The arrival of a Herald of Galactus marks the beginning of the end. Galactus is the “Devourer of Worlds” and a fundamental force of nature in the Marvel Universe. To satisfy his endless hunger for new planets, Galactus bestows a fraction of his immense power on chosen mortals, who are then designated as his Heralds. Infused with the Power Cosmic –a limitless source of cosmic energy—these Heralds scour the universe in search of worthy planets for Galactus to eat. Once a suitable world is found, the Herald notifies their master so that he may devour the planet. Over billions of years, Galactus has had dozens of Heralds who have served him. Some of the Heralds take great pride in their work. Other Heralds only engage in these destructive actions to protect their homeworlds from Galactus’s hunger. There have even been a select few Heralds who have rebelled against their master, using Galactus’s own Power Cosmic against him. Whether they fight for or against him, these are the most notable Heralds of Galactus.
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From loyal followers who support his destruction of worlds to rebellious Heralds who challenge Galactus, these are the mightiest mortals to have ever served the Destroyer of Worlds.
5) Air-Walker
Gabriel Lan, aka Air-Walker, was one of the few people in the universe that Galactus saw as a friend. Gabriel was a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Nova Corps. After the Silver Surfer quit his role as a Herald of Galactus, Galactus chose Gabriel to be his replacement. Gabriel served Galactus loyally for many years, and the two formed a strong bond. When an alien armada possessing weapons that threatened Galactus attacked him, Gabriel successfully protected his friend, but the damage he sustained ultimately proved fatal. Distraught by the loss of his most loyal Herald, Galactus created a robot replica of Gabriel to act as his faithful servant.
4) Nova
When Frankie Raye was a little girl, she was doused in chemicals that gave her the power to burst into flame at will. To keep her safe, her scientist stepfather suppressed every memory she had of her powers. When Frankie grew up, she became the girlfriend of Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch. Her relationship with the fiery hero helped her unlock her buried memories and powers. When Galactus arrived on Earth, nearly starved to death, Frankie offered herself to help the Devourer find new worlds to consume, driven by a desire to save the Earth and explore the universe. However, the reality of the gruesome work she was doing in helping Galactus destroy worlds took a toll on her mental health. Ultimately, seeing that Frankie was no longer willing to aid him in his search for planets to eat, Galactus discarded Frankie and returned to his more reliable Heralds.
3) Firelord
Pyreus Kril was a member of the Nova Corps before becoming a Herald of Galactus. When his friend Gabriel Lan was turned into Air Walker by Galactus, Pyerus went looking for him. Not knowing of Gabriel’s death, Pyreus demanded that Galactus tell him where he could find his friend. Impressed by Pyreus’s determination, Galactus offered Pyreus the knowledge he sought in exchange for becoming his new Herald. Pyreus accepted and was transformed into the ever-burning Firelord, with the power of a star and a staff that can shoot fireballs. However, to avoid telling Pyreus about Gabriel’s death, Galactus repressed Firelord’s memories of Gabriel so that he would not have any conflicted feelings and could be a more loyal servant. Eventually, with help from Thor, Firelord recalled his memories of Gabriel and renounced his Herald status. Now, Firelord roams the universe as a protector of the innocent from the forces of evil.
2) Terrax
Terrax the Tamer used to be an alien dictator called Tyros with the power to manipulate stone with his mind. Unlike other Heralds, Terrax has no issues with committing planetary destruction. Indeed, it was because of Terrax’s ruthlessness that Galactus forced him to become his latest Herald. To channel the Power Cosmic, Terrax was given an axe that can fire energy blasts so powerful that they can destroy planets. Yet, while perfectly willing to destroy worlds, Terrax had no sense of loyalty towards Galactus and tried on multiple occasions to betray the Devourer of Worlds to steal his power for himself. He even tried to manipulate the Fantastic Four into killing Galactus. After one too many attempted betrayals, Galactus renounced Terrax’s status as one of his Heralds. Now free, Terrax has attempted to conquer the Earth several times but is consistently thwarted by the planet’s defenders.
1) Silver Surfer
In 1965, the Marvel Universe expanded on a cosmic scale with the introduction of Norrin Radd, aka the Silver Surfer. Norrin came from the planet Zenn-La, which Galactus sought to devour. In exchange for his planet’s safety, Norrin offered to become Galactus’s Herald. Galactus obliged and bestowed the Power Cosmic upon Norrin, which gave him his iconic board that allows him to move faster than the speed of light. With the Power Cosmic, Norrin’s abilities include immortality, intangibility, telekinesis, telepathy, energy manipulation, flight, time manipulation, and more. Norrin served Galactus faithfully for many years. However, when his search for planets for Galactus brought him to Earth, Norrin was moved by the beauty of the planet and of humanity. Not wanting Earth to be destroyed, Norrin rebelled against his master and helped the Fantastic Four banish Galactus from Earth. Since then, Norrin has become one of the strongest superheroes in the universe, intrepidly defeating all manner of primordial evil forces.
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