Galactus is usually characterized by his planet-sized appetite, his herald, and his purple Power Ranger armor, but once, he found a friend in Reed Richards, at a time when they both needed one.
The alliance was only temporary, and mostly professional, but a glimpse of Galactus’ former humanity appeared, rescuing Richards from the trial of his life in Fantastic Four #262: because it took the threat of perjury to compel Galactus to admit he was friends with an Avenger. Written and drawn by John Byrne, this story tells of a case against Mr. Fantastic lodged by Majestrix Lilandra of the Shi’Ar empire. Galactus destroyed one of the worlds under imperial protection, and since Reed Richards actually saved Galactus in an earlier issue (#244), he would be held responsible for the deaths of millions of Lilandra’s subjects.
Legally, the entire story is a stretch; Richards defends himself by saying that Galactus has no choice but to exist, so saving him was a universal imperative. But, the Watcher backs him up, orchestrating Odin and eventually Galactus himself to testify in Richards’ defense. That’s the moment when Galactus recounts the time the Avengers accidentally killed him in battle. Amazingly, Mr. Fantastic invented a machine that would convert the power of Mjolnir to jumpstart him back to life. After that day, Galactus counted Reed Richards as a friend.
The Watcher takes these testimonies and one-ups them all by calling in yet another cosmic being, Eternity, to talk some sense into this courtroom. Eternity ends up sending them all on a trip around the universe that makes them understand Galactus’ role and necessity. Lilandra is appeased, the case is dropped, peace is made. The entire story was witnessed by the comic book version of Byrne, who was also brought along by the Watcher. Once teleported back to the drafting table in his office, he begins to write the new issue of Fantastic Four.
If the MCU is still looking for ways to incorporate their First Family, this story is a great candidate. This trial sets the rationality of Reed Richards against the craziness of space empires, and shows the versatility of what the family brings to the table. There would have to be liberal flashback to tell the full story of the case, but what other Marvel superteam could plausibly stand intergalactic trial? Most importantly, this is the way to tell Galactus’ origin story as well, thus bringing another heavy hitter into the villain bullpen. Eternity says that Galactus exists because he is a test that all planets must eventually pass, here’s the story of how Earth got an A+.
Next – Thanos Once Created a [SPOILER] Stronger Than Galactus
