In an epic moment for Marvel's Galactus often empowers 'heralds' to soften up his targets, creating some of the most powerful beings in Marvel lore.
Now, Galactus has gone further than ever before in seeking out the perfect herald. In Ryan North, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna and Marcio Menyz's Godzilla vs. Fantastic Four #1, Galactus chooses the alien kaiju King Ghidorah as his new herald.
A three-headed, dragon-like force of pure malevolence, King Ghidorah exists to visit suffering and destruction on whatever world he encounters. Galactus intends to use King Ghidorah to wipe out Earth's heroes and other protectors, softening up the planet for his feeding process. To that end, he makes King Ghidorah more powerful than ever before.
Galactus intends to use King Ghidorah to wipe out Earth's heroes and other protectors...
Galactus Has a Big Problem With His Heralds And Honestly? It Cannot Be Fixed.
Galactus has appointed many heralds throughout Marvel's history, but there's a glaring issue with them that he may have no hope of fixing.
Galactus Turns Godzilla's King Ghidorah Into His New Herald
King Ghidorah Just Became a Living God
In Godzilla vs. Fantastic Four #1, the FF take down Godzilla, only for King Ghidorah to descend on Earth. Rather than its usual golden color, King Ghidorah has been enhanced by Galactus, granted a portion of the Power Cosmic and coated in silver armor similar to Galactus' prior herald the Silver Surfer. King Ghidorah unleashes its incredible power, beginning to raze New York and easily overpowering the FF. Thankfully, the Silver Surfer is able to transmit his Power Cosmic to Godzilla, bringing the King of Monsters back into the fight. However, even then King Ghidorah overpowers its old rival, battering Godzilla with its electric blasts.
It's only once the Fantastic Four carry out their own attack on King Ghidorah - giving Godzilla time to rally and master Silver Surfer's power - that King Ghidorah is finally beaten. Godzilla's combined atomic breath and Power Cosmic strip away King Ghidorah's new powers, though the monstrous kaiju still survives, taking off into space ahead of an inevitable rematch. Galactus has chosen heralds for many different reasons, from the desire to see distant planets to outright cruelty. King Ghidorah definitely falls into the latter camp, showing that Galactus still re how the Silver Surfer's buried comion caused his acolyte to turn against him in defense of Earth.
Galactus choosing King Ghidorah as his herald shows just how powerful the villain truly is...
While it's unlikely that fans will ever get a full Godzilla/Fantastic Four crossover on the big screen, Galactus choosing King Ghidorah as his herald shows just how powerful the villain truly is. With Galactus soon to debut in the MCU's Fantastic Four: First Steps, it's an important indicator of his power that even the ultra-powerful King Ghidorah is only seen as a potential servant by Marvel's Devourer of Worlds. Where humans see a force of planetary destruction, Galactus only sees a potential herald who can make his march of cosmic destruction slightly more efficient.
Godzilla vs. Fantastic Four #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.
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Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a superhero franchise centered on Marvel Comics' first family of superheroes. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the team made its comic book debut in 1961 and quickly became a cornerstone of Marvel's success. The franchise follows four astronauts—Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm—who gain superpowers after being exposed to cosmic radiation. Over the years, Fantastic Four has been adapted into several live-action films, animated series, and video games. The films have seen multiple reboots, with varying levels of success, and are now set to be integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with a new film slated for release in 2025.
