The Galactus Trilogy
Encyclopedia
"The Galactus Trilogy" is a three-issue story arc
in the Marvel Comics
comic-book series Fantastic Four
, by writer-editor Stan Lee
and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby
. The story originally ran in Fantastic Four #48-#50 and introduced the characters Galactus
and the Silver Surfer
.
' flagship superhero
title, Fantastic Four, creators Stan Lee
and Jack Kirby
collaborated on an antagonist designed to break from the archetypal mold of supervillain
s of the time, and be instead a being of god-like stature and power. As Lee recalled in 1993,
Kirby described his Biblical inspirations for Galactus and an accompanying character, an angelic herald Lee dubbed the Silver Surfer
:
Kirby further explained, "Galactus in actuality is a sort of god. He is beyond reproach, beyond anyone's opinion. In a way he is kind of a Zeus, who fathered Hercules. He is his own legend, and of course, he and the Silver Surfer are sort of modern legends, and they are designed that way."
Writer Mike Conroy expanded on Lee and Kirby's explanation, stating, "In five short years from the launch of the Fantastic Four, the Lee/Kirby duo...had introduced a whole host of alien races or their representatives...there were the Skrulls, the Watcher and the Stranger, all of whom Lee and Kirby used in the foundations of the universe they were constructing, one where all things were possible but only if they did not flout the 'natural laws' of this cosmology. In the nascent Marvel Universe, characters acted consistently, whatever comic they were appearing in. Their actions reverberated through every title. It was pure soap opera but on a cosmic scale, and Galactus epitomized its epic sweep."
All this led to the introduction of Galactus in Fantastic Four #48-50 (March-May 1966), which fans began calling "The Galactus Trilogy". It culminated in Fantastic Four #50 (May 1966), which featured the Silver Surfer interceding on behalf of humankind against Galactus.
story of the previous issue, the story moves to the Silver Surfer
as he soars through the Andromeda Galaxy
, earning the attention of the Skrull
s. They know that wherever the Silver Surfer appears, his master, Galactus
, cannot be far behind. Terrified, the Skrulls do everything they can to conceal their world from the Surfer's perceptions.
Back on Earth
, the Fantastic Four
witness the entire skyline appearing be engulfed in flame. At the Baxter Building
Reed
sequesters himself inside his laboratory to analyze the situation. The flames in the sky dissipate, giving way to an unending field of space debris.
The powerful being known as the Watcher
appears inside Reed's laboratory. He explains that he is responsible for the atmospheric disturbances, for he has been attempting to conceal Earth's existence from the attention of the Silver Surfer. He further explains that the Surfer is the advance scout of Galactus, a powerful cosmic being that consumes the elemental energies of entire worlds, leaving them as little more than dried, lifeless husks.
The Surfer investigates the Watcher's debris field and finds Earth hidden beneath it. He flies to the roof of the Baxter Building and sends out a cosmic signal for Galactus. The Fantastic Four race to the top of the building, and the Thing
rams into the Surfer knocking him off the building. In the sky above, Galactus' planet devouring world ship emerges over Manhattan. The giant Galactus exits the ship and declares his intention to consume the entire world.
and the Thing try to attack Galactus to no effect. The Watcher tells them to return to their base and he will contact them shortly.
Galactus continues to assemble his planet devouring device and the Watcher explains that there is a device aboard Galactus' ship that could stop him. The Watcher sends the Human Torch to get it. Meanwhile, the unconscious Silver Surfer wakes up in the apartment of Alicia Masters
. She learns of the Surfer's mission and appeals to him to turn against his master and help save the Earth.
When the Fantastic Four begin attacking Galactus' almost completed device, the planet-eater sends his cyborg Punisher
to keep them out of his way while he repairs it. Making use of this distraction and delay, the Watcher boosts Johnny's powers so that he may travel to Galactus' ship and retrieve the weapon they need to defeat the world-devourer. Alicia convinces the Surfer to help save the Earth.
. When Reed threatens to use it against Galactus, the planet-eater agrees to spare the Earth and leave if Reed gives him back the weapon. True to his word, Galactus leaves but not before making it so the Surfer can never leave the Earth, by creating a cosmic barrier around it. After the battle, Alicia thanks the Silver Surfer for his help, causing the jealous Thing to think that she's choosing the Surfer over him. He quietly walks away feeling nothing but rejection.
As life resumes to normal, the press dismisses the Galactus fiasco as a hoax.
numerous times, notably in Essential Fantastic Four, Volume 3 (ISBN 0-7851-2625-2) and Marvel Masterworks
: Fantastic Four, Volume 5 (ISBN 0-7851-1184-0).
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
comic-book series Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
, by writer-editor Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
. The story originally ran in Fantastic Four #48-#50 and introduced the characters Galactus
Galactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
and the Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
.
Publication history
In 1966, nearly five years after having launched Marvel ComicsMarvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' flagship superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
title, Fantastic Four, creators Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
and Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
collaborated on an antagonist designed to break from the archetypal mold of supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
s of the time, and be instead a being of god-like stature and power. As Lee recalled in 1993,
Kirby described his Biblical inspirations for Galactus and an accompanying character, an angelic herald Lee dubbed the Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
:
Kirby further explained, "Galactus in actuality is a sort of god. He is beyond reproach, beyond anyone's opinion. In a way he is kind of a Zeus, who fathered Hercules. He is his own legend, and of course, he and the Silver Surfer are sort of modern legends, and they are designed that way."
Writer Mike Conroy expanded on Lee and Kirby's explanation, stating, "In five short years from the launch of the Fantastic Four, the Lee/Kirby duo...had introduced a whole host of alien races or their representatives...there were the Skrulls, the Watcher and the Stranger, all of whom Lee and Kirby used in the foundations of the universe they were constructing, one where all things were possible but only if they did not flout the 'natural laws' of this cosmology. In the nascent Marvel Universe, characters acted consistently, whatever comic they were appearing in. Their actions reverberated through every title. It was pure soap opera but on a cosmic scale, and Galactus epitomized its epic sweep."
All this led to the introduction of Galactus in Fantastic Four #48-50 (March-May 1966), which fans began calling "The Galactus Trilogy". It culminated in Fantastic Four #50 (May 1966), which featured the Silver Surfer interceding on behalf of humankind against Galactus.
"The Coming of Galactus"
After wrapping up the InhumansInhumans
The Inhumans are a fictional race of superhumans, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This race appears in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics and exists in that company's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
story of the previous issue, the story moves to the Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
as he soars through the Andromeda Galaxy
Andromeda Galaxy
The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Andromeda. It is also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224, and is often referred to as the Great Andromeda Nebula in older texts. Andromeda is the nearest spiral galaxy to the...
, earning the attention of the Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
s. They know that wherever the Silver Surfer appears, his master, Galactus
Galactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
, cannot be far behind. Terrified, the Skrulls do everything they can to conceal their world from the Surfer's perceptions.
Back on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
witness the entire skyline appearing be engulfed in flame. At the Baxter Building
Baxter Building
The Baxter Building is a fictitious 35-story office building in Manhattan whose five upper floors house the Fantastic Four's headquarters in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...
Reed
Mister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....
sequesters himself inside his laboratory to analyze the situation. The flames in the sky dissipate, giving way to an unending field of space debris.
The powerful being known as the Watcher
Uatu
Uatu, often simply known as The Watcher, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and designed by artist Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Fantastic Four #13 ....
appears inside Reed's laboratory. He explains that he is responsible for the atmospheric disturbances, for he has been attempting to conceal Earth's existence from the attention of the Silver Surfer. He further explains that the Surfer is the advance scout of Galactus, a powerful cosmic being that consumes the elemental energies of entire worlds, leaving them as little more than dried, lifeless husks.
The Surfer investigates the Watcher's debris field and finds Earth hidden beneath it. He flies to the roof of the Baxter Building and sends out a cosmic signal for Galactus. The Fantastic Four race to the top of the building, and the Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
rams into the Surfer knocking him off the building. In the sky above, Galactus' planet devouring world ship emerges over Manhattan. The giant Galactus exits the ship and declares his intention to consume the entire world.
"If This Be Doomsday"
The Watcher tries to appeal to Galactus to leave Earth alone. When diplomacy proves not to work, the Human TorchHuman Torch
The Human Torch is a fictional character and superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, he is a member of the superhero team the Fantastic Four, debuting in The Fantastic Four #1...
and the Thing try to attack Galactus to no effect. The Watcher tells them to return to their base and he will contact them shortly.
Galactus continues to assemble his planet devouring device and the Watcher explains that there is a device aboard Galactus' ship that could stop him. The Watcher sends the Human Torch to get it. Meanwhile, the unconscious Silver Surfer wakes up in the apartment of Alicia Masters
Alicia Masters
Alicia Reiss Masters is a supporting character to the Marvel Comics superheroes the Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, she first appeared in The Fantastic Four #8 ....
. She learns of the Surfer's mission and appeals to him to turn against his master and help save the Earth.
When the Fantastic Four begin attacking Galactus' almost completed device, the planet-eater sends his cyborg Punisher
Punisher (Galactus)
The Punisher is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #49 , and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby....
to keep them out of his way while he repairs it. Making use of this distraction and delay, the Watcher boosts Johnny's powers so that he may travel to Galactus' ship and retrieve the weapon they need to defeat the world-devourer. Alicia convinces the Surfer to help save the Earth.
"The Startling Saga of the Silver Surfer!"
The Silver Surfer arrives to attack his former master, giving Johnny the time he needs to return from Galactus' ship with the Ultimate NullifierUltimate Nullifier
The Ultimate Nullifier is a device of immense power in the Marvel Universe. The device made its first appearance in Fantastic Four volume 1, issue #50 , in which Johnny Storm retrieves it from the home of Galactus—as directed by Uatu the Watcher—for the Fantastic Four to employ against the threat...
. When Reed threatens to use it against Galactus, the planet-eater agrees to spare the Earth and leave if Reed gives him back the weapon. True to his word, Galactus leaves but not before making it so the Surfer can never leave the Earth, by creating a cosmic barrier around it. After the battle, Alicia thanks the Silver Surfer for his help, causing the jealous Thing to think that she's choosing the Surfer over him. He quietly walks away feeling nothing but rejection.
As life resumes to normal, the press dismisses the Galactus fiasco as a hoax.
Legacy
- "The Galactus Trilogy" served as a primary inspiration for the 20072007 in filmThis is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver SurferFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver SurferFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is a 2007 American superhero film, and the sequel to the 2005 film Fantastic Four. Both films are based on the Fantastic Four comic book and were directed by Tim Story...
. - The story was used as the basis for Ultimate MarvelUltimate MarvelUltimate Marvel is an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the company's superhero characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. The imprint was launched in 2000 with the publication of the series...
's Ultimate Galactus TrilogyUltimate Galactus trilogyThe Ultimate Galactus Trilogy is a collection of three comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics. All three series are set in the Ultimate Marvel universe and are written by Warren Ellis...
, a trilogy of three miniseries written by Warren EllisWarren EllisWarren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
. - The story is adapted into episodes of the 1967 Fantastic Four TV seriesFantastic Four (1967 TV series)Fantastic Four is an animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and the first animated series based on Marvel's comic book series Fantastic Four. The program, featuring character designs by Alex Toth, aired on ABC from 1967 to 1970. It lasted for 20 episodes, with repeat episodes airing...
and the 1994 Fantastic Four TV seriesFantastic Four (1994 TV series)Fantastic Four is the third animated television series based on Marvel's comic book series of the same name. Airing began on September 24, 1994, until ending on February 24, 1996...
. - The story is also loosely adapted into the first three-part episode of the TV series Silver SurferSilver Surfer (TV series)Silver Surfer, also known as Silver Surfer: The Animated Series, is an animated television series based on the Marvel Comics superhero which aired on the Fox Kids Network in 1998.-Overview:...
. - The story arc was voted the 19th best comic book storyline by a reader poll at Comic Book ResourcesComic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
. - The story's popularity sparked additional appearances by the Silver Surfer in later issues, and he would eventually receive his own comic series.
Collected editions
The Galactus Trilogy has been collectedTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
numerous times, notably in Essential Fantastic Four, Volume 3 (ISBN 0-7851-2625-2) and Marvel Masterworks
Marvel Masterworks
Marvel Masterworks are a American collection of hardcover and trade paperback comic book reprints published by Marvel Comics. They are printed in full color and feature various titles from the Golden Age, Pre-Code , Silver Age, and Bronze Age of comics.The collection started in 1987 with volumes...
: Fantastic Four, Volume 5 (ISBN 0-7851-1184-0).
External links
- Hatfield, Charles, The Galactus Trilogy: An Appreciation (in The Jack Kirby Collector #9, collected in The Collected Jack Kirby Collector Volume 1, 2004, ISBN 1893905004)