Idle Hands: Galactus: The Devourer of Worlds Has Come

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Galactus: The Devourer of Worlds Has Come

Hasbro Marvel Comics Galactus Action Figure 012

What will surely go down as one of the best action figures ever made has finally arrived at the doorsteps of die hard Marvel collectors, action figure aficionados and those with 400 bucks to blow on a once in a life time toy project. That year long gamble and half a rent check, in my opinion, is well worth it when you slide all 3 feet of Galactus out of his box and are reminded there are three Marvel Legends heralds packed right along side him. His eyes light up, his chest and head piece blinds and each finger moves in every direction an imaginative or juvenile mind could imagine. You've seen many pictures of this behemoth already, most of which depicted Galactus as a newly adopted child going on many, many suburban adventures (and conquering toilet challenges), as well as those all important video reviews, so we'll skip all that gushing and go right for the eye candy.

Hasbro Marvel Comics Galactus Action Figure

The first thing you need to know about Galactus is his deep indifference for any entity he sees as beneath him...which includes just about everyone. If a herald leads him to a planet teaming with life or void of even a tiny space goldfish, there is no distinguishing between the two. Should a planet meet the nutritional needs to sustain Galactus's formidable form, then that planet will be broken down and consumed. When the meal is complete, its onto the next without a second of pause for lives lost or homes destroyed. Generations lived, created and expired on a spinning ball of rock hurtling through space for thousands of years and in mere moments, it's wiped from existence.

When the Silver Surfer came upon an unsuspecting Earth, he originally gave no thought to the millions of life forms crawling across its surface, but after an encounter with the Fantastic Four, he was forced to pause and commune with humans. Finding them vastly interesting creatures worthy of protection, Silver Surfer attempted to delay their annihilation, but it was too late. The devourer had arrived and was pleased with the impending meal before him. Only the vast knowledge of the cosmos and it's powerful secrets held by the being known as The Watcher, teamed with the intellect and courage of the four would turn back Galactus, along with a promise he would never darken the planet's surface again.

Some years later, a being of immeasurable power known as The Beyonder kidnaps Earth's mightiest heroes and most infamous villains, along with a thoroughly perplexed Galactus. When his "fellow villains" attempt to attack him on sight, he swats them away like gnats and leaves to consider his predicament. Eventually, Galactus falls back to his base driving urge; Feeding his great hunger. He summons his ship and attempts to devour the world pieced together from different planets by The Beyonder, but is thwarted, and retrieved by one of his heralds.

I believe people have a better understanding of Galactus today, as our world has changed so drastically. No longer seen as a murderous villain, Galactus is a force of nature that simply arrives on your doorstep, not out of malice or ill intent. He is a slave to a hunger that sustains him, and as such, is trapped in a cycle of simply consuming to survive. As a child, I couldn't wrap my brain around such heavy concepts, nor could I imagine that one day, Hasbro would make such a massive character into an action figure worthy of the comic lore! As stated at the start, this is truly a once in a lifetime creation, and as a life long Marvel fan, I'm happy for these unexpected moments that fuel my love for toy collecting.