I think I'll call this form…"Homo Sapien"
Satisfaction rose in Ecce's breast at his choice in nomenclature,
I have high hopes for you, hominid
With nothing further to account for, the watcher teleported to his base of operations and began meticulously uploading data from his mind onto a secure hard drive.
A beep from Ecce's wrist module disrupted him from the upload. Looking at the instrument, Ecce did a double take as it picked up an energy signature of gigantic proportions.
A fast moving object attracted Ecce's attention to the skies as it skimmed the planet's orbit. Incredulous, Ecce thought,
That ship…. It pulsates with an cosmic energy so great, its unlike anything I have ever witnessed…
Using his prodigious telekinesis, Ecce brought the strange spherical ship down from its orbit. Noting that the vessel was of highly advanced design that was durable enough to survive the rigors of interstellar travel, Ecce peeled back the layers of the silver telesphere. What he found beyond it surprised even himself, a humanoid shape that radiated a strange, ravenous aura. Ecce thought,
That form! What in the swirling cosmos could have birthed such a being? I MUST know its nature.
Suddenly, the telesphere broke in a fire of cosmic energy. Ecce beheld an arm pierce through, crackling with tendrils of energy. The entire ship was destroyed in a fireball. The module beeping madly, Ecce looked at it for an energy reading,
Impossible! Its power levels are over 9000?
The entire ship had combusted in an unnatural explosion that reduced Ecce's base to nothing but rubble.
Ecce threw up force fields to stop the fires from progressing any further to the unspoiled environment.
Amazed, Ecce thought,
I stand in the presence of power…power enough to shatter an entire planet!
Ecce gritted his teeth as the intensity of the fire grew stronger. In a haze, he could make out that the humanoid being had transformed into a form of living energy. Sensing the hungry aura from before, Ecce's natural intuition brought him to realize that only by consuming vast amounts of energy could a horrific hunger be sated.
Mine is the power to destroy it NOW while it is still in its infancy! But I swore an oath to non-action in the affairs of the universe as a Watcher... If I am to strike I must do it now, but I cannot. I MUST NOT!
Ecce's internal conflict raged inside him. He knew that to allow such a being to mature would doom entire galaxies to become foodstuff of its hunger, but a natural curiosity welled inside him as he also knew that this being would possibly be the most interesting living being in the entire universe.
Too late to act, the living energy known as Galactus vacated the planet, leaving behind the Watcher to his regret.
Watching Galactus escape into space, Ecce wondered if the price of his oath was worth the people that would surely die at the hands of the deity.
In the safety of space, Galactus crafted a metal cocoon, an incubator of sorts. Within it, Galactus began the last developments to mature. Drifting in space for countless centuries, the incubator floated.
In that time, the cosmos knew how brief peace and quietness were. Sentient life sprouted from the random corners of the universe. Hardy and adaptive, these life forms evolved quickly within a short amount of time. Battling each other for resources, these intelligent races wrecked a warpath that the universe had not experienced.
The peace was gone…
And in the midst of all this, the incubator passed through space serenely, uninterrupted,
Until it came upon the planet Archaeopia.
Archaeopians were a race of bred for war. Their honor code knew no mercy or surrender. Combined with their innate energy manipulating powers, the Archaeopians ruthlessly asserted dominance in the southern Andromeda galaxy. Their shape shifting form was the perfect evolutionary advantage, allowing them to acquire any characteristics imaginable: tough skin, flexible bodies, durable bones. Any race's characteristics could be duplicated by the Archaeopians, they were unstoppable.
But when Galactus's incubator floated within their detection, Archaeopians were at lost of what to do. Sensing unimaginable energy levels from inside, the Archaeopians made their first and last mistake.
The entire Archaeopian space warrior army surrounded the anomaly. The space warriors bended the sun's energies and focused the solar power all unto the incubator.
Unbeknownst to the battle obsessed warriors, firing solar energy was the equivalent of throwing a pebble at a bull, a bull elephant that is. Within the chaos of the energy blasts, a giant form appeared to the Archaeopians. A form indescribable, a form totally alien to even the shape shifting people.
Galactus responded to none of the assaults on him. Seeing the small planet below him, a familiar feeling spread throughout Galactus's form: Hunger.
With a dismissive wave of his hand, Galactus annihilated the entire space fleet. Its thoughts emanated from its very core
For untold ages I have felt the ravenous pangs of my burning hunger! But now that I am awakened, I will feast!
Turning to Archaeopia, Galactus fell upon the world in a feeding frenzy. Like a starved predator set amongst prey, Galactus was overeager to taste his first meal. Not even registering the fear and panic he was causing amongst the remaining Archaeopians, Galactus descended in haste to the depths of the core. As quickly as it began, it ended. Galactus's energies encompassed the entire planet until both the surface and core had been totally converted into cosmic energy and absorbed.
With the hunger sated, Galactus surveyed the lifeless husk of the once luscious world that remained. A small, almost foreign, feeling of remorse grew within his heart.
Am I merely an agent of destruction?
Although barely matured, Galactus felt as old as time itself. He looked at the radiant cosmic power emitting from his hands,
No, mine is the Power Cosmic and nothing is impossible for me, Creation and Annihilation!
Harnessing a portion of his Power Cosmic, Galactus set foot to build a world that surpassed any in beauty and power.
Spending countless millenia, Galactus expended much energy to create the perfect home.
Once completed, the "worldship" spanned an entire solar system. Its exterior shined with an abnormal metallic glow. Complex structures twisted and turned in impossible ways and beckoned to style of Taa's spherical architecture.
A literal Mobius strip, the ship was christened Taa II, in homage to Galactus's home.
Truly, Taa II was fit for a God.
END FLASHBACK
A distant giant star had gone supernova. The intense nuclear explosion spread across entire systems. Its far reach extended close to Galactus's position.
Galactus shook himself from his reverie, the dried remains of Archaeopia lingering below him. His thoughts turned to the future as the intense heat of the nova washed over him like gentle rain. Reflecting, he spoke
"Thus did Galactus come to be, of all the beings in the universe there is none like me. I was present at the beginning of the universe and I shall be there at its end."
Galactus looked towards the origin of the blast, his mind irrevocably fixated on his next meal. Sensing an intrinsic purpose in his destruction of worlds, Galactus decreed,
"Though I devour worlds to survive, I bear no hatred to any living entity. I simply do what I must to survive. For no matter how many worlds I devour, no matter how many civilizations I destroy, I will one day give back to the universe infinitely more than I have taken from it, SO SPEAKS GALACTUS".