Galactus - Powers and Abilities

Powers and Abilities

Galactus was created during the union between the "Sentience of the Universe" and Galan of Taa, and a herald with heightened perception of reality described him as "the physical, metamorphosed embodiment of a cosmos." Galactus considers himself a higher being than all non-abstracts, maintaining his existence by devouring planets that have the potential for supporting life. This has resulted in the elimination of entire extraterrestrial civilizations on numerous worlds.

Galactus wields the Power Cosmic, which is a fictional type of cosmic energy. It replaces the "auras" (or souls) of the characters imbued with its properties, causing each wielder's physical form to uniquely adapt in order to store and manipulate it according to how they desire. Galactus is able to strip the Power Cosmic away from the person to whom he has given it. Galactus can employ the Power Cosmic to produce nearly any effect he desires, including size-alteration, the transmutation of matter, the teleportation of objects (including entire galaxies) across space, the creation of force fields, the creation of interdimensional portals, telepathy, telekinesis, cosmic awareness on a universal scale, creating sentient life, resurrecting the dead, manipulating mortal souls, manipulating the memories and emotions of others, recreating dead worlds (including their populations) in every detail,, energy projection, the creation of black holes and other cosmic bodies, the ability to enter and control the Astral Plane, creating pocket dimensions, time travel, and healing wounds.

Although not an abstract, non-corporeal being, Galactus is a living force of nature set to correct the imbalances between the conceptual entities Eternity and Death, and as such his true form cannot be perceived by most beings; each species perceives Galactus in a form they can associate with or comprehend, either in a form similar to that of their own race or as a deity of their own religion. Galactus has also appeared as a humanoid star when addressing fellow members of the cosmic hierarchy.

As Galactus must continuously feed to sustain himself, his power levels are inconsistent throughout any given period; the character must wear armor to help regulate his internal energies. Due to this inherent hunger, Earth's heroes have been able to achieve various degrees of success in repelling or defeating a weakened Galactus. In this state Galactus has shown susceptibility to the Images of Ikonn spell, which forces him to recall all of the beings he has destroyed as a result of his feeding.

The first and oldest living entity in the universe, Galactus employs advanced science capable of creating the Ultimate Nullifier, an object of tremendous power capable of destroying and remaking the multiverse, and the immense ship Taa II. Reed Richards speculated that Taa II — the Möbius strip-shaped, solar system-sized home of Galactus — could be the greatest source of energy in the universe.

Galactus retains the Punisher cyborgs in his service, and has appointed a number of beings to act as his Herald, with each bestowed a small fraction of the Power Cosmic.