This Fantastic Four Galactus Rumor Could Change The MCU In A Massive Way
With Marvel Studios revealing the final cast and release date for "Fantastic Four," one of its most anticipated films is beginning to take shape. At long last, Marvel's First Family will get the opportunity to shine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and rub shoulders with many major heroes and villains. Naturally, their most famous enemies are in the same position, with the planet-devouring Galactus — who some theorize was secretly created by Thanos (Josh Brolin) in the MCU — rumored to be the movie's antagonist. The rumor mill also purports that he'll share a connection with a game-changing and incredibly powerful individual.
According to entertainment scooper Charles Murphy, Galactus will reportedly establish a connection with Franklin Richards, the telekinetic, reality-warping son of Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Susan Storm (Vanessa Kirby). This evokes the "Earth-X" Marvel Comics storyline, where Franklin grows in power to a point where Galactus briefly becomes something akin to his herald. If Marvel Studios goes this route or one similar, the power scaling of the MCU will shift drastically. If Franklin is on par with or eventually more powerful than Galactus, such potential future villains like Molecule Man and the Beyonder, who could factor into "Avengers: Secret Wars," would have to be unbelievably strong to be perceived as noteworthy threats.
Additionally, if Franklin is introduced in such a way, the entire narrative function of Galactus changes. His status as a world-ending threat is immediately diminished, especially if he becomes something of a tool for Franklin. While this could present some interesting storytelling opportunities, it would be nice to finally get a proper Galactus adaptation on the big screen.
Galactus deserves a proper cinematic adaptation
Throughout most of his tenure in the pages of Marvel Comics, Galactus has been presented as a massive, near-unstoppable threat. Even Marvel's greatest heroes have struggled to stop him in his endless pursuit to consume planet after planet. Unfortunately, should the rumors prove true that he'll be connected to Franklin Richards in the MCU, potentially resembling his Earth-X counterpart by helping him out in some way, then fans could still be left waiting for Galactus' true debut on film.
To date, Galactus has only been brought to the silver screen on one occasion. As the title implies, 2007's "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" features the Silver Surfer (Laurence Fishburne, Doug Jones) as Galactus' herald, selecting Earth for his master to devour next. It's up to the Fantastic Four to save the world once again, but they don't battle a giant humanoid in a purple-and-blue suit. Rather, they have to combat a sprawling cosmic dust cloud that begins to form around the planet. The most Galactus thing about it is a fiery shape within that resembles the character's iconic helmet. It endures as one of the many things in "Rise of the Silver Surfer" Marvel wants people to forget about.
With the "Rise of the Silver Surfer" attempt in mind, hopefully, the MCU's Galactus will be a genuine standalone threat that resembles his print counterpart. There's time after to strike up a connection between him and Franklin Richards, but ideally, a proper, classic adaptation of the character will come first. Of course, it remains to be seen if Galactus and Franklin will appear at all in "Fantastic Four," which premieres on July 25, 2025.