Warning! Spoilers for Defenders #4 by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics just revealed the villain who would serve as the archetype of Galactus, as the primal Devourer of Worlds from the Fourth Cosmos predated the massive supervillain. In Defenders #4, the superteam goes back in time and encounters archetypes of heroes and villains - including the primal Galactus, who is just as terrifying - if not more so - as the most iconic version of the character.
In the current Defenders series, the superteam has assembled to stop Carlo Zota, who's originally appeared in Marvel Comics #1 (1939). With the villain continuously traveling further and further back in time, the heroes have been taken to multiple iterations of the Marvel Universe. In the Sixth Cosmos, they met the mother of Galactus Taaia while taking on the massive being Omnimax. Next, the team went to the Fifth Cosmos, a realm made of pure magic. Finally, in Defenders #4, the team ends up in the Fourth Cosmos, where several archetypes lived and would later inspire heroes and villains from future incarnations of the universe.
In The Defenders #4 by Al Ewing, Javier Rodriguez, and VC's Joe Caramagna, the superteam navigates through the Fourth Cosmos, where archetypal beings such as the Hulk-like One-Is-Four exist. However, the most terrifying archetype is the primal Devourer of Worlds, who Zota controls. However, this version of Galactus is archetypal, and it strains reality with each step it takes. The Defenders team up with the archetypes of the Fourth Cosmos to stop Zota (who travels further back in time) and defeat Primal Galactus.
After the primal Devourer of Worlds is defeated, it transforms from "What-Must-Be" to "What-Can-Be," realizing the Fourth Cosmos must come to an end - suggesting the archetypes can be saved. The formerly primal Galactus summons the Pilgrim, who helps take the Defenders to the Third Cosmos to stop Carlo Zota - telling the team she will carry the archetypes on a "quest to the Heart of Creation." Defenders #4 ends with the heroes in the Third Cosmos encountering a massive sword-wielding golden being.
Seeing the archetypal versions of Galactus and other heroes and villains that would serve as the building blocks of future Marvel Universes is a lot of fun. The primal Devourer of Worlds was very similar to the version it would inspire from the Eighth Cosmos; however, even it realizes that change is necessary. Still, the primal Galactus, who served as the archetype for the villain, proves the cosmic juggernaut has long played a role in different iterations of the Marvel Universe and is an essential balancing force across different Cosmos'. Defenders #4 is in store now.
