What Happened When Galactus Used The Infinity Stones

Any hero or villain wielding all of the Infinity Stones in the Marvel Universe grants the user immense powers that are unrivaled on a cosmic scale. But, when Galactus, the Douverer of Worlds obtained all of the Stones, he didn’t do so to take over the universe – but instead hoped to curse his hunger and stop demolishing planets altogether.

Galactus first appeared in Fantastic Four #48 and was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. The billions of year’s old cosmic juggernaut’s purpose is to find planets to feed on  (and ultimately destroy) that sustain his life-force. He has an insane powerset, which includes the Power Cosmic, which gives him cosmic abilities on a practically unlimited scale.  While Galactus has definitely been a villain in the eyes of those who planets he tries to feast on – his goal isn’t personal, as he merely seeks to survive. In one story, Galactus sought the Infinity Stones in an effort to change himself into a being that didn’t need to feed on planets to survive.

In Thanos #4 by Jim Starlin, Al Milgrom, Christie Scheele, Heroic Age, and Dave Sharpe, Thanos discovers that Galactus is looking to end his role as the Devourer of Worlds, as he plans to collect the Infinity Stones (referred to as Infinity Gems) not to gain godhood, but to end his hunger. However, Thanos, who’s not entirely against Galactus’ desired change, senses the cosmic giant is being manipulated after he notices on his supercomputer that his plan is being tampered with. The Mad Titan tries to warn Galactus, but his pleas are ignored, and he accidentally opens a portal that allows a shadowy reality-eating parasite named Hunger to be freed.

Galactus appears to have unleashed a truly awful monster on reality who can’t be contained, but after some chaos and destruction, Thanos manages to grab the Soul Stone and uses it to crush two planets against Hunger, taking him out. The Stones are sent to the far reaches of the universe, while Thanos returns to Soul Stone to Adam Warlock. Thanos gives Galactus a stern talking-to, telling him his “prudent foresightedness” and his downfall will happen without thinking about the effects of his desires.

Ultimately, Galactus’ quest was a noble one that would have saved billions of lives across the galaxy. However, he didn’t think about the consequences of his actions and inadvertently let a monster free that nearly destroyed him. The Infinity Stones come with a cost – which Thanos absolutely let him know after taking down Hunger. Galactus will certainly think twice before using the Infinity Stones again.

Next: Hulk & Thanos Have the Strangest Love Connection in Comics

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Liam McGuire
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Lead writer for Screen Rant’s comic team. [email protected]. Find me on Twitter @LiamRMcGuire for comic news and reporting.

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