The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Galactus as he embarks on a mission to consume the Earth – but the Silver Surfer’s reasoning for sending the villain to Earth is more complex than it might initially appear. The arrival of Galactus in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) appears to mark the beginning of the end as far as the Multiverse is concerned.
With Shalla-Bal, aka the Silver Surfer, heralding Galactus’ arrival and the imminent destruction of Earth-828, it could appear random that Earth was chosen for the enтιтy’s next meal. However, the comics provide several insights into how and why specific planets are chosen, and the root of the Devourer of Worlds’ hunger.
Why Galactus Eats Planets
Galactus first appeared in the comics a few years after the Fantastic Four in 1966. However, his story and origins have been expanding ever since his debut. Originally, Galactus was a mortal man living on a planet not entirely dissimilar to Earth. However, this world existed as part of the Sixth Cosmos.
With the end of Galactus’ home world came the destruction of that Cosmos, and the beginning of the next, aka, The Seventh Cosmos. As the sole being who was carried from the previous Cosmos into the present, Galactus was then tasked with becoming a balancing force throughout the universe.
Due to this, Galactus consumes worlds, and the energy that he ingests goes into the powers that will eventually produce the next iteration of reality. This is essentially the force that will spark the big bang, and repeat the cycle for a new reality.
Why Silver Surfer Chose Earth For Galactus To Eat
As a herald of Galactus, the Silver Surfer is tasked with choosing planets for her master to consume. The Fantastic Four: First Steps provides little insight into this process, though it does reveal that many of the planets Shalla-Bal has led her master to contain sentient life.
One potential reason for this is that the worlds consumed by Galactus will go into informing how the next reality is shaped. Another is that fate leads her, or some magnetic attraction which hails from her portion of the Power Cosmic.
If this is the case, it would make sense for the Silver Surfer to choose Earth, because the MCU’s Franklin Richards is a being who appears to possess that same power. And if that proves true, Franklin could play a vital role in shaping the next universe alongside Galactus.
As two unstoppable forces of nature, Galactus and Franklin may well be the key to taking the Multiverse from one iteration to the next, though that is only just hinted at with the ending of The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
